Weeds is an American
television comedyTelevision comedy had a presence from the earliest days of broadcasting. Among the earliest BBC television programmes in the 1930s was Starlight, which offered a series of guests from the music hall era — singers and comedians amongst them...
created by
Jenji KohanJenji Leslie Kohan is an American television writer, producer and director.-Early life:Kohan was born in Los Angeles, California and is Jewish...
and produced by Tilted Productions in association with
Lionsgate TelevisionLionsgate Television is the television division of Lions Gate Entertainment, an entertainment company. It is located in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.- Productions :The following is a partial list of the division's productions:...
. The central character is Nancy Botwin (
Mary-Louise ParkerMary-Louise Parker is an American actress, known for her current lead role on Showtime's television series Weeds portraying Nancy Botwin, for which she has received several nominations and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2006...
), a widowed mother of two boys who begins selling marijuana to support her family after her husband dies suddenly of a heart attack. Over the course of the show, she and her family become more entangled in illegal activities.
The primary locale of the first three seasons is in the fictional town of Agrestic, California. During seasons four and five, the Botwins reside in the fictional beachside town of Ren Mar, California. During the sixth season, the family relocates to
Seattle, WashingtonSeattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
before moving to
Dearborn, Michigan-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...
. In between seasons six and seven, Nancy serves a prison sentence in
Danbury prisonThe Federal Correctional Institution Danbury is a federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, north of downtown Danbury and from New York City...
in
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
while her sons and brother-in-law live in
CopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
,
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. At the beginning of season seven, Nancy moves into a
recovery houseThe purpose of a halfway house, also called a recovery house or sober house, is generally to allow people to begin the process of reintegration with society, while still providing monitoring and support; this is generally believed to reduce the risk of recidivism or relapse when compared to a...
in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where she reunites with her family. They live in
ManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
for the duration of the season, but relocate to
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
in the season seven finale.
Kohan, whose credits include
Tracey Takes On...Tracey Takes On... is an HBO sketch comedy series created by British-American comedienne Tracey Ullman.In 1993, Ullman returned to television after her hit Fox comedy series, The Tracey Ullman Show, was canceled, with two comedy specials for HBO. Tracey Ullman Takes On New York, and Tracey Ullman:...
,
Mad About YouMad About You is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992 to May 24, 1999. The show starred Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a newly married couple in New York City. Reiser played Paul Buchman, a documentary film maker. Hunt played Jamie Stemple Buchman, a public relations specialist...
,
Sex and the CitySex 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...
and
Gilmore GirlsGilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW...
, is the executive producer of the series alongside Roberto Benabib, of
Little CityLittle City is a 1997 comedy/romance film written and directed by Roberto Benabib. It went straight to video in the UK.- Plot :Adam, a San Francisco-based artist who works as a cab driver on the side, is having a hard time committing to his girlfriend, Nina...
fame. Matthew Salsberg and
Craig ZiskCraig Zisk is an American director and producer. He has worked on Smallville, Scrubs, Weeds and My Name Is Earl as well as many other programs.-Director:* My Name Is Earl * The Office * Weeds...
have joined the production team as executive producers in later seasons.
The show debuted on the Showtime cable network on August 7, 2005, earning the channel's highest ratings, and the debut of the fifth season had 1.3 million viewers. In 2010, TV Guide Network bought the airing rights, providing the show to audiences free of charge. The show has received numerous awards, including two Satellite Awards, one
Golden Globe AwardThe 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...
,
Writers Guild of America AwardThe Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
,
Young Artist AwardThe 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...
, and an
Emmy AwardAn 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...
.
Production
The show is inspired by crime series such as
The ShieldThe Shield is an American television drama series starring Michael Chiklis which premiered on March 12, 2002 on FX in the United States and concluded on November 25, 2008 after seven seasons...
and
The SopranosThe Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, in the sense of the antihero serving as the
protagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
while retaining their own moral code, which usually goes against the norms of society. The title, according to Kohan, refers "to a lot of things", including marijuana and widow's weeds; however, it mainly alludes to "hardy plants struggling to survive." The basic premise, as illustrated by the lyrics of
the opening song from the first three seasons"Little Boxes" is a song written by Malvina Reynolds in 1962, which became a hit for her friend Pete Seeger in 1963.The song is a political satire about the development of suburbia and associated conformist middle-class attitudes...
