The Crazy Ones

American television sitcom (2013–2014))

The Crazy Ones is an American television sitcom created by David E. Kelley, and starring Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar. The single-camera series aired for one season on CBS, from September 26, 2013, to April 17, 2014. It was part of the 2013–14 American television season as a Thursday night 9:00 pm Eastern / 8:00 pm Central entry.^[1][2][3] Bill D'Elia, Dean Lorey and Jason Winer served as executive producers for 20th Century Fox Television. The episodes are loosely based on the life experiences of John R. Montgomery while he worked at Leo Burnett Advertising in Chicago.

On October 18, 2013, CBS gave the show a full-season order.^[4] On February 27, 2014, the series switched timeslots with Two and a Half Men, and started airing at 9:30 pm Eastern / 8:30 pm Central.^[5] CBS canceled the series on May 10, 2014,^[6] marking Williams's final television role, nearly three months before his death in 2014.

Cast and characters

The show's main stars are Robin Williams, Sarah Michelle Gellar, James Wolk, Hamish Linklater and Amanda Setton.

Main

• Robin Williams as Simon Roberts, a Chicago advertising executive: Robin Williams described Simon as "a guy who can sell anything. He could sell frappuccinos to Starbucks. He could sell clouds to God." Touching on how his own life was the inspiration for Simon's backstory, Williams said, "Simon's a guy with a lot of nuance. He's lived hard and been on the edge for a long time. Multiple marriages, rehab, even rehab in wine country. Trust me, I've done the research myself."^[7] During the time since Simon was divorced with Sydney's mother, he has been married several times, and genuinely wants to be part of his daughter's life. He adds Sydney to the executive partnership after she improves his business, and adds her name to the agency before the start of the series.
• Sarah Michelle Gellar as Sydney Roberts: Simon's daughter is a business partner and director at the ad agency.^[7] Her character often plays the "straight woman" to Simon's plans. Raised by her mother after her parents' divorce, she does not fault him for being more involved with work than his family. Despite this, Sydney often uses her past as justification for her business decisions. She has romantic feelings for her best friend, Andrew, but she chooses not to date him, for she values their friendship more and is concerned about the consequences of a break-up.
• James Wolk as Zach Cropper, a copywriter:^[7] He is a charismatic but shallow womanizer who does not know much about the advertising business. He has an on-again/off-again physical relationship with Lauren. His colleagues and he often use good looks as an additional advantage for getting clients. Zach enjoys a natural camaraderie with Simon, often bouncing ideas off of each other and brainstorming together.
• Hamish Linklater as Andrew Keanelly, an art director:^[7] Andrew is well-spoken, smart, and often on Sydney's side as the second voice of reason among the staff at their agency. He has a sarcastic, down-to-earth personality that contrasts to Zach's occasional overconfidence. Andrew also suffers from a lack of confidence, as part of a large female-based family (referring to himself as "one of seven sisters"). He has a crush on Sydney, who reciprocates these feelings but is hesitant to start a relationship with him, so respects her wishes to stay friends.
• Amanda Setton as Lauren Slotsky, an assistant: Lauren usually comes across as dim-witted, but is described as "much smarter than she first appears",^[7] with a vast knowledge of sharks and talent in poetry. She is bisexual, for she occasionally likes to date with both men and women.

Recurring

• Brad Garrett as Gordon Lewis, Simon's business partner: Gordon works on a different floor with accounts. Gordon is Simon's opposite: professional, restrained, and critical of Simon's decisions. Because of this, the two partners tend to share a frenemy relationship. Gordon is also gay, with a longtime live-in partner, Timothy (Jonathan Del Arco).
• Josh Groban as Danny Chase, Sydney's former co-worker: He is obsessed with her and writes a song expressing his unrequited love for her, which he released as a single. On its release, he sends a copy to Sydney. Sydney panics, believing him to be a stalker, and ends her relationship with him. The agency ends up licensing the song for an ad for Australia tourism, and also works with him on a campaign for barbecue sauce.
• Fred Melamed as himself, a voice-over artist who is frequently at odds over the direction of his career.
• Tiya Sircar as Allie, Sydney's assistant, who is hired near the end of the series: She dates Andrew before he breaks up with her per Sydney's wishes. However, when Allie is heartbroken by the breakup, Andrew reunites with her when Sydney asks him to "fix" her. In the end, Allie serves as the impetus for the union of Sydney and Andrew.

