Ellen (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Ellen is a U.S. television sitcom that ran on the ABC
network
from March 29, 1994 to July 22, 1998, producing 109 episodes.
The theme song, "So Called Friend
" is by Scottish band Texas
. A running gag was that each episode had a distinct opening credits
sequence, resulting from Ellen's ongoing search for the perfect opening credits.
The title role of Ellen Morgan, played by stand-up comedian
Ellen DeGeneres
, was a neurotic
bookstore owner
in her thirties. The series centered on Ellen's dealing with her quirky friends
, her family and the problems of daily life.
as a lesbian
in the famous "Puppy Episode
." (DeGeneres herself had come out earlier that year on The Oprah Winfrey Show
and in TIME.) To ensure a memorable moment, the coming out scene was made into a gag where, at an airport, Ellen turns and tells Laura Dern
"I'm gay!" – only to realize that she had turned right into the intercom microphone, announcing her sexuality to the entire terminal. Ellen DeGeneres's mother Betty can briefly be seen as one of the people in the terminal with a shocked reaction to the announcement.
The episode was ranked #35 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.
The revelation ignited a storm of controversy, prompting ABC to place a parental advisory
at the beginning of each episode.
Ellen was successful enough in its early seasons to warrant annual renewal, due largely to DeGeneres's perceived appeal and comic ability, but only with Ellen's coming out did the show make its way into the wide public consciousness and hit a critical plateau. However, after the initial coming out frenzy, the show's ratings
declined and ABC began feeling the pain of an organized backlash from religious conservative groups regarding the "gay content" being exhibited. The final episodes of Ellen were criticized for focusing too much on gay issues, a criticism begun in anti-gay circles but which spread to the mainstream media. Eventually, even some members of the gay community, including Chaz Bono (who at the time was the media director for GLAAD), began to criticize the show's serious new tone as well. ABC pulled the show from the air in May 1998 after five seasons.
in the fall of 1998, and stopped in 2001. Starting October 4, 2003, during DeGeneres's surge in popularity through her role in Finding Nemo
and her new daytime talk show
, Lifetime began airing reruns again, on 1AM-2AM ET Sunday mornings, starting with the second season. Before long, it went into the 1:30AM-2AM ET time slot Monday-Friday. The reruns stopped two episodes into the controversial final season. Oxygen then picked up the entire series to air starting October 4, 2004, daily at midnight and noon ET. As of June 18, 2007, the show continues to air 8AM-11AM ET Monday mornings in the US. Reruns of the show in the UK were until recently on ABC1 until the channel closed in September 2007. These were shown only on weekend mornings, along with other Touchstone Pictures
productions. No other UK channels are currently airing the show.
In Australia episodes air on 111 HITS
weekdays in a daytime timeslot. New Zealand is currently airing double episode reruns on TVNZ TV2 every Monday night.
In Canada, it is currently being aired by TVtropolis
.
A&E Home Video
has released the entire series on DVD in Region 1.
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
from March 29, 1994 to July 22, 1998, producing 109 episodes.
The theme song, "So Called Friend
So Called Friend
"So Called Friend" was the first single to be taken from Scottish band Texas' third studio album Ricks Road. It reached #30 on the UK Singles Chart in September 1993.The song was the theme song of TV series Ellen-7" vinyl :...
" is by Scottish band Texas
Texas (band)
Texas are a Scottish pop band from Bearsden, near Glasgow, Scotland. They were founded by Johnny McElhone in 1986 and feature Sharleen Spiteri on lead vocals. Texas made their performing debut in March 1988 at Scotland's University of Dundee...
. A running gag was that each episode had a distinct opening credits
Opening credits
In a motion picture, television program, or video game, the opening credits are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are now usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or sometimes on top of action in the show. There...
sequence, resulting from Ellen's ongoing search for the perfect opening credits.
The title role of Ellen Morgan, played by stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season....
, was a neurotic
Neurosis
Neurosis is a class of functional mental disorders involving distress but neither delusions nor hallucinations, whereby behavior is not outside socially acceptable norms. It is also known as psychoneurosis or neurotic disorder, and thus those suffering from it are said to be neurotic...
bookstore owner
Ownership
Ownership is the state or fact of exclusive rights and control over property, which may be an object, land/real estate or intellectual property. Ownership involves multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different parties. The concept of ownership has...
in her thirties. The series centered on Ellen's dealing with her quirky friends
Friendship
Friendship is a form of interpersonal relationship generally considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association are often thought of as spanning across the same continuum...
, her family and the problems of daily life.
The Puppy Episode
In 1997, Ellen made television history when the title character came outComing out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
as a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
in the famous "Puppy Episode
The Puppy Episode
"The Puppy Episode" is a two-part episode of the situation comedy television series Ellen. The episode details lead character Ellen Morgan's realization that she is a lesbian and her coming out. It was the 22nd and 23rd episode of the series' 4th season...
