Emily's Reasons Why Not
Encyclopedia
Emily's Reasons Why Not is a television series starring Heather Graham. The show, which was based on the novel of the same name
, was canceled by its broadcaster, ABC
, after airing one episode on January 9, 2006.
.
In the first episode, she is convinced that the man she was dating was gay
when he was actually a devout Mormon
practicing chastity
before marriage. His open virginity
is presented through gay stereotypes, and his preferred sport, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
is described as "the gayest sport there is" by Emily's former boyfriend.
groups for its inability to portray an abstinent person and relying on stereotypes of homosexuality
to portray an intentional virgin.
It was reported that ABC committed to the show before seeing a script. Despite heavy promotion by both Sony Pictures Television
and ABC, the show was pulled after the first episode due to drawing only 6.2 million viewers. Production was stopped after filming six episodes. ABC was said to have spent millions on promotion, including airtime, billboards and radio ads, and considered Emily to be the 'linchpin' of the network's post-football
Monday-night schedule. The promotion was so heavy and the cancellation so abrupt that some magazines found themselves carrying cover stories about a canceled show. After viewing it, ABC's entertainment president suggested that they considered the show lackluster and unlikely to improve.
One television critic said there are "over a million 'reasons why not' for this sorry show." The New York Times
attributed the cancellation in part to the extremely unappealing nature of the main character and the portrayal by Graham.
In 2006, the show aired, in full, on Spain's pay-TV channel Cosmopolitan, on Sony Entertainment Television (Latin America)
, on ORF1
in Austria, and on POP TV
in Slovenia.
Emily's Reasons Why Not (novel)
Emily's Reason's Why Not is a novel by Carrie Gerlach published inAugust 2004.The main character, Emily Sanders, is a successful career womanin Los Angeles who has been unsuccessful in dating...
, was canceled by its broadcaster, ABC
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...
, after airing one episode on January 9, 2006.
Premise
The series centered on Emily (Graham), an author of self-help books who is unable to find success in romance. In the premiere episode she ends a bad relationship and adopts a new rule for her romances: if she can list five reasons to break up with a guy then she does so. Emily gets help from her friends, among them Josh, whose character is strongly based on gay stereotypes. The show was widely considered a less risqué copycat of Sex and the CitySex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
.
In the first episode, she is convinced that the man she was dating was gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
when he was actually a devout Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
practicing chastity
Chastity
Chastity refers to the sexual behavior of a man or woman acceptable to the moral standards and guidelines of a culture, civilization, or religion....
before marriage. His open virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
is presented through gay stereotypes, and his preferred sport, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting...
is described as "the gayest sport there is" by Emily's former boyfriend.
Reception
The show drew fire from pro-abstinenceAbstinence
Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to sexual abstinence, or abstention from alcohol or food. The practice can arise from religious prohibitions or practical...
groups for its inability to portray an abstinent person and relying on stereotypes of homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
to portray an intentional virgin.
It was reported that ABC committed to the show before seeing a script. Despite heavy promotion by both Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...
and ABC, the show was pulled after the first episode due to drawing only 6.2 million viewers. Production was stopped after filming six episodes. ABC was said to have spent millions on promotion, including airtime, billboards and radio ads, and considered Emily to be the 'linchpin' of the network's post-football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
Monday-night schedule. The promotion was so heavy and the cancellation so abrupt that some magazines found themselves carrying cover stories about a canceled show. After viewing it, ABC's entertainment president suggested that they considered the show lackluster and unlikely to improve.
One television critic said there are "over a million 'reasons why not' for this sorry show." The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
attributed the cancellation in part to the extremely unappealing nature of the main character and the portrayal by Graham.
In 2006, the show aired, in full, on Spain's pay-TV channel Cosmopolitan, on Sony Entertainment Television (Latin America)
Sony Entertainment Television (Latin America)
Sony Entertainment Television, commonly shortened to Canal Sony , is a general entertainment channel co-based in Perú, Chile, Venezuela, Brazil and Miami, Florida, United States. It airs in 26 countries in Latin America, and is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment...
, on ORF1
ORF1
ORF eins is an Austrian television channel. It was the first television channel in Austria, started in 1955.ORF eins is one of four public TV channels in Austria. ORF eins broadcasts TV series and featured films, whereas ORF2 focuses on cultural programming and information. ORF Sport Plus is the...
in Austria, and on POP TV
POP TV
POP TV is a Slovenian commercial television station operated by the multi-media company PRO PLUS d.o.o.It is a TV channel with the highest ratings in Slovenia , and at the same time the most popular and trustworthy...
in Slovenia.
Cast
- Emily Sanders (Heather Graham)
- Reilly (Nadia DajaniNadia DajaniNadia Dajani is an American actress of Irish and Palestinian descent.-Acting career:For two seasons , she starred as Amanda Moyer in the Fox television sitcom, Ned & Stacey. She starred in numerous television pilots...
) - Josh (Khary PaytonKhary PaytonKhary Payton is an American actor and voice actor known for his voice characterizations in animated cartoons, having portrayed Cyborg in the Teen Titans animated series and Aqualad in Young Justice. In the cartoon series Justice League, Payton provided the voice of the villain Ten...
) - Glitter Cho (Smith ChoSmith ChoSmith Cho is an American actress of Korean descent. She has appeared in movies, on television and in commercials.-Career:Cho has appeared in such movies as Bad Boys II, Norbit, Pie in the Sky, Fired Up, and Blades of Glory, and had a lead role in Ping Pong Playa...
)
Episodes
| Episode # | Title | Date Aired |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot | January 9, 2006 |
| 2 | "Why Not to Date Your Gynecologist" | Unaired |
| 3 | "Why Not to Cheat on Your Best Friend" | Unaired |
| 4 | "Why Not to Date a Twin" | Unaired |
| 5 | "Why Not to Hire a Cute Male Assistant" | Unaired |
| 6 | "Why Not to Look at Bridal Magazines" | Unaired |
| 7 | "Why Not to Invite Your Vacation Date Home" | Unaired |
External links
- Washington Post article in which the programming chief at ABC discusses why the show was canceled and why it got as far as it did.
- Episode clip on bing.com