| Common Law | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Rob LaZebnik |
| Written by | Rob LaZebnik |
| Starring |
Greg Giraldo Megyn Price David Pasquesi Carlos Jacott Diana-Maria Riva Gregory Sierra John Di Maggio Richard Fancy Suzy Nakamura |
| Composer | Los Lobos |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 9 (5 unaired) [1] |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Rob LaZebnik Paul Junger Witt Tony Thomas Gary S. Levine |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies |
Witt/Thomas Productions Warner Bros. Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 28 – October 19, 1996 |
Common Law is an American television sitcom that premiered on ABC on September 28, 1996. [2] The show stars Greg Giraldo as a Latino lawyer at a mostly white law firm. The series was created by Rob LaZebnik and produced by Witt/Thomas Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.
Due to low ratings, the series was pulled from ABC's schedule after four episodes had aired. [1]
Synopsis
Common Law focuses on John Alvarez ( Greg Giraldo), the seemingly-token Latino at a large, WASPy law firm. John has a degree from Harvard Law School but never forgets his working-class Queens roots, nor the idea that law is about protecting the "little guy" from the major corporations that are his firm's key clients. He has started a clandestine affair with fellow attorney Nancy Slaton ( Megyn Price), clandestine because the firm forbids lawyers from dating each other to minimize claims of sexual harassment. To the disgust of his barber father, Luis ( Gregory Sierra), John wears his hair long and plays guitar; his father views him as a hippie.
Greg Giraldo was, in reality, a graduate of Harvard Law School, nearly top of his class, and became a lawyer for a while before becoming a comedian. After a year as an attorney, Giraldo fell out of love with the profession and launched his comedy career, only referring to his law background very occasionally on the stand-up circuit until he starred in this series.
Supporters of Common Law pointed to the Saturday 9:30/8:30 time slot as a factor in its poor ratings and subsequent cancellation despite having the long-running ABC sitcom Coach as its lead-in. [2] The series garnered much praise from the Latino community, who were happy to see a character and entertainer of Latino descent starring in such an upscale role. Subsequently, they gave ABC much backlash when the show was canceled. [2]
Cast
- Greg Giraldo as lawyer John Alvarez
- Megyn Price as lawyer Nancy Slaton
- David Pasquesi as Henry Beckett
- Carlos Jacott as Peter Gutenhimmel
- Diana-Maria Riva as receptionist Maria Marquez
- Gregory Sierra as John's father Luis Alvarez
- John Di Maggio as John's childhood friend Francis
Episodes
 | This section needs a
plot summary. (September 2020) |
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Robby Benson | Rob LaZebnik | September 28, 1996 | 001 |
| 2 | "In the Matter of: John's 15 Minutes" | Will Mackenzie | Phil Baker & Drew Vaupen | October 5, 1996 | 004 |
| 3 | "In the Matter of: Acceptance" | Will Mackenzie | Rob LaZebnik | October 12, 1996 | 003 |
| 4 | "In the Matter of: Luis in Love" | Will Mackenzie | Roger Garrett | October 19, 1996 | 005 |
| 5 | "In the Matter of: Need" | TBD | TBD | UNAIRED | TBA |
| 6 | "In the Matter of: Attention" | TBD | TBD | UNAIRED | TBA |
| 7 | "In the Matter of: John's Hero" | TBD | TBD | UNAIRED | TBA |
| 8 | "In the Matter of: Thanksgiving" | TBD | TBD | UNAIRED | TBA |
| 9 | "In the Matter of: John and Nancy's Secret" | TBD | TBD | UNAIRED | TBA |
References
- ^ a b Braxton, Greg (October 18, 1996). "Latino Groups Decry ABC's Pulling of 'Common Law'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
- ^ a b c O'Connor, John J. (September 28, 1996). "A Sitcom, Upscale And Latin". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
- Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows
External links
- Common Law at IMDb
- 1990s American multi-camera sitcoms
- 1996 American television series debuts
- 1996 American television series endings
- 1990s American legal television series
- American English-language television shows
- Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
- Television shows set in New York City
- Hispanic and Latino American sitcoms
- American Broadcasting Company sitcoms
| Common Law | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Rob LaZebnik |
| Written by | Rob LaZebnik |
| Starring |
Greg Giraldo Megyn Price David Pasquesi Carlos Jacott Diana-Maria Riva Gregory Sierra John Di Maggio Richard Fancy Suzy Nakamura |
| Composer | Los Lobos |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 9 (5 unaired) [1] |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Rob LaZebnik Paul Junger Witt Tony Thomas Gary S. Levine |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies |
Witt/Thomas Productions Warner Bros. Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 28 – October 19, 1996 |
Common Law is an American television sitcom that premiered on ABC on September 28, 1996. [2] The show stars Greg Giraldo as a Latino lawyer at a mostly white law firm. The series was created by Rob LaZebnik and produced by Witt/Thomas Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.