." (DeGeneres herself had come out earlier that year on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
and in TIME.) To ensure a memorable moment, the coming out scene was made into a gag where, at an airport, Ellen turns and tells Laura Dern
Laura Dern
Laura Elizabeth Dern is an American actress, film director and producer. Dern has acted in such films as Smooth Talk , Blue Velvet , Fat Man and Little Boy , Wild at Heart , Jurassic Park and October Sky...
"I'm gay!" – only to realize that she had turned right into the intercom microphone, announcing her sexuality to the entire terminal. Ellen DeGeneres's mother Betty can briefly be seen as one of the people in the terminal with a shocked reaction to the announcement.
The episode was ranked #35 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.
The revelation ignited a storm of controversy, prompting ABC to place a parental advisory
Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory is a message affixed by the Recording Industry Association of America to audio and recordings in the United States containing excessive use of profane language and/or sexual references. Albums began to be labeled for "explicit lyrics" in 1985, after pressure from the Parents...
at the beginning of each episode.
Ellen was successful enough in its early seasons to warrant annual renewal, due largely to DeGeneres's perceived appeal and comic ability, but only with Ellen's coming out did the show make its way into the wide public consciousness and hit a critical plateau. However, after the initial coming out frenzy, the show's ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
declined and ABC began feeling the pain of an organized backlash from religious conservative groups regarding the "gay content" being exhibited. The final episodes of Ellen were criticized for focusing too much on gay issues, a criticism begun in anti-gay circles but which spread to the mainstream media. Eventually, even some members of the gay community, including Chaz Bono (who at the time was the media director for GLAAD), began to criticize the show's serious new tone as well. ABC pulled the show from the air in May 1998 after five seasons.
Main cast
Note – Between seasons one and two, there was not only a title change from These Friends of Mine to Ellen, but several characters disappeared without explanation.- Ellen DeGeneresEllen DeGeneresEllen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season....
as Ellen Morgan: Ellen Inez Morgan is the main character of the sitcom. In season one, Ellen works in a Los Angeles bookstore called "Buy the Book." In the second season, she purchases the bookstore from her boss and becomes its owner. Throughout season four, hints were made to her sexuality and near the end of season 4 in "The Puppy Episode," Ellen announced she was a lesbian. For the first one and a half seasons, Ellen lived in an apartment with roommate Adam. She lived alone after Adam moved out and then with her cousin Spence. Towards the end of season four, she bought her own house. Ellen's personality was likable and cheerful, but also somewhat clumsy and awkward, and with a persistent need to be liked. Her trademark behavior (and the main object of her comedy) was that she would digressDigressionDigression is a section of a composition or speech that is an intentional change of subject. In Classical rhetoric since Corax of Syracuse, especially in Institutio Oratoria of Quintilian, the digression was a regular part of any oration or composition...
in a rambling and babbling fashion, especially when nervous or embarrassed. An example of both her clumsiness and her need to please is found in the episode where she had Martha StewartMartha StewartMartha Stewart is an American business magnate, author, magazine publisher, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising...
over for a dinner party and Ellen became highly stressed trying to organize the perfect dinner. - Joely FisherJoely FisherJoely Fisher is an American actress best known for her work on television as Paige Clark on Ellen as well as Joy Stark in the Fox sitcom Til Death, and also on stage and in films.-Background:...
as Paige Clark: Appearing in seasons two through five, Paige is Ellen's somewhat neurotic, vain and promiscuous best friend who works for a movie studioMovie studioA movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
. Paige planned to tie the knot with her boyfriend Matt, but dumped him at the altar after beginning an affair with Ellen's cousin Spence. When Ellen comes out of the closet, Paige has the hardest time dealing with it (even harder than Ellen's parents). In the fifth season, Paige finally comes to terms with it. - Holly FulgerHolly FulgerHolly Fulger is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Robin Dulitski in Anything But Love and as Holly Jamison on Ellen.-Early life:...
as Holly: Appearing only in the first season, including the two delayed episodes that aired during season three, Holly is Ellen's friend. Shy and self-conscious, she tries to avoid any trouble and is desperate to get along with the people around her. She actually would love to be in the center of attention, though she doesn't dare to overcome her shyness. Although her surname was never spoken or seen in the show it is actually revealed to be Jamison. - Arye GrossArye Gross-Biography:Gross was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Sheri and Joseph Gross, who was an aerospace engineer and later worked in business....