,
satirizesSatire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
how off-color characters struggle with fake suburban reality, in which everything is "all style, no substance". According to Kohan, she initially went to pitch the series for HBO and the network dismissed it.
Robert GreenblattRobert Greenblatt is an American television executive and currently the chairman of NBC Entertainment.-Career:Greenblatt began his television career at the Fox Broadcasting Company where he ran prime-time programming and developed such shows as the original Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place,...
invested in the show and Showtime later approved.
The exteriors for the show's first two seasons were shot almost exclusively in
Stevenson RanchStevenson Ranch is an affluent census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California. The community is located in the Santa Clarita Valley. Often incorrectly referred to as part of the city of Santa Clarita, the community does not actually fall within the Santa Clarita city limits, and is...
, a suburban area of
Santa Clarita ValleyThe Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the Rancho San Francisco Mexican land grant...
, California. The shot of the large fountain and Agrestic sign seen in the introduction of seasons 1–3 was shot at the corner of Stevenson Ranch Parkway and Holmes Place. The name "Stevenson Ranch" was digitally replaced with "Agrestic" initially (and with "Majestic" in later episodes). The overhead, satellite picture displayed at the beginning of the show's introduction (seasons 1–3) is of Calabasas Hills, a
gated communityIn its modern form, a gated community is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly-controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences. Gated communities usually consist of small residential...
in
Calabasas, CaliforniaCalabasas is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California in the western United States. It is located in the hills in the southwestern San Fernando Valley and the Santa Monica Mountains between Woodland Hills, Agoura Hills, West Hills, and Malibu, California. As of the 2010 census, the city...
. The shot of the "It's A Grind" coffee shop in the introduction (seasons 1–3) is of an It's A Grind in Castaic, California. The show was originally filmed at Red Studios, previously known as Ren-Mar studios. The show moved to Universal Studios Los Angeles for season 7, and is now mentioned on the studio tour. A version of this Wikipedia page served as the introduction for the season 5 episode titled "Where the Sidewalk Ends".
Jenji Kohan and Roberto Benabib serve as showrunners and production leaders. Kohan is also the
head writerA head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
as she has written each season's premiere and finale episode. Writer Matthew Salsberg and director
Craig ZiskCraig Zisk is an American director and producer. He has worked on Smallville, Scrubs, Weeds and My Name Is Earl as well as many other programs.-Director:* My Name Is Earl * The Office * Weeds...
have joined the panel of executive producers in later seasons.
Plot
- For the seasonal plots, see Season 1
- Plot :Nancy Botwin's family live in Agrestic, the fictional suburb of Los Angeles. Her husband, Judah, died of a heart attack while jogging with their youngest son, a few weeks before the series' pilot. Nancy's children, Silas and Shane, both attend Agrestic's public school system in the early...
, Season 2- Plot :The second season, while still comedic, has a much darker tone, as Nancy becomes increasingly involved in the more dangerous aspects of the drug world. In season 2, Silas was 16 years old and Shane was 11...
, Season 3- Plot :The third season of Weeds begins with the fallout from the botched drug deal of the season 2 finale: Celia finds and destroys the entire harvest; U-Turn pays the mobsters to leave Nancy and him alone; Silas is arrested and sentenced to community service; Sanjay , comes out of the closet,...
, Season 4On November 5, 2007, Showtime ordered 13 new episodes for a fourth season of Weeds. The fourth season started on Monday, June 16, 2008 and concluded on Monday, September 15, 2008....
, Season 5The season 5 debut attracted 1.2 million viewers, with a rerun on the same night adding another 500,000 viewers for a cumulative 1.7 million...
, Season 6- Plot :The Botwin family flees north in the wake of Shane's killing of Pilar. Andy joins them after Audra breaks off their relationship. Being unable to cross the Canadian border without the baby's birth certificate, Nancy, Andy, Silas, Shane and Stevie assume new identities as "The Newmans" and...
and Season 7The seventh season premiered on June 27, 2011 at 10 E/9 C on Showtime. As the season picks up, Nancy has spent three years in prison and now lives in a strictly monitored halfway house in New York City, while the family meet after the other Botwins had spent three years in Denmark.- Plot :Nancy...