Due to low ratings, the series was pulled from ABC's schedule after four episodes had aired. [1]
Synopsis
Common Law focuses on John Alvarez ( Greg Giraldo), the seemingly-token Latino at a large, WASPy law firm. John has a degree from Harvard Law School but never forgets his working-class Queens roots, nor the idea that law is about protecting the "little guy" from the major corporations that are his firm's key clients. He has started a clandestine affair with fellow attorney Nancy Slaton ( Megyn Price), clandestine because the firm forbids lawyers from dating each other to minimize claims of sexual harassment. To the disgust of his barber father, Luis ( Gregory Sierra), John wears his hair long and plays guitar; his father views him as a hippie.
Greg Giraldo was, in reality, a graduate of Harvard Law School, nearly top of his class, and became a lawyer for a while before becoming a comedian. After a year as an attorney, Giraldo fell out of love with the profession and launched his comedy career, only referring to his law background very occasionally on the stand-up circuit until he starred in this series.
Supporters of Common Law pointed to the Saturday 9:30/8:30 time slot as a factor in its poor ratings and subsequent cancellation despite having the long-running ABC sitcom Coach as its lead-in. [2] The series garnered much praise from the Latino community, who were happy to see a character and entertainer of Latino descent starring in such an upscale role. Subsequently, they gave ABC much backlash when the show was canceled. [2]
Cast
- Greg Giraldo as lawyer John Alvarez
- Megyn Price as lawyer Nancy Slaton
- David Pasquesi as Henry Beckett
- Carlos Jacott as Peter Gutenhimmel
- Diana-Maria Riva as receptionist Maria Marquez
- Gregory Sierra as John's father Luis Alvarez
- John Di Maggio as John's childhood friend Francis
Episodes
| This section needs a
plot summary. (September 2020) |
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Robby Benson | Rob LaZebnik | September 28, 1996 | 001 |
| 2 | "In the Matter of: John's 15 Minutes" | Will Mackenzie | Phil Baker & Drew Vaupen | October 5, 1996 | 004 |
| 3 | "In the Matter of: Acceptance" | Will Mackenzie | Rob LaZebnik | October 12, 1996 | 003 |
| 4 | "In the Matter of: Luis in Love" | Will Mackenzie | Roger Garrett | October 19, 1996 | 005 |
| 5 | "In the Matter of: Need" | TBD | TBD | UNAIRED | TBA |
| 6 | "In the Matter of: Attention" | TBD | TBD | UNAIRED | TBA |
| 7 | "In the Matter of: John's Hero" | TBD | TBD | UNAIRED | TBA |
| 8 | "In the Matter of: Thanksgiving" | TBD | TBD | UNAIRED | TBA |
| 9 | "In the Matter of: John and Nancy's Secret" | TBD | TBD | UNAIRED | TBA |
References
- ^ a b Braxton, Greg (October 18, 1996). "Latino Groups Decry ABC's Pulling of 'Common Law'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
- ^ a b c O'Connor, John J. (September 28, 1996). "A Sitcom, Upscale And Latin". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
- Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earle, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows
External links
- Common Law at IMDb
- 1990s American multi-camera sitcoms
- 1996 American television series debuts
- 1996 American television series endings
- 1990s American legal television series
- American English-language television shows
- Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
- Television shows set in New York City
- Hispanic and Latino American sitcoms
- American Broadcasting Company sitcoms