as Adam Green: Appearing in seasons one to three, Adam is Ellen's roommate and they have been friends since college. A photographer, he is completely unsuccessful with women and is frequently dumped. In the middle of the third season, Adam moves to England to work as a photographer for The Sun Times, but upon his departure, he reveals that he was harboring a crush on Ellen. She in turn lies that she has one for him too, but he finds out the truth and that creates tension between the two of them until shortly before he leaves - David Anthony HigginsDavid Anthony HigginsDavid Anthony Higgins is an American comedic actor, best known for playing the roles of Craig Feldspar from Malcolm in the Middle and Mr. Bitters from Big Time Rush....
as Joe Farrell: Appearing in all five seasons, Joe is a dour, sarcastic Canadian who works as the baristaBaristaA barista is a person, usually a coffee-house employee, who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks.- Application of the title :...
at the coffee shop inside Ellen's bookstore. His personal life is rarely explored, and he instead appears usually for comic relief in scenes in Ellen's workplace. - Clea LewisClea LewisClea Lewis is an American actress, best known for her television role as Ellen's annoying friend Audrey Penney in Ellen DeGeneres' sitcom Ellen.- Other notable roles :...
as Audrey Penney: Audrey is Ellen's squeaky-voiced and exceedingly perky neighbor and later co-worker, seen usually in the color pinkPinkPink is a mixture of red and white. Commonly used for Valentine's Day and Easter, pink is sometimes referred to as "the color of love." The use of the word for the color known today as pink was first recorded in the late 17th century....
and whose catchphrase was the enthusiastic greeting "Hi, Ellen!". Ellen has something of a love–hate relationship with Audrey, often annoyed at her overly upbeat demeanor. But after Ellen comes out, Audrey is extremely supportive (and excited, saying that she thinks "it's SUPER!"), and she throws herself into the LGBTLGBTLGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
culture, ironically with more reverence than Ellen did. In season one, Ellen refers to Audrey's husband, but he never appears and Audrey later dates several people, including Adam and Ron PalilloRon PalilloRonald Gabriel "Ron" Palillo is an American television and film actor, perhaps best known for his role as high school student Arnold Dingfelder Horshack on the ABC sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter, which aired from 1975 to 1979....
, who played himself over several episodes. It is revealed that she comes from a very well-off family, though she rejected her inheritance so that she could continue being an assistant at the bookstore. In her initial appearance in the first season she was not shown wearing pink and displayed less of the hyper and energetic personality the character eventually became in later seasons, she was much more of a negative character and blunt much to Ellen's chargin although both of Audrey's personalities proved to be much of an annoyance to Ellen nonetheless. - Jeremy PivenJeremy PivenJeremy Samuel Piven is an American film producer and actor best known for his role as Ari Gold in the television series Entourage for which he has won three Emmy Awards as well as several other nominations for Best Supporting Actor....
as Spence Kovak: Ellen's cousin from New York, he joined the cast in the third season. His arrival into Ellen's life coincides with the aftermath of a Los Angeles earthquake. Spence was training as a doctor, but was fired from his job and continued to be negative and hard on himself. He would later train as a lawyer. He and Paige had a love-hate relationshipLove-hate relationshipA love–hate relationship is an interpersonal relationship involving simultaneous or alternating emotions of love and hate. This relationship does not have to be of a romantic nature, and may be instead of a sibling one...
that started as constant fighting but later they became lovers although the relationship eventually ended. - Maggie WheelerMaggie WheelerMaggie Wheeler is an American actress, best known for her role as Janice on the TV show Friends.-Personal life:Wheeler was born Margaret Emily Jakobson in Manhattan...
as Anita Warrell: Ellen's friend and main character in the show's first season although she was one of regular characters much of her personality and past was never revealed and she was under utilized in much of the episodes she appeared in. She was mentioned by the Holly character to be much more attactive than her but, unlike Holly most of her romantic relationships were never shown onscreen although mentioned.
Recurring cast
- Steven GilbornSteven GilbornSteven Neil Gilborn was an American television and film actor.Gilborn was born in New Rochelle, New York. He attended Swarthmore College, where he was awarded a bachelor's degree in English and earned a Ph.D...
as Harold Morgan: Ellen's father. He is often somewhat clueless about what is going on around him. At one point, he and Ellen's mother Lois announce that they want to divorce, much to Ellen's dismay. They later reconcile. - Alice HirsonAlice HirsonAlice Hirson is an American actress best known for her roles on television.She appeared regularly in soap opera with roles as Stephanie Martin on The Edge of Night, as Marcia Davis on Somerset, and as Eileen Riley Siegel on One Life to Live...
as Lois Ellington Morgan: Ellen's mother, Lois spends much of her time nosing and interfering in Ellen's life. Before Ellen comes out of the closet, Lois is obsessed with finding Ellen a husband. At one point, she wants to divorce her husband, but they later reconcile. - Lisa DarrLisa DarrLisa Darr is an American actress.Darr was born Lisa Darr Grabemann in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Mollie, an actress, and Karl Grabemann, a lawyer. She attended Stanford University and graduated in 1985 with a degree in Biology; she went on to receive an MFA in Acting from UCLA.She played...
