Baby Daddy

American television sitcom (2012–2017)

Baby Daddy is an American sitcom created by Dan Berendsen that premiered on June 20, 2012, on ABC Family (Freeform).^[1] The series follows Ben, a man in his twenties, who gets the surprise of his life when a one-night stand leaves his baby at his doorstep. Ben decides to raise his daughter with the help of his brother, Danny, his two close friends, Riley and Tucker, and his sometimes-overbearing mother, Bonnie. The show is based on and inspired by the American film Three Men and a Baby (1987), and serves as the third installment overall in the titular franchise. Six seasons were produced in total, with the 100th and final episode airing on May 22, 2017.

Plot summary

Ben Wheeler, a twenty-something bachelor, suddenly becomes a father when his baby daughter Emma is left at his doorstep. With the help of his overbearing mother Bonnie, his older brother Danny, and his two best friends Tucker and Riley, Ben works to turn his life around in order to provide for his daughter.

Characters

Main characters

• Benjamin Bon Jovi "Ben" Wheeler^[2] (Jean-Luc Bilodeau): The lead character of the series. Ben is living the life of a bachelor as a bartender in New York City with his buddy Tucker and his older brother Danny. His life is turned upside down when he opens his apartment door to find a baby girl left at his door by a one-night stand. The baby is his daughter Emma. In season 4, Ben and Danny become owners of the bar. He and Riley, next-door-neighbor and childhood friend of Ben, date briefly twice. The relationship fails because Ben doesn't live up to Riley's expectations. Eventually, it is revealed how strong Danny's feelings are for Riley. Ben initially denies this until Bonnie intervenes and points out that "Danny has loved Riley nearly his whole life" and tries to get the two together. Throughout Season 6, Ben tries to find Elle (Katie Gill), a girl he has fallen for after seeing her three times in the same day during the season 5 finale. In the series finale, Elle is seen looking for Ben throughout the series as well.^[3] At the conclusion of the series finale, Elle walks in to deliver Riley's son and Ben immediately recognizes Elle and they end up going out.
• Tucker Thurgood Marshall Dobbs^[4] (Tahj Mowry): Ben's best friend and roommate. Tucker is friendly towards everybody as long as they don't eat his food.^[5] Tucker has a love-hate and somewhat teasing relationship with Mrs. Wheeler. Ben encourages Tucker to drop out of law school to pursue a career in television. When his father, Marshall Dobbs (Phil Morris), finds out about this he is at first furious and disowns Tucker. Mr. Dobbs later approves of Tucker's career in the same episode. Tucker has multiple relationships throughout the series but ultimately ends up with Sondra, a talkative fellow tenant whose voice is extremely shrill.
• Daniel Mellencamp "Danny" Wheeler^[6] (Derek Theler): Ben's older brother, who is a professional hockey player for the New York Rangers. His younger brother looks up to him, and is sometimes envious of Danny being better at everything. It is mentioned many times that Danny is their mother's favorite son, so much that Mrs. Wheeler sometimes says she only has one son. In Season 4, Danny purchases Ben's place of employment, "Bar on B", for Ben. Danny has also been in love with Riley ever since he was six. Danny and Riley eventually end up together in season 5. In the season 5 finale, it is revealed that Riley is pregnant after Danny and Riley become very serious. During Season 6, Danny and Riley get married, and have a son, Puck.
• Bonnie N. Walker (née Prapinski; previously Wheeler) (Melissa Peterman): Ben and Danny's mother. She is a happy, outgoing, loud, and dramatic person who has a kind heart. Bonnie loves her kids, though sometime favors Danny more. She dotes on her granddaughter more than anything. It is revealed she got pregnant at 17 and her mother disowned her, resulting in why she bonds with her own children. When her mother visits in the present time, Bonnie finally confronts her and called her a poor excuse of a mother while defending the family she has made and disowns her in return. She loves to drink; her favorite wine is chardonnay. It is hinted many times throughout the series that Bonnie might have a drinking problem. Bonnie has an on and off relationship with Brad Walker from season 3. She later marries Brad in an elevator. She originally wanted to be a model but those plans changed after having Danny. She later becomes a realtor. Bonnie is in love with Bon Jovi, so much so that she named her second son "Benjamin Bon Jovi Wheeler". She describes herself as "a beautiful young woman with goals and ambitions".
• Riley Perrin (Chelsea Kane): Ben's close friend and Danny's best friend since they were little. Although Riley dates Ben on and off during the first few seasons of the show, she falls for Danny towards the end of Season 4, and subsequently begins a relationship with him. During the Season 5 season finale, it is revealed that Riley is pregnant. Danny and Riley get married in Season 6, and she gives birth to their son in the series finale. It is said that she was extremely overweight in high school and, in the season 3 episode "Romancing the Phone" she says she lost 90 pounds. When they were kids, her nickname was "Rigantor" and could beat up the boys, enjoyed watching professional wrestling with Danny, and played field hockey as well as street hockey. She is highly intelligent. Despite having some difficulty with the LSATs, she does well enough to get accepted into law school.^[7] Riley is also extremely competitive. She has liked Ben ever since they were young, but only Danny initially knows. In the episode "Send in the Clowns", it is revealed that her aunt is her real mother. In the episode "House of Cards", she mentions a sister, presumably her cousin in reality, whom she claims to "hate".
• Emma Wheeler (Ali Louise and Susanne Allan Hartman in season 1; Mila and Zoey Beske in season 2; Ember and Harper Husak in season 3; Sura and Kayleigh Harris in seasons 4–6): Ben's daughter, who is left at his door by a one-night stand. Angela, Emma's mother, and Ben went on with their lives until she realized she was pregnant and gave birth to the child. Deciding that her acting career is more important than raising a child, she leaves Emma at Ben's front door and gives him full custody of Emma.

