Secret Girlfriend
Encyclopedia
Secret Girlfriend is an American
television series which aired in October and November 2009 on Comedy Central
. The show features the viewer as the "star" of a dating satire, with the show's actors addressing the camera as if it were the lead character.
Secret Girlfriend originated as a Web series
created by Jay Rondot and Ross Novie, who are executive producers on the TV adaptation. The showrunner is Eric Weinberg
, also an executive producer. The series was recast for television. Each half-hour episode includes two eleven-minute segments.
On April 29, 2010, though no media websites officially announced the show's cancelation, Novie announced via Twitter
that there would be no second season.
wrote, "The script is built on viral-video
-sized gags wrapped in teen-boy fantasies about strip club
s and dangerous women with big breasts. It's like Entourage
without glamor, heart, or Ari
, and it's like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
without the twisted wit."
James Poniewozik of Time
called Secret Girlfriend a "fascinatingly bad comedy," saying it was doomed not from being a "guy-oriented sex comedy" but from its second-person format: "[The format] sucks the life out of the characters. We're supposed to believe that You, the protagonist, are awesome: cool, funny, apparently irresistible. Why? You never say anything clever or charming. You never say anything...It makes all the interactions implausible (unless the viewer is an egomaniac)."
The A.V. Club
s Steve Heisler gave the show an F and wrote, "Secret Girlfriend is hardly a comedy show; hardly a 'show' for that matter. There's little-to-no plot, and jokes about characters are always sacrificed for jokes about dongs." Brian Lowry of Variety
wrote, "Expanding their web product, Jay Rondot and Ross Novie approach their task with all the finesse of a beer commercial, but it's periodically effective — and a bit like virtual porn." He called the show "fitfully funny."
Premium Hollywood gave the show a positive review for its fast pace and uniqueness.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television series which aired in October and November 2009 on Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
. The show features the viewer as the "star" of a dating satire, with the show's actors addressing the camera as if it were the lead character.
Secret Girlfriend originated as a Web series
Web series
A web series is a series of episodes released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone, and part of the newly emerging medium called web television. A single instance of a web series program is called an episode .While the popularity of web series is continuing to rise, the concept...
created by Jay Rondot and Ross Novie, who are executive producers on the TV adaptation. The showrunner is Eric Weinberg
Eric Weinberg
Eric Weinberg is an American television producer and screenwriter best known for his work on the television series Scrubs.Weinberg has served as co-executive producer on Scrubs for over a hundred episodes since 2002, and is credited as supervising producer and writer for an additional twenty...
, also an executive producer. The series was recast for television. Each half-hour episode includes two eleven-minute segments.
On April 29, 2010, though no media websites officially announced the show's cancelation, Novie announced via Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
that there would be no second season.
Main cast
- Derek Miller as Phil – Phil is one of the best friends and roommates of the main character, You. He and Sam make internet videos for a living. He, too, is a ladies' man, but not as successful as You are. Whenever he and Sam get into arguments "You" tend to favor his side. He goes to extreme lengths to pick up girls, including buying a dog and getting a phone number that is one digit off of that of a crisis hotline. He strongly dislikes Mandy and encourages the You to date Jessica instead.
- Michael Blaiklock as Sam – Sam is the other best friend and roommate of the main character, "You". He is overweight and was once mistaken for a woman at a lesbian bar because of his "man boobsGynecomastiaGynecomastia or Gynaecomastia, , is the abnormal development of large mammary glands in males resulting in breast enlargement. The term comes from the Greek γυνή gyné meaning "woman" and μαστός mastós meaning "breast"...
". He is typically less successful with the ladies than either You or Phil are. He often goes out drinking with his roommates in an attempt to pick up women. He makes internet videos for a living alongside Phil. He always says hi to Mandy and supports Your relationship with Jessica. It is hinted in his first "Wet dream" that he likes Mandy. - Alexis Krause as Mandy, MandyCat – Mandy is the main character's, or "Your", rich yet emotionally unstable ex-girlfriend. She seems to be bipolar due to her constantly shifting moods and opinions toward You and her feelings about getting back together with You. Although You broke up with her 3 months earlier, You still have sex with her and she often follows you around to find out what You are doing with other girls. She is extremely jealous, and you fear what she will do if she finds out about Jessica, so you try to keep the two apart. However, due to her stalker-like tendencies, she finds out and the two get in a cat-fight. We learn in the Season 1 finale 2 part episode Mandy has a sister named Heather and her step-mom used to be her dad's maid.
