The Guardian (TV series)
Encyclopedia
The Guardian is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 drama series
Dramatic programming
Dramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...

 which aired on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 from September 25, 2001 to May 4, 2004. It is currently showing in re-runs on the Sleuth Channel in the US. The Guardian has also aired in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 on the Hallmark Channel
Hallmark Channel (UK)
The Universal Channel is a television channel owned by NBCUniversal.The channel mainly broadcasts United States imports including drama series and TV movies such as House MD and Law & Order. However the channel also screens British dramas including Hustle and Spooks, and Australian series like Sea...

, ABC1 (April 2006) and more recently five USA (May 2009) and as of August 2009, Five. In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 the show aired on Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...

; as of 2011 re-runs are airing on the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...

 following episodes of Simon Baker's current vehicle The Mentalist
The Mentalist
The Mentalist is an American police procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008, on CBS. The show was created by Bruno Heller, who is also the show's executive producer...

. In India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

 the show airs on Animax from June 2010. In Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 the show airs on AXN
AXN
AXN is a Pay television, cable and satellite television channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was first launched on May 22, 1997. The network is now spread across several regions in the world, including Japan, Europe, other parts of Asia and Latin America...

 through Starhub Cable Television. In New Zealand the show airs on Vibe, channel 7, via sky TV. In Latin america the series will premiere in october on the Sony Spin channel.

Synopsis

The series revolved around protagonist Nick Fallin, a corporate attorney sentenced to 1500 hours community service with Legal Services of Pittsburgh as the result of a drug conviction. The plot focused on Nick's community service and recovery from drug addiction, as well as his strained relationship with his father who was president of the corporate law firm where Nick was employed full time. It included guest stars such as Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett was an American actress and artist. A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she first appeared as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of the television series Charlie's Angels, in 1976...

 and included scenes with the Pittsburgh Police
Pittsburgh Police
The Pittsburgh Police, or officially the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, is the largest law enforcement agency in Western Pennsylvania and the third largest in Pennsylvania...

 in multiple episodes.

Main cast

  • Simon Baker
    Simon Baker
    Simon Baker is an Australian actor. Since 2008, he has starred in the CBS television series The Mentalist.-Early life:...

     as Nicholas "Nick" Fallin – a lawyer sentenced to community service working for the community due to drugs charges. The central protagonist, he is a repressed individual whose work and relationships are the focus for the serial.
  • Dabney Coleman
    Dabney Coleman
    Dabney Wharton Coleman is an American actor, best known for his roles in 9 to 5, WarGames, You've Got Mail, Sworn to Silence, The Beverly Hillbillies and as the voice of Principal Peter Prickly in Recess and Recess: School's Out.-Early life:Coleman was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Mary...

     as Burton Fallin – Nick's father and senior partner at the law firm where Nick works. They do not have a close relationship. He fosters Shannon Gressler.
  • Alan Rosenberg
    Alan Rosenberg
    Alan Rosenberg is an American actor of both stage and screen. From 2005 to 2009, he was president of the Screen Actors Guild, the principal motion picture industry on-screen performers' union.-Early life:...

     as Alvin Masterson – In charge of Legal Services of Pittsburgh, where Nick serves his community service. Alvin dates Laurie and is arrested with a prostitute
  • Wendy Moniz
    Wendy Moniz
    Wendy Moniz is an American actress of Portuguese descent, best known for her role as Dinah Marler on the daytime soap opera Guiding Light and primetime dramas Nash Bridges and The Guardian...

     as Louisa "Lulu" Archer – Nick's de facto boss from mid-season one, and his main love interest. She marries another man, but Nick's feelings still run deep.
  • Raphael Sbarge
    Raphael Sbarge
    Raphael Sbarge is an American actor and voice actor.-Early life:Sbarge was born into a theatre-oriented family in New York City. His mother, Jeanne Button, was a costume designer, and his father, Stephen A. Sbarge, was an artist, writer and stage director who named his son after the Renaissance...

     as Jake Straka – As close as Nick gets to a best friend, Jake is somewhat misguided but not malicious.
  • Charles Malik Whitfield
    Charles Malik Whitfield
    Charles Malik Whitfield is an American actor from Bronx, New York. He is best known for his role as Otis Williams in 1998 miniseries The Temptations. He also appeared in 33 episodes of The Guardian as character James Mooney. He has appeared in dozens of other television series as well as a handful...

     as James Mooney – works at Legal Services of Pittsburgh. Has a gang and drug background. Is shot and killed in the season two finale.
  • Amanda Michalka
    Amanda Michalka
    Amanda Joy "AJ" Michalka , often credited as AJ, is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and musician. She used to be a model prior to becoming an actress, and was best known as one-half of the duo 78violet with her sister, Alyson Michalka. AJ recently recorded the theme song for the film...

     as Shannon Gressler, a troubled child. Shannon's mother dies in the season one finale, and Burton Fallin comes to care for her.
  • Erica Leerhsen
    Erica Leerhsen
    Erica Lei Leerhsen is an American actress. She is best known for her lead roles in the horror films Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Wrong Turn 2. She is often referred to as a modern day scream queen...

     as Amanda Bowles – an ambitious but caring associate, who leaves mid-way through season one.
  • Kathleen Chalfant
    Kathleen Chalfant
    -Life and career:Chalfant was born as in San Francisco, California and raised in her parents' boarding house in Oakland. Her father, William Bishop, was an officer in the Coast Guard...

     as Laurie Solt – hard working social worker who provides a lot of guidance for Nick.
  • Chris Doorley as Jimmy Maden.