Guest

• Kelly Clarkson as herself
• Saffron Burrows as Helena
• Alan Rachins as Bud Lymsky
• Barry Shabaka Henley as Pete
• Ed Asner as Mr. Finger
• Lavell Crawford as Marvin
• Ashley Tisdale as Kelsi Lasker
• Lenny Jacobson as Jerome
• Missi Pyle as Melora
• Kurt Fuller as Mitchell Payson
• Cheryl Hines as Beth Minkler
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as himself
• Brad Paisley as himself
• David Copperfield as himself
• Pam Dawber as Lily
• Jonathan Del Arco as Timothy
• Gayle King as herself
• Marilu Henner as Paige

Episodes

Production

The series was created by David E. Kelley, who had created several successful workplace television series, albeit mostly hourlong comedy dramas.

It stars Robin Williams as Simon Roberts, an executive at the Chicago advertising agency Lewis, Roberts + Roberts, who works with his tightly wound daughter and protégée Sydney, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar. The series represented Williams's first series regular role since Mork & Mindy 31 years earlier, and the first series for Gellar since Ringer, which was cancelled by The CW in 2012 after one season. Williams's part was written with him in mind.^{[citation needed]} When Gellar learned that Williams was making a television comedy, she contacted her friend Sarah de Sa Rego, the wife of Williams's best friend, Bobcat Goldthwait, to lobby for a co-starring role.^[7]

The series was filmed on soundstages of 12, 11 and 14 at the 20th Century Fox Studios in Los Angeles, which had previously housed the production for the medical drama House.^[7]

Big-brand names were referenced in episodes to evoke a sense of realism, although the companies that owned the brands did not pay for it, nor did they get script approval. In the pilot, singer Kelly Clarkson performed a modified version of the McDonald's slogan "You deserve a break today".^[7]

Reception

Ratings

The premiere episode garnered 15.52 million viewers, making the show the highest-viewed premiere in fall 2013. Its 18-49 rating (3.9/11) was also the highest rated new comedy premiere rating of the season.^[29] With the Live + 3 days DVR numbers, the pilot episode added +22% viewers, gathering 18.98 million viewers and a 6.8 adults 25–54 rating, with 5.1 in adults 18–49.^[30] During the 2013-2014 season, the show's ratings fell, with its season finale garnering 5.23 million viewers.^[31] On May 10, 2014, CBS announced that it had canceled The Crazy Ones.^[32]

Critical response

The show received mixed reviews from critics. The first season received a score of 58 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.^[33]

Morgan Jeffery of Digital Spy wrote, "Williams can't resist falling back on his old bag of tricks on occasion – cartoon voices, gurning, rambling wordplay – but there's a decent amount of pathos to his performance as part-buffoon, part-genius Simon Roberts too and the comedy veteran shares a warm, genuine chemistry with his on-screen offspring Gellar."^[34]

Rob Owen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote, "Whether The Crazy Ones can come together as a series over time remains an open question, but the pilot offers enough charm and humor to warrant future consideration."^[35]

The Washington Post wrote that the pilot "leaves you wanting more", and gave the pilot a grade of "B–" on a scale of A+ to F.^[36]

According to Ross Bonaime of Paste, "I don't know how it does it, but The Crazy Ones continues to be one of the most boring comedies with one of the most amazing casts on the air today." He continues to say, "The entire show is just treading on 'meh.' It also feels like this show just exists in a vacuum, with nothing in any prior episode really having an effect on anything that comes after it. There are no continuing story arcs, nor any real characters to really bond with."^[37]

The Boston Herald gave the show a negative review, noting that "Williams seems exhausted".^[38]