.
Series outset
Nancy Botwin is a single mother who lives in Agrestic, a fictional
suburbsubUrbia is a play by Eric Bogosian chronicling the nighttime activities of a group of aimless 20-somethings still living in their suburban Boston hometown and their reunion with a former high school classmate who has become a successful musician...
of
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with her two children Silas
(15) and Shane
(10). After the untimely death of Judah-- who died of a heart attack while jogging with their younger son a few weeks before the series' pilot -- Nancy begins dealing marijuana in order to support her upper middle class lifestyle. The series follows the ups and downs of Nancy's life with attempts to start a
frontA front organization is any entity set up by and controlled by another organization, such as intelligence agencies, organized crime groups, banned organizations, religious or political groups, advocacy groups, or corporations...
to hide her selling, creating her own brand of weed called
MILFMILF, an acronym for "Mother/Mom/Mum I'd Like to Fuck", is a common colloquial term generally regarded as vulgar when spelled out. It denotes a sexually attractive older female, generally between 25 and 50 years of age.-History:...
, trying to stay out of jail and finding her own client base. Together with her children, her brother-in-law Andy and
financial adviserA financial adviser, is a professional who renders financial services to individuals, businesses and governments. This can involve investment advice, which may include pension planning, and/or advice on life insurance and other insurances such as income protection insurance, critical illness...
Doug Wilson, Nancy gets into all kinds of trouble and always seems to pull through in the end.
Cast and characters
The leading character is Nancy Price Botwin (
Mary-Louise ParkerMary-Louise Parker is an American actress, known for her current lead role on Showtime's television series Weeds portraying Nancy Botwin, for which she has received several nominations and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2006...
), a housewife from southern California who becomes a pot dealer after her husband Judah (
Jeffrey Dean MorganJeffrey Dean Morgan is an American actor, best known to television and movie audiences as Denny Duquette on Grey's Anatomy, patriarch John Winchester on Supernatural, and as The Comedian in the 2009 superhero film Watchmen....
) dies. Although her drug-dealing career only achieves mixed success, she eventually rises to the highest levels of an international drug-smuggling cartel. Nancy remarries twice during the series. First, she has an under-the-radar wedding with Peter Scottson (
Martin DonovanMartin Donovan is an American stage and film actor. He has had a long collaboration with the director Hal Hartley, appearing in many of his films, including Trust , Surviving Desire , Simple Men , Flirt , Amateur , and The Book of Life...
), a DEA agent, who was later killed. In later seasons, she marries Esteban Reyes (
Demián BichirDemián Bichir Nájera is a Mexican actor. Both of his parents, Alejandro Bichir and Maricruz Nájera, and brothers Odiseo and Bruno Bichir are actors. He was married to singer Lisset Gutiérrez.-Career:...
), the fictional mayor of
TijuanaTijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
and leader of a cartel, who is also murdered by the seventh season. Nancy also establishes a long-term relationship with Zoya, a female convicted for burning her boyfriend alive.
Throughout most of the show, Nancy lives with Andy Botwin (
Justin KirkJustin Kirk is an American stage and film actor. He is known for playing Prior Walter in Mike Nichols's screen adaptation of Angels in America and for his portrayal of Andy Botwin in Showtime's Weeds.-Early life and education:Kirk was born in Salem, Oregon, son of a...
), Judah's brother. When Andy arrives in Agrestic, he is little more than a fun-loving slacker without any direction in his life, and Nancy views him as a personal burden. However, he later emerges as the primary father figure in the Botwin household. He falls in love with Nancy during the fourth season but eventually realizes that she will never return his feelings. Instead, Nancy manipulates Andy's emotions to keep him in the family. When he is not helping the family, Andy engages in a laundry list of business ventures ranging from marijuana dealer to bicycle salesman.
Nancy begins the series with two sons, and post-Judah's death, they are raised haphazardly. The elder, Silas (
Hunter ParrishHunter Parrish is an American actor and singer. He is known for playing Silas Botwin in Showtime's television series Weeds.-Personal life:...
), who was sexually promiscuous since the show's debut, later follows in his mother's footsteps as a cannabis dealer, grower, and dispensary operator. Shane (
Alexander GouldAlexander Jerome Gould is an American television actor and voice artist. He is best known for his role as Shane Botwin on the Showtime TV series Weeds and for having provided the voice of Nemo in Pixar's Finding Nemo....