Notable guest stars

  • Farrah Fawcett
    Farrah Fawcett
    Farrah Fawcett was an American actress and artist. A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she first appeared as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of the television series Charlie's Angels, in 1976...

     as Mary Gressler – a troubled single grandma and love interest of Burton Fallin. Appeared in four episodes.
  • Lolita Davidovich
    Lolita Davidovich
    Lolita Davidovich is a Canadian film and television actress.-Early life and career:Davidovich was born in London, Ontario, the daughter of immigrants from Yugoslavia. Her father was from Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, and her mother was from Slovenia; she spoke only Serbian during her early years...

     as Victoria Little – a social welfare advocate and love interest of Alvin Masterson. Appeared in two episodes.
  • Will Ferrell
    Will Ferrell
    John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...

     as Larry Flood – an attorney. Appeared in the season two finale.
  • Zac Efron
    Zac Efron
    Zachary David Alexander "Zac" Efron is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and became known with his lead roles in the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, the WB series Summerland, and the 2007 film version of the Broadway musical Hairspray...

     Episode 15 of Season 3.
  • Bethany Joy Galeotti
    Bethany Joy Galeotti
    Bethany Joy Galeotti is an American actress, musician, director, writer, and producer.Galeotti is best known for her on screen portrayals of Michelle Bauer Santos on Guiding Light and Haley James Scott on One Tree Hill...

     as Claire Stasiak. Appeared in "What It Means to You" and "My Aim Is True"

Production

The show was set in Pittsburgh, and was filmed in the city from time to time. The theme song from season two onwards was "Empire in My Mind" performed by The Wallflowers
The Wallflowers
The Wallflowers is a rock band from Los Angeles, California, fronted by Jakob Dylan. Formed in 1989 and originally known as The Apples, the ensemble has gone through numerous personnel changes with Dylan the only constant....

.

DVD releases

CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...

) has released the all three seasons of The Guardian on DVD in Region 1.
DVD Name Ep# Release Date
The First Season 22 October 27, 2009
The Second Season 23 September 7, 2010
The Final Season 22 February 8, 2011


CBS/Paramount controls video rights only in the USA (where CBS Television Distribution
CBS Television Distribution
CBS Television Distribution is a global television distribution company, formed from the merger of CBS Corporation's two domestic television distribution arms CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Productions, including its home entertainment arm CBS Home Entertainment...

 has ancillary rights). Outside the US, 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:...

 International controls distribution rights, and any international DVD releases will be from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in November 1979 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, releasing 20 titles: The Anderson Tapes, Bell, Book and Candle, Born Free, Breakout,...

.

Awards

Year Award Category Result
2002 ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards "Top TV Series" – Jakob Dylan
Jakob Dylan
Jakob Luke Dylan is the lead singer and songwriter of the rock band The Wallflowers and is a son of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and Sara Dylan. He has also recorded two solo albums.-Personal life:...

Family Television Awards "Actor" – Simon Baker"
"New Series"
GLAAD Media Awards
GLAAD Media Awards
The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives...

"Outstanding Individual Episode (In a Series Without a Regular Gay Character)" – The Men From The Boys
Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...

"Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama" – Simon Baker
Young Artist Award
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...

"Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Guest Starring Young Actor" – Erik Knudsen
Erik Knudsen
Erik Kenneth William Knudsen is a Canadian actor. He is known for playing Daniel Matthews in Saw II and Robbie Mercer in Scream 4 and played Dale Turner in the CBS series Jericho.-Life and career:...

"Best Performance in a TV Drama Series - Guest Starring Young Actor" – Jesse Plemons
Jesse Plemons
Jesse Plemons is an American film and television actor best known for playing Landry Clarke on NBC's Friday Night Lights.-Career:...

2003 ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards "Top TV Series" – Jakob Dylan
Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...

"Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series" – Farrah Fawcett
Environmental Media Awards
Environmental Media Awards
The Environmental Media Awards have been awarded by the Environmental Media Association since 1991 to the best television episode or film with an environmental message....

"Drama - TV Episodic" – Assuming the Position
2004 ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards "Top TV Series" – Jakob Dylan
Environmental Media Awards "Drama - TV Episodic" – Big Coal
Young Artist Award "Best Performance in a TV Series - Guest Starring Young Actress" – Danielle Panabaker
Danielle Panabaker
Danielle Nicole Panabaker is an American actress. She was a cast member in the CBS drama Shark, and appeared in the films Mr. Brooks, Sky High, The Crazies and Friday the 13th, among other projects...

2005 Prism Awards "Performance in a Drama Series Storyline" – Simon Baker
"TV Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline" – Beautiful Blue Mystic & Amends
Young Artist Award "Best Performance in a Television Series - Recurring Young Actress" – Scout Taylor-Compton
Scout Taylor-Compton
Scout Taylor-Compton is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in numerous small television roles and in feature films that range from dramas to those in the horror genre....

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