The pilot episode's positive reviews were also for guest-star Kelly Clarkson; website ET Online claimed that she was a "front runner" for an Emmy nomination in 2014 for Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.^[39] Website Gold Derby feels that the lack of Golden Globe nominations for the show, for Best Comedy, Lead Actress (for Gellar) and Lead Actor (for Williams) was a "snub".^[40]

David E. Kelley became particularly critical of the show and said, "The show wasn't very good. It started off with great ratings, but after watching three or four episodes, I thought the storytelling was pretty bad... Robin Williams was great... but the stories made me want to hold my nose."^[41] In 2023, Sarah Michelle Gellar commented, "I loved that show. I could have done it for five or seven years and seen my kids grow up."^[42]

Accolades

Home media

On April 7, 2015, the series became available on a 3-disc DVD set via Amazon.com's DVD-R on-demand service, containing all 22 episodes.^[43]

References

1. "CBS Announces 2013–2014 Primetime Schedule". The Futon Critic. May 15, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
2. Rose, Lacey; Goldberg, Lesley (May 10, 2013). "CBS Orders Chuck Lorre's 'Mom,' Robin Williams' 'Crazy Ones,' Will Arnett Comedy, More". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
3. Ausiello, Michael (May 10, 2013). "Fall TV Scoop: CBS Picks Up Six Series, Including Sarah Michelle Gellar's Crazy Comedy, Josh Holloway's Intelligence and Chuck Lorre's Mom". TVLine. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
4. "'The Crazy Ones,' 'The Millers,' 'Mom' Get Full-Season Orders From CBS". The Wrap. October 8, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
5. Kondolojy, Amanda (February 14, 2014). "'The Crazy Ones' and 'Two and a Half Men' Switch Timeslots + CBS Announces 'Bad Teacher' & 'Unforgettable' Premieres". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
6. Kondolojy, Amanda (May 10, 2014). "'The Crazy Ones,' 'Friends With Better Lives,' 'Intelligence,' 'Bad Teacher' & 'Hostages' Canceled By CBS". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
7. Hochman, David (September 9, 2013). "Still Crazy: Years after Mork and Buffy, Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar hope to rope us in with a new sitcom". TV Guide. pp. 16–19.
8. Kondolojy, Amanda (September 27, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: The Big Bang Theory, The Michael J Fox Show & The X Factor Adjusted Up; The Crazy Ones Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
9. Bibel, Sara (October 4, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: Big Bang Theory, Grey's Anatomy & The Originals Adjusted Up; Parks And Recreation, Welcome to the Family, Sean Saves the World, Michael J. Fox Show, & Parenthood Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 7, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
10. Kondolojy, Amanda (October 11, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: The Big Bang Theory, The X Factor & Glee Adjusted Up; The Vampire Diaries & The Millers Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
11. Bibel, Sara (October 18, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: The Big Bang Theory & Grey's Anatomy Adjusted Up; The Crazy Ones & Elementary Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
12. Kondolojy, Amanda (October 25, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: The Big Bang Theory & The Vampire Diaries Adjusted Up; The Millers and Scandal Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 28, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
13. Bibel, Sara (November 1, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: The Vampire Diaries, The Millers & Elementary Adjusted Up; Sean Saves the World & Parenthood Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved November 1, 2013.
14. Kondolojy, Amanda (November 8, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Elementary', 'Scandal', 'The Vampire Diaries', & 'The Big Bang Theory' Adjusted Up; 'The Voice', 'The Millers', 'Sean Saves the World', 'Parenthood', & 'The Michael J Fox Show' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 8, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
15. Bibel, Sara (November 15, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' Adjusted Up; 'The X Factor', 'Parks and Recreation', 'The Millers', 'Sean Saves the World', 'Glee', 'The Michael J. Fox Show' & 'Parenthood' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 18, 2013. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
16. Kondolojy, Amanda (November 22, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Big Bang Theory' & 'Grey's Anatomy Adjusted Up; 'The X Factor', 'Reign' & 'Glee' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 24, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