Recurring characters

• Brad Walker (Peter Porte): A handsome real estate agent who has an on and off relationship with Bonnie from season 3. He has a twin brother named Tad. On the season 4 episode "Parental Guidance", Brad proposes to Bonnie, with her saying yes. Brad and Bonnie officially get married in season 5.
• Dr. Amy Shaw (Lacey Chabert): A psychologist for the New York Rangers and Danny's girlfriend in season 2. She cares deeply for Danny but is constantly worried his feelings for Riley will drive him away. She eventually realizes Danny still has feelings for Riley and breaks up with him in the episode "Surprise!". In season 3, Amy shows up and announces that she is engaged to another man.
• Fitch Douglas (Matt Dallas): Son of a millionaire and Riley's boyfriend in season 2. Fitch does not speak to his family for he feels their money corrupts them. He constantly travels to Africa to help children and orphanages, having a long-distance relationship with Riley. He is seemingly killed in Africa but later turns up alive at his memorial and proposes to Riley. She regretfully declines claiming she is not the one for him. In season 3, he comes back and Riley attempts to make him her rebound to forget Ben.
• Philip Farlow (Christopher O'Shea): A college professor who Riley briefly dates in season 3.
• Georgie Farlow (Mallory Jansen): Philip's sister who briefly dates Ben, but later develops feelings for Danny in season 3. She is a fashion photographer for Vogue magazine. She doesn't like Riley, but begins to accept her for Danny's sake in the episode "Foos it or Lose It". She breaks up with Danny via voicemail at the beginning of season 4.
• Angela Davidson (Mimi Gianopulos): The mother of Emma and the ex-girlfriend of Ben. When her daughter is 3 months old, she abandons her on Ben's doorstep. She's an aspiring actress who then moves to California. Although she appears in several episodes, Angela never takes the role of Emma's mother as she often places her career first.
• Mary Hart: A fictionalized version of herself, who has a daytime talk show that Tucker is the producer of. While she initially comes off as a kind person on camera, she is very rude and mean off camera, especially towards Tucker. She appears on the show between season 3 to mid-season 5.
• Megan (Grace Phipps): A day care worker who Ben dates in season 2. She breaks up with him after he almost loses her dog.
• Ray Wheeler (Greg Grunberg): Ben and Danny's father. He is divorced from Bonnie and doesn't get along with her. He makes amends with Bonnie by finally telling his family that he's in a relationship with a man named Steve (Robert Gant).
• Sondra (Rachna Khatau): A neighbor who's known for her talkativeness and distinctive high-pitched voice.
• Robyn (Christa B. Allen): Riley's co worker and Danny's girlfriend in season 4.
• Zoey (Jonna Walsh): A single mother living in the same building as Ben, introduced in season 5. She shares the same interests as Ben, but is reluctant to give in to her romantic feelings because of Ben's immaturity.
• Sam Saffe (Daniella Monet): The manager of the Bar on B in season 5. She went to high school with Ben, Danny and Riley. Ben had a crush on her in high school but she never reciprocated his feelings. She and Riley do not like each other, despite frequent attempts on both ends to become friends. Sam briefly dates Ben in season 5.
• Elle Ryan (Katie Gill): A woman that Ben has met a few brief times and is convinced is his soulmate. In the season 6 finale, it is revealed that she has been looking for Ben, as he had been looking for her. In the same episode, she and Ben finally meet and end up dating after she is paged to deliver Riley and Danny's son, Puck.
• Carter (Jase Whitaker): Ben's bartender co-worker at the bar Ben eventually ends up owning.

