Poster: Stuck In The '70's
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Too Something (aka New York Daze) aired from October 1995 until June 1996 on FOX.
Eric and Donny ( Eric Schaeffer, Donal Lardner Ward) were roommates living in Manhattan who worked very hard at not becoming successful in this buddy comedy. Eric, a would-be author who never seemed to write anything , took menial jobs with companies. Danny, a long haired free-spirited photographer, took wonderful pictures but was afraid to show them to anyone who might actually find him paying work. They worked in the mailroom at Crown, Fink and Wagner, where they spent much of their time trying not to get noticed and promoted. Evelyn ( Lisa Gerstein) was their opinionated friend who had trouble sustaining relationships, while Daisy ( Mindy Seeger), a sarcastic dog walker, rented a room from Eric. Maria ( Portia de Rossi), who also lived in their building, was a pretty junior associate at the company where Eric and Donny worked. Eric had the hots for her.
The producers ran a viewer contest in 1995 to rename the series, but it was pulled from the schedule before the change took place. When it returned, in May 1996, it had a new title, New York Daze, and was introduced by Geri Dobson, the woman from Greensboro, North Carolina, who had won the contest. Nothing else had changed, and after another month on the air, the series was gone for good.
Stars Eric Scaeffer and Donal Lardner Ward, who had written and starred in the critically acclaimed independent film My Life's in Turnaround, were the creative forces behind this ill-fated comedy.
A Review from Variety
Too Something
((Sun. (1), 8:30-9 p.m., Fox))
By ADAM SANDLER
Taped in Los Angeles by Warner Bros. Television in association with Fox Broadcasting Co. Executive producer, Efrem Seeger; co-executive producers, Susan Seeger, John J. Strauss, Ed Decter, Bruce Kirschbaum; producer, Jan Siegelman; co-producer, Tom Burkhard; director, Andrew D. Weyman; writers, Efrem Seeger, Eric Schaeffer, Donal Lardner Ward, Eric Weinberg; editors, Mike Cole, Kenny Tintorri; art director, John Shaffner; sound, Russ Gary, Brentley Walton; music, Mark Mothersbaugh. #Cast: Eric Schaeffer, Donal Lardner Ward, Lisa Gerstein, Portia de Rossi, Mindy Seeger, Charlie Schlatter, Wayne Tippit, Myndy Crist, Tyrees Allen, Lisa Grant.
The creative team behind the short-lived feature film "My Life's in Turnaround" bring their comic sensibilities to Fox's "Too Something," a witty, quick-paced series about a pair of Generation X-ers who dream of the brass ring. Co-scripters Eric Schaeffer and Donal Lardner Ward (who are also show's stars) strive to create an interesting offering by minimizing the expected sitcom-goofy banter, and support the bulk of their repartee with well-scripted dialogue. The pair also manage to vilify the Gen-X slacker attitude while at the same time tapping it for some well-placed comedic payoffs. They may even add a phrase or two to the lexicon in the process.
Bow intros Eric and Donny, roommates working as lackeys in an investment firm -- a job they hate -- so they can do the things they love: Eric wants to be a writer, while Donny's a budding photographer. But Eric has yet to put pen to paper and Donny is afraid to show anyone his stills -- at least temporarily.
And in a twist to the pursuit-of-the-corner-office syndrome, the pair reject a promotion to junior executive status and demand to be returned to the mail room to avoid any obstacles to their dreams.
Schaeffer and Ward are smooth and amiable together, which makes palatable their characters' sometimes dopey behavior, and their timing is show's saving grace.
They're aided by the smiling sarcasm and impeccable comedic chops of Charlie Schlatter (who last shined, despite the weak material offered, in the TV version of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off").
Director Andrew D. Weyman steers a sitcom-friendly cast -- with several top-notch supporting players, such as Portia de Rossi as Maria, a love interest for Eric -- into familiar, albeit enjoyable territory.
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