17. Kondolojy, Amanda (December 6, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' & 'The X Factor' Adjusted Up; 'Once Upon a Time', 'The Millers', 'Grey's Anatomy' & Scandal' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 9, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
18. Bibel, Sara (December 13, 2013). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Vampire Diaries' Adjusted Up; 'The Big Bang Theory', 'The Sing-Off', 'Once Upon a Time in Wonderland', 'The Millers', 'The Crazy Ones', 'Two and a Half Men' & 'Elementary' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
19. Bibel, Sara (January 6, 2014). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory', 'Two and a Half Men' & 'The Taste' Adjusted Up; 'The Millers' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
20. Bibel, Sara (January 10, 2014). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory' & 'Parks and Recreation' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
21. Kondolojy, Amanda (January 31, 2014). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Big Bang Theory', 'American Idol', 'The Taste', 'Vampire Diaries', 'Parks & Recreation', 'Two and a Half Men' Adjusted Up; 'The Millers', 'Elementary', & Reign' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
22. Bibel, Sara (February 7, 2014). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory', 'American Idol', 'Two and a Half Men' & the Olympics Adjusted Up; 'The Millers' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 11, 2014. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
23. Kondolojy, Amanda (February 28, 2014). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory', 'Scandal', 'Grey's Anatomy', 'American Idol' & 'Parks & Recreation' Adjusted Up; 'The Millers' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
24. Bibel, Sara (March 7, 2014). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory', 'Once Upon A Time in Wonderland', 'Parks and Recreation' & 'Elementary' Adjusted Up; 'The Millers' & 'Two and a Half Men' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
25. Kondolojy, Amanda (March 14, 2014). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Hell's Kitchen', 'Parks and Recreation' & 'Scandal' Adjusted Up; 'Reign', 'The Crazy Ones', 'Two and a Half Men' and 'The Millers' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
26. Bibel, Sara (April 4, 2014). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'The Big Bang Theory', 'Grey's Anatomy', 'Scandal' & 'Hell's Kitchen' Adjusted Up; 'American Idol', 'The Millers', 'The Crazy Ones' & 'Elementary' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
27. Kondolojy, Amanda (April 11, 2014). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Community', 'Grey's Anatomy', 'Shark Tank', 'The Big Bang Theory' & 'American Idol' Adjusted Up; 'The Millers' & 'Elementary ' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
28. Bibel, Sara (April 18, 2014). "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Grey's Anatomy' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
29. "The Crazy Ones Premieres as the Season's #1 New Show". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 30, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
30. "'CBS Thursday Premieres Soar Even Higher With Live+3 Day DVR Playback". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 1, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
31. "Thursday Final Ratings: 'Grey's Anatomy' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
32. "'The Crazy Ones,' 'Friends With Better Lives,' 'Intelligence,' 'Bad Teacher' & 'Hostages' Canceled By CBS". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
33. "The Crazy Ones reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
34. Morgan Jeffery of Digital Spy, the-crazy-ones-hit-or-flop (Retrieved September 27, 2013)
35. Owen, Rob (May 21, 2012). "TV veterans return to prime time". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
36. Hank Stuever. "Robin Williams stars in The Crazy Ones". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
37. "The Crazy Ones Review: The Intern (Episode 1.11)". Paste Magazine. 14 December 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
38. Perigard, Mark (26 September 2013). "Michael J. Fox, Robin Williams stumble in new sitcoms". Boston Herald. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
39. "Should Kelly Clarkson Become a TV Star? | Entertainment Tonight".
40. "Shocking Golden Globes (TV) snubs: 'Homeland,' 'The Crazy Ones,'". Archived from the original on 2015-07-15. Retrieved 2015-06-29.
41. "David e. Kelley Has Given up on the Broadcast Networks, Partly Because His Last Show 'Wasn't Very Good'". 12 October 2016.
42. O'Connell, Mikey (January 18, 2023). "Sarah Michelle Gellar Revisits Five Pivotal Post-'Buffy' Roles". The Hollywood Reporter.
43. Lambert, David (April 7, 2015). "The Crazy Ones - DVDs Should Be Shipping Now for the Show's One-and-Only Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.

External links

• Official website
• The Crazy Ones at IMDb