Guest stars

• Charlotte (Reba McEntire): Bonnie's friend who helps her plan her wedding to Brad. Melissa Peterman starred on Reba alongside McEntire.
• David Binkerhoff (David DeLuise): Riley's biological father.
• Jennifer Perrin (Caroline Rhea in season 2, Alex Kapp Horner in season 4): Riley's adoptive mother.

Episodes

Development and production

The series was given a green-light on February 2, 2012^[8] and began production on March 28. The second season premiered on May 29, 2013,^[9][10] followed by the third on January 15, 2014.^[11] The fourth season^[12] premiered on October 22, 2014, with the series' first Halloween episode "Strip or Treat".^[13] The fifth season^[14] premiered on February 3, 2016.^[15] The sixth and final season^[16] premiered on March 13, 2017.^[17][18]

Broadcast

The series premiered in the United States on June 20, 2012, on ABC Family.^[1]

In New Zealand, the show premiered on TVNZ's TV2 beginning on December 14, 2013.^{[citation needed]}

In Australia, the series airs on Fox8, with season 1 premiering 29 September 2013,^[19] with season 2 returning on 4 May 2014,^[20] and season 3 returning on 24 August the same year.^[21]

In the United Kingdom, the series began airing on E4 on February 16, 2015. The same year, the second season started on March 2,^[22] followed by the third in April and the fourth in September. The fifth season aired on 5 September 2016.^[23] The sixth and final season aired in 2017.

In Israel, the series airs weeknights (two episodes each) since July 2016. In South Africa, the series aired on 5 September 2015.

In Italy, the series began airing on Joi Premium, pay channel on the DTT platform Mediaset Premium from 22 February to 22 March 2013. The second, third, fourth and fifth seasons were broadcast on the streaming platform Mediaset Infinity from 2015 to 2016. The sixth season were made entirely available on October 4, 2017, on the streaming platform Mediaset Infinity.

In Brazil the series premiered on September 8, 2014, on the Sony Channel, by TV Globo in December 2017, and on March 5, 2021, the six seasons were made available on the streaming platform Disney+.

In Portugal, the series debuted on AXN White on May 5, 2013, and the last episode was broadcast on July 5, 2017.

International versions

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 33% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 5.10/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Baby Daddy is moderately well-executed, but it can't quite overcome its stale premise and shortage of laughs".^[24] On Metacritic, the first season of the show holds a score 51 out of 100 based on reviews from 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[25]

Accolades

Notes

1. The majority of episodes of the series are directed by Lembeck, other than him, Arlene Sanford directed "Take Her Out of the Ballgame" (season 1, episode 6), Robbie Countryman directed "There's Something Fitchy Going On" (season 2, episode 2) and Bob Koherr directed "New Bonnie vs. Old Ben" (season 2, episode 4).