- Sara E. R. Fletcher as Jessica Johnson – The main character, You, met Jessica in a liquor store and she asks for your number. Although she has had a boyfriend for the past two years named Chad, she often goes out with You and admits to having feelings for You. She gets along with your roommates, Phil and Sam, and the four of you often get into various schemes together. You try to keep her from Mandy, your crazy ex-girlfriend, as you fear for Jessica's safety, but the two eventually meet. Once Jessica breaks up with her boyfriend, she attempts to have sex with You, but is constantly interrupted and has to go out of town to a family reunion. When she gets back, the two of you get together and have a night of sex, thus beginning your relationship with her. She begins acting clingy, leading Phil to be concerned about the state of your relationship. When Mandy finally confronts her about taking you back she and Jessica get into a fight.
Recurring cast
- Taylor ColeTaylor ColeTaylor Quinn Cole is an American actress and former fashion model.-Early life and modeling:Cole was born in Arlington, Texas. Cole attended Mirabeau B. Lamar High School where she traveled with the Junior Olympics volleyball squad. It was also in high school she got her start as a model. Cole...
as Martina, Hot Neighbor – a neighbor of You, Phil, and Sam. She has a thing for You. - Italia RicciItalia RicciStephanie Italia Ricci is a Canadian actress. She is known for co-starring role as Maggie Winnock in the Cartoon Network live-action series Unnatural History and her recurring role as Sasha in the Comedy Central series Secret Girlfriend.-Career:Ricci made her major acting debut in 2007, in the...
as Sasha – Jessica’s friend, who is a lesbian. - Tonya KayTonya KayTonya Kay is an American actress, television personality, and performance artist appearing in independent films and episodic television. Her background includes performing stunts and what she refers to as "danger arts", which consist of knife throwing and whip cracking...
as Cassidy – Sasha’s girlfriend. - Dawan Owens as Chester – neighbor of You, Phil, and Sam. Appears in two episodes in Season 1.
Reception
The show has received mostly negative reviews. It received a 49/100 on Metacritic. Matthew Gilbert of The Boston GlobeThe Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
wrote, "The script is built on viral-video
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
-sized gags wrapped in teen-boy fantasies about strip club
Strip club
A strip club is an adult entertainment venue in which striptease or other erotic or exotic dance is regularly performed. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, but can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style....
s and dangerous women with big breasts. It's like Entourage
Entourage (TV series)
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...
without glamor, heart, or Ari
Ari Gold (Entourage)
Ariel "Ari" Gold is a fictional character on the comedy-drama television series Entourage. He was played by Jeremy Piven.-Biography:Ari Gold is Vincent Chase's neurotic movie agent. He is a product of the public school system. He was an undergrad at Harvard University before earning his J.D./M.B.A....
, and it's like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American television sitcom that premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. New episodes continue to air on FX, with reruns playing on Comedy Central, general broadcast syndication, and WGN America—the first-ever cable-to-cable syndication deal for a sitcom...
without the twisted wit."
James Poniewozik of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
called Secret Girlfriend a "fascinatingly bad comedy," saying it was doomed not from being a "guy-oriented sex comedy" but from its second-person format: "[The format] sucks the life out of the characters. We're supposed to believe that You, the protagonist, are awesome: cool, funny, apparently irresistible. Why? You never say anything clever or charming. You never say anything...It makes all the interactions implausible (unless the viewer is an egomaniac)."
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
s Steve Heisler gave the show an F and wrote, "Secret Girlfriend is hardly a comedy show; hardly a 'show' for that matter. There's little-to-no plot, and jokes about characters are always sacrificed for jokes about dongs." Brian Lowry of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
wrote, "Expanding their web product, Jay Rondot and Ross Novie approach their task with all the finesse of a beer commercial, but it's periodically effective — and a bit like virtual porn." He called the show "fitfully funny."
Premium Hollywood gave the show a positive review for its fast pace and uniqueness.
Episodes
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
External links
- Secret Girlfriend at Comedy CentralComedy CentralComedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....