as Laurie Manning: Ellen's girlfriend. Laurie appears in eight episodes in the fifth and final season of Ellen. She and her daughter Holly (Kayla Murphy) become an increasingly important part of Ellen's life. - Bruce CampbellBruce CampbellBruce Lorne Campbell is an American film and television actor. As a cult movie actor, Campbell starred as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of films and he has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Crimewave, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown:...
as Ed Billik: Ed appeared in season four only as the new manager of Ellen's bookstore. He was a strict business type who frequently butted heads with Ellen over their management styles. - Patrick BristowPatrick BristowPatrick Bristow is an American actor and comedian.-Biography:Perhaps best known for his television role as Peter, the gay best friend of Ellen Morgan on the series Ellen, Patrick Bristow is currently a cast member of the Independent Film Channel's critically acclaimed series The Minor...
as Peter Barnes: Ellen's gay best friend. He was a charity worker in the second season and a recurring role until the end of the series. - Jack PlotnickJack PlotnickJack Stuart Plotnick is an American film and television actor.Born in Worthington, Ohio, Plotnick is based in Hollywood...
as Barrett: Paige's assistant in season three. He was the love interest for Peter throughout the show.
Ratings
| Season | Episodes | Season Premiere | Season Finale | Ranking | Viewers (in millions) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1993–94 | 13 | March 29, 1994 | August 30, 1994 | N/A | N/A |
| 2 | 1994–95 | 24 | September 21, 1994 | May 17, 1995 | #13 | 14.7 |
| 3 | 1995–96 | 25 | September 13, 1995 | May 21, 1996 | #39 | 10.6 |
| 4 | 1996–97 | 25 | September 18, 1996 | May 25, 1997 | #30 | 10.6 |
| 5 | 1997–98 1997–98 United States network television schedule This was the United States broadcast television schedule on all six commercial television networks for the fall season beginning in September 1997. All times are Eastern and Pacific.New series highlighted in bold.... |
22 | September 24, 1997 | July 22, 1998 | #42 | 12.4 |
- Two episodes that aired in Season 3, The Tape and The Mugging, were filmed at the same time as Season 1 and are included in the Season 1 DVD box set as "bonus episodes", and are not included in the Season 3 DVD release.
Reruns
Reruns of the show first started airing on LifetimeLifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
in the fall of 1998, and stopped in 2001. Starting October 4, 2003, during DeGeneres's surge in popularity through her role in Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo is a 2003 American comi-drama animated film written by Andrew Stanton, directed by Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich and produced by Pixar. It tells the story of the overly protective clownfish Marlin who, along with a regal tang called Dory , searches for his abducted son Nemo...
and her new daytime talk show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
, Lifetime began airing reruns again, on 1AM-2AM ET Sunday mornings, starting with the second season. Before long, it went into the 1:30AM-2AM ET time slot Monday-Friday. The reruns stopped two episodes into the controversial final season. Oxygen then picked up the entire series to air starting October 4, 2004, daily at midnight and noon ET. As of June 18, 2007, the show continues to air 8AM-11AM ET Monday mornings in the US. Reruns of the show in the UK were until recently on ABC1 until the channel closed in September 2007. These were shown only on weekend mornings, along with other Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures is an American film production label and is one of several film labels of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Established in 1984, its releases typically feature more mature themes and darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.Touchstone...
productions. No other UK channels are currently airing the show.
In Australia episodes air on 111 HITS
111 Hits
111 Hits is an Australian cable and satellite general entertainment television channel which plays popular shows from the 70s onward. It is currently available on the Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television subscription platforms....
weekdays in a daytime timeslot. New Zealand is currently airing double episode reruns on TVNZ TV2 every Monday night.
In Canada, it is currently being aired by TVtropolis
TVtropolis
TVtropolis is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Shaw Media and Rogers Media.The channel operates two time shifted feeds: East and West .-Programming:...
.
Awards
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series—Nominated 1995–1998DVD releases
A&E Television Networks
A&E Television Networks is a U.S. media company that owns a group of television channels available via cable & satellite in the US and abroad...
has released the entire series on DVD in Region 1.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Season One | 13 | September 28, 2004 |
| Season Two | 24 | February 22, 2005 |
| Season Three | 25 | February 28, 2006 |
| Season Four | 25 | September 26, 2006 |
| Season Five | 22 | November 28, 2006 |
External links
- "Out?", an October 1996 Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
cover story about rumors surrounding the show's fourth season. - TV Review: Ellen, an October 1997 Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
article discussing the fifth season of Ellen and ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's additional of parental-advisory warnings to some episodes. - The Ellen Cyclopedia, list of guest stars/episodes