References

1. Kondolojy, Amanda (March 28, 2012). "ABC Family has Begun Production on the New Comedy Series 'Baby Daddy'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012.
2. Bob Koherr (director), Vince Cheung and Ben Montanio (writers) (June 12, 2013). "New Bonnie vs. Old Ben". Baby Daddy. Season 2. Episode 4. 18:32 minutes in. ABC Family.
3. "ABC Family's New Series Baby Daddy Casts Lead Role". ABC Family. March 1, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-05-08.
4. Michael Lembeck (director), Frank Pines (writer) (April 30, 2014). "From Here to Paternity". Baby Daddy. Season 3. Episode 15. 18:00 minutes in. ABC Family.
5. "Meet the Cast of ABC Family's Baby Daddy: Tahj Mowry". ABC Family. Archived from the original on 2012-07-07.
6. Michael Lembeck (director), Kirill Baru & Eric Zimmerman (writers) (May 7, 2014). "Curious Georgie". Baby Daddy. Season 3. Episode 16. 02:21 minutes in. ABC Family.
7. "Casting News! Chelsea Kane Joins Baby Daddy Cast". January 28, 2012. Archived from the original on October 30, 2011. - ABC Family
8. "On the Heels of Its Most Successful year on Record ABC Family Announces the First Portion of Its New Original Programming Slate". The Futon Critic. February 2, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2012.
9. Andreeva, Nellie (11 March 2013). "ABC Family Sets Summer Premiere Dates". Deadline.com. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
10. "ABC Family Renews 'Baby Daddy' For Season 3". Deadline.com. 22 March 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
11. Baby Daddy, Episode Title: "The Naked Truth", TheFutonCritic.com
12. Bibel, Sara (March 17, 2014). "'Melissa & Joey' & 'Baby Daddy' Renewed for Season 4 by ABC Family & Network Orders 3 Drama Pilots". TV by the Numbers (Press release). Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
13. "BABY DADDY on ABC FAMILY Episode Title: "Strip or Treat"". TheFutonCritic.com (Press release). Retrieved October 23, 2014.
14. Kondolojy, Amanda (February 27, 2015). "'Baby Daddy' Renewed for Fifth Season by ABC Family". tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Archived from the original on March 1, 2015. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
15. "BABY DADDY on FREEFORM Episode Title: "SLove and Carriage"". TheFutonCritic.com (Press release). Retrieved February 4, 2014.
16. Swift, Andy (27 June 2016). "Baby Daddy Renewed for Season 6".
17. "'Baby Daddy' Season 6: Release Date, Casts, And More". January 16, 2017.
18. Swift, Andy (May 13, 2017). "Baby Daddy Ending With Season 6". TVLine. United States: Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on May 13, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
19. Knox, David (10 September 2013). "FOX8 premieres: Sept / Oct". TV Tonight. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
20. DHiggins (29 April 2014). "New this week on Foxtel: River Cottage Australia, The Americans, A-League grand final & more". Foxtel. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
21. DHiggins (18 August 2014). "New this week: Louie S4, House Of Lies S2, Helpmann Awards, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and more". Foxtel. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
22. Munn, Patrick (February 18, 2015). "E4 Sets UK Premiere Date For 'Baby Daddy' Season 2". TV Wise. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
23. Munn, Patrick (August 26, 2015). "E4 Sets UK Premiere Date For 'Baby Daddy' Season 4". TV Wise. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
24. "Baby Daddy". Rotten Tomatoes. June 20, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
25. "Baby Daddy". Metacritic. June 20, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
26. "Teen Choice Awards 2012: Complete Winners List". MTV. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
27. "2013 Teen Choice Awards: The Winners List". MTV. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
28. Nordyke, Kimberly (2014-08-10). "Teen Choice Awards: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
29. January 07, Emily Blake Updated; EST, 2015 at 12:00 PM. "People's Choice Awards 2015: The winner's list". EW.com. Retrieved 2023-02-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
30. "Teen Choice Awards 2015: See The Full Winners List". MTV. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
31. "2016 People's Choice Awards: See The Full Winners List Here". MTV. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
32. Crist, Allison (2016-07-29). "Teen Choice Awards: Complete List of Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
33. T. H. R. Staff (2017-01-18). "People's Choice Awards 2017 Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
34. Hipes, Patrick (2017-01-05). "Art Directors Guild Awards Nominations: 'Rogue One', 'Game Of Thrones' & More". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
35. "Teen Choice Awards 2017 Winners: The Complete List". E! Online. 2017-08-14. Retrieved 2022-07-23.

External links

• Official website
• Baby Daddy at IMDb 
• Baby Daddy on TheTVDB