) is an intelligent boy who is poorly socialized and deeply affected by his father's death. Moreover, he was bullied in his local public school during the first three seasons, and he begs for and rarely receives attention from his mother. His psychological issues reach a critical level many times. Just before leaving Agrestic, Shane has conversations with his dead father. Upon moving to Ren Mar, Shane loses his virginity and becomes a temporary alcoholic. He later executes Esteban's dangerous ally Pilar with a croquet mallet by the pool deck, as she had a hostile discussion with Nancy and threatened her sons' lives. In the fifth season, Stevie Ray Botwin (portrayed by uncredited babies) was born to Nancy and Esteban.
Celia Hodes (
Elizabeth PerkinsElizabeth Ann Perkins is an American actress. Her film roles have included Big, The Flintstones, Miracle on 34th Street, About Last Night..., and Avalon...
) was Nancy's friend and principal antagonist. She is obsessed with her personal image and alternatively manipulates or ignores those around her that do not fit neatly into that image. She has a distasteful marriage with Dean (
Andy MilderAndy Milder is an American actor and voice actor. He has appeared in such films as Apollo 13, Armageddon, Rumor Has It…, Frost/Nixon, Transformers and Domino...
), whom she regards as a "loser asshole"; they divorce. Many other characters also despise her. Her older daughter, Quinn (
Haley HudsonHaley Kaye Hudson is an American actress from Chicago, Illinois.-Filmography:-External links:...
), kidnaps her as revenge for shipping her to a reform school in Mexico. She is demanding and manipulative over her younger daughter Isabelle's (
Allie GrantAllie Grant is an American film and television actress. After a few guest appearances in the Disney Channel Original Series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and That's So Raven, Grant was cast on Weeds in 2005. Although she originally began as a recurring character, Grant's role grew and by season 3...
) "weight problem" and is critical of her sexual orientation. By the end of season one, she has breast cancer and is cured with chemo therapy.
Doug Wilson (
Kevin NealonKevin Nealon is an American actor and comedian, best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1995, acting in several of the Happy Madison films, for playing Doug Wilson on the Showtime series Weeds, and providing the voice of the title character, Glenn Martin on Glenn Martin,...
) begins the series as an accountant and city councilman for the town of Agrestic. Doug is friends with many characters in the series including Andy, Dean and Sanjay Patel (
Maulik PancholyMaulik Pancholy is an American actor. He is best known for his recurring role as Sanjay on Weeds from 2005 to present, and his role as Jonathan on 30 Rock, which he has played since the show began in 2006....
); all four aid in Nancy's career as a marijuana retailer. However, due to poor choices and misfortune, Doug loses his privileged lifestyle and his marriage to his wife Dana. He becomes a drifter who follows the Botwin family during seasons four through six until settling in New York City as chief accountant for a
Ponzi schemeA Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to its investors from their own money or the money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from any actual profit earned by the individual or organization running the operation...
posing as a hedge fund.
The show has a changing cast of major supporting characters. Heylia James (
Tonye PatanoTonye Patano is an American actress. She is most known for portraying Heylia James on the American TV show Weeds.She has appeared in television shows such as Law & Order, Sex and the City, Monk and Third Watch...
) and her family (Conrad and Vaneeta, portrayed by
Romany MalcoRomany Romanic Malco, Jr. is an American actor and music producer. He has been nominated for several awards, including an NAACP Image Award, MTV Movie Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award. Malco portrayed Conrad Shepard on the Showtime series Weeds. He most recently played George St...
and
IndigoIndigo is an American television and voice actress, best known for her role as Vaneeta on the Showtime series Weeds. She has been billed by her birth name, but for the majority of her career has been credited as Indigo.-Personal life:Indigo was born in Los Angeles, CA...
) play a key role during the first three seasons. They are wholesalers who supply marijuana to Nancy, who in turn distributes to retail customers. Conrad later develops his own
strainStrain can refer to:* Strain , variants of plants, viruses or bacteria; or an inbred animal used for experimental purposes* Strain , a chemical stress of a molecule...
of marijuana (MILF weed) from which Nancy sells. Season 3 features Sullivan Groff (
Matthew ModineMatthew Avery Modine is an award-winning American actor. His film roles include Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, the title character in Alan Parker's Birdy, high school wrestler Louden Swain in Vision Quest, football star turned spy Alec McCall in Funky Monkey and the...
), an unethical, womanizing real estate developer with big plans for Agrestic. When Nancy moves to Ren Mar, the characters in Esteban's drug cartel take a leading role, primarily Cesar (
Enrique CastilloEnrique Castillo is an American actor, writer, director, and producer.- Life and career :Castillo was a founding member of The Latino Theater Company. He co-wrote the company’s plays Stone Wedding and August 29...
), Ignacio (
Hemky MaderaHemky Madera is an American actor. He began his acting career in the Dominican television production Grandes Series Dominicanas in which he took the leading parts of the mini-series En La Olla and Trio en Alta Mar, both by Dominican director/producer Alfonso Rodríguez.In New York City he worked on...
), and Guillermo (Guillermo Díaz), the latter first appearing in season 3. Other key characters included Nancy's housekeeper, Lupita (
Renée VictorRenée Victor is an actress best known for her role as Lupita on Weeds. She provided voice acting for Bethesda Softworks' 2011 video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim....
); rival drug dealers; over one dozen law enforcement characters; the romantic interests of Andy, Silas, and Shane; and the residents of Agrestic and Ren Mar. This trend continues during the sixth season; however, as the story sees Nancy on the run, most introduced characters have only minor roles and only appear in one or two episodes. An exception to this is Warren Schiff (
Richard DreyfussRichard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Stakeout, Always, What About...
), who also has an affectionate love for Nancy after being her math teacher in high school. When the Botwins and Doug settle in New York City, another set of supporting characters emerge.
Episodes
As of September 27, 2011, 89 original episodes of Weeds have been produced and broadcast. The first season began August 8, 2005 and consisted of 10 episodes. The second season premiered on August 14, 2006, airing 12 episodes. The third season debuted on August 13, 2007, airing 15 episodes. The fourth season began June 16, 2008, the fifth season on June 8, 2009, and the sixth in August 2010, each with a total of 13 episodes. The seventh season began airing on June 27, 2011.
In 2006, before Season 2 started airing on Showtime, the first few episodes were leaked online. Before the third season began, the first two episodes appeared online on July 22, 2007 (nearly a month before the August 13 premiere date). The third episode appeared online on July 24, with the fourth appearing just three days later. The fourth episode was, however, an incomplete version—among other things, some
dubbed linesDubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
were not complete (notably part of a voice mail message by U-Turn is spoken by a distinctly different actor), and a card simply reading "End Credits" was inserted instead of the actual credits. On August 1, 2010, the first episodes of season 6 leaked online. Due to the high quality of the leaked episodes, downloaders of the torrents speculated that they were leaked intentionally to garner interest in the show and to create internet buzz. Episode leaks of other Showtime programs such as
CalifornicationCalifornication is an American comedy-drama that premiered on Showtime on August 13, 2007. The show was created by Tom Kapinos. The protagonist, Hank Moody , is a troubled novelist whose move to California, coupled with his writer's block, complicates his relationships with his longtime girlfriend...
and
DexterDexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...
were seen as giving weight to this theory.
Jenji Kohan has stated that she does not mind episodes being distributed on the internet in this way, saying, "Revenue aside, I don't expect to get rich on Weeds. I'm excited it's out there. Showtime is great, but it does have a limited audience." As of November 10th, 2011, Weeds was renewed for an eighth season of 13 episodes, scheduled to air in 2012.
Opening music
"
Little Boxes"Little Boxes" is a song written by Malvina Reynolds in 1962, which became a hit for her friend Pete Seeger in 1963.The song is a political satire about the development of suburbia and associated conformist middle-class attitudes...
" is the opening song for the first three seasons of the show; the version recorded by the composer,
Malvina ReynoldsMalvina Reynolds was an American folk/blues singer-songwriter and political activist, best known for her song-writing, particularly the songs "Little Boxes" and "Morningtown Ride".-Early life:...
, is used during the first season. In seasons 2 and 3, the song is performed by various artists. In season 4, the Malvina Reynolds version opens the first episode. Thereafter, the original titles and music are replaced by a short clip, different for each episode, which bears relevance to the plot or some scene later in the episode.
During the opening credits of the show's eighty-fourth episode, a woman is heard humming the tune to Little Boxes as she arranges knickknacks on a shelf. The song is also subtly referenced in Season 4 Episode 8 when Nancy sleepily tells Shane that he's going to "become a doctor or a lawyer or a business executive."
Season 1
- Malvina Reynolds
Malvina Reynolds was an American folk/blues singer-songwriter and political activist, best known for her song-writing, particularly the songs "Little Boxes" and "Morningtown Ride".-Early life:...
Season 2
- Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
- Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....
- Engelbert Humperdinck
Engelbert Humperdinck is a British pop singer, best known for his hits including "Release Me " and "After the Lovin'" as well as "The Last Waltz" .-Early life:...
- Kate & Anna McGarrigle (in French)
- Maestro Charles Barnett
Charlie Barnett may refer to:* Charles John Barnett , British Army officer and diplomat* Charles James Barnett , English cricketer* Charlie Barnett , English cricketer...
- Aidan Hawken
Aidan Hawken is an American singer-songwriter and musician from San Francisco, CA.-Life and career:Aidan Alexander Hawken was born in San Anselmo, California to Anna and Paul Hawken, environmentalist, entrepreneur and author of such books as “The Ecology of Commerce. Harper Collins, 1993...
- Ozomatli
Ozomatli is a seven to ten piece band playing primarily Latin, hip hop, and rock music, formed in 1995 in Los Angeles. They are known both for their vocal activist viewpoints and their wide array of musical styles - including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, rap, and others.In a 2007 NPR interview, band...
- The Submarines
-Band history:Working as solo artists in Boston, the two members of the band, John Dragonetti and Blake Hazard, were introduced through a mutual friend, Joe Klompus. Dragonetti and Hazard became partners and soon toured Europe together as members of the band. The relationship lasted for four...
- Tim DeLaughter
Tim DeLaughter , is a singer and songwriter. He has gained attention as a very energetic and engaging frontman for both Tripping Daisy and his current band, The Polyphonic Spree....
of Polyphonic SpreeThe Polyphonic Spree is a choral symphonic pop rock band from Dallas, Texas that was formed in 2000 by Tim DeLaughter. The band's sound relies on a variety of vocal and instrumental color by featuring a choir, flute, trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, cello, percussion, piano, guitars, bass, drums,...
- Regina Spektor
Regina Ilyinichna Spektor is a Russian American singer-songwriter and pianist. Her music is associated with the anti-folk scene centered in New York City's East Village.-Early life:...
- Jenny Lewis
Jennifer Diane Lewis , is an American singer-songwriter musician and actress. She was the primary vocalist of the indie rock band Rilo Kiley, and has released two solo albums. She currently performs as part of the duo Jenny & Johnny with boyfriend Johnathan Rice...
and Johnathan RiceJohnathan Rice is a Scottish-American singer-songwriter. His first album, Trouble is Real, was released on Reprise Records on April 26, 2005. His follow up, Further North, was released by Reprise on September 11, 2007...
- Malvina Reynolds
Malvina Reynolds was an American folk/blues singer-songwriter and political activist, best known for her song-writing, particularly the songs "Little Boxes" and "Morningtown Ride".-Early life:...
Season 3
- Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
- Angelique Kidjo
Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo, commonly known as Angélique Kidjo is a Grammy Award–winning Beninoise singer-songwriter and activist, noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. Time Magazine has called her "Africa's premier diva". The BBC has...
- Kinky
Kinky is a five-member band from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, formed in 1998 as part of the Avanzada Regia musical movement and consisting of Gilberto Cerezo, Ulises Lozano, Carlos Chairez, Omar Góngora, and Cesar Pliego. The band's music is heavily influenced by Latin music, rock, dance, and...
(in Spanish)
- Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
- Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton is an American actor, screenwriter, director and musician. Thornton gained early recognition as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire and in several early 1990s films including On Deadly Ground and Tombstone...
- The Shins
The Shins are an American indie rock band comprising singer, songwriter, and guitarist James Mercer, guitarist/bassist Dave Hernandez, Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats, drummer Joe Plummer and bassist Ron Lewis. Their sound draws on several musical genres, including pop, alternative rock, indie rock,...
- The Individuals
The Individuals are a Chicago based Rap/Hip hop/Reggae band. Ando Tha Don, Big Lou, Raw Bizness, and T.C.O. are the current members of what started as a six member act...
- Man Man
Man Man is an experimental band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Man Man is known for their exuberant live performances. When performing, the members of the band sometimes coordinate their outfits, often seen in white outfits and, more commonly, war paint....
- Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
- The Decemberists
The Decemberists are an indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk , Jenny Conlee , Nate Query , and John Moen .The band's...
- Michael Franti
Michael Franti is an American poet, musician, and composer. He is the creator and lead vocalist of Michael Franti & Spearhead, a band that blends hip hop with a variety of other styles including funk, reggae, jazz, folk, and rock...
- Persephone's Bees
Persephone's Bees is an Oakland-based rock/pop music group.-History:Growing up in Pyatigorsk, Russia, lead singer Angelina Moysova was musically inspired by her family: her mother played traditional folk/gypsy music while her brother played modern music...
(partly in Russian)
- Laurie Berkner
Laurie Berkner is an American musician best known for her work as a children's musical artist. Berkner plays guitar and sings in the Laurie Berkner Band, along with pianist Susie Lampert, bassist Adam Bernstein, and drummer Bobby Golden...
- Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
- Malvina Reynolds
Malvina Reynolds was an American folk/blues singer-songwriter and political activist, best known for her song-writing, particularly the songs "Little Boxes" and "Morningtown Ride".-Early life:...
(opening)
& Pete SeegerPeter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
(closing)
Soundtracks
The music supervisors for the show include
Gary CalamarGary Calamar is an American DJ and Grammy Award-nominated film and television music supervisor whose credits include Six Feet Under, House, True Blood, Dexter and Varsity Blues...
(along with music coordinator Alyson Vidoli) (27 episodes), Amine Ramer (4 episodes), and Bruce Gilbert (3 episodes). The original score is provided by composers Brandon Jay and Gwendolyn Sanford.
Weeds: Music from the Original Series
- Released September 13, 2005
- Malvina Reynolds
Malvina Reynolds was an American folk/blues singer-songwriter and political activist, best known for her song-writing, particularly the songs "Little Boxes" and "Morningtown Ride".-Early life:...
– "Little Boxes"Little Boxes" is a song written by Malvina Reynolds in 1962, which became a hit for her friend Pete Seeger in 1963.The song is a political satire about the development of suburbia and associated conformist middle-class attitudes...
"
- Nellie McKay
Nellie McKay , is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and former stand-up comedienne, noted for her critically acclaimed albums, and for her Broadway debut in The Threepenny Opera , for which she won a Theatre World Award...
– "David"
- Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
– "A Doodlin' Song"
- Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
– "All The Trees of the Field Will Clap Their Hands"
- Michael Franti & Spearhead – "Ganja Babe"
- All Too Much – "More Than A Friend"
- Sons & Daughters
Sons and Daughters are a rock band from Glasgow, Scotland.-Biography:Conceived while on tour with Arab Strap in 2001, Sons and Daughters was initially Adele Bethel's creation...
– "Blood"
- The New Pornographers
The New Pornographers is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia.-History:The band's first four albums each ranked in the top 40 on The Village Voices Pazz & Jop year-end poll of hundreds of music reviewers. From 2000 to 2006, either a New Pornographers' album or a...
– "The Laws Have Changed"
- Joey Santiago
Joey Santiago is a Filipino-American guitarist and composer. Active since 1986, Santiago is best known as the lead guitarist for the American alternative rock band Pixies. After the band's breakup in 1993, Santiago produced musical scores for film and television documentaries, and he formed The...
– "Fake Purse"
- NRBQ
NRBQ is an American rock band founded in 1967. It is known for its live performances, containing a high degree of spontaneity and levity, and blending rock, pop, jazz, blues and Tin Pan Alley styles. Its best known line-up is the 1974–1994 quartet of pianist Terry Adams, bassist Joey Spampinato,...
– "Wacky Tobacky"
- Marion Black – "Who Knows"
- Martin Creed
Martin Creed is an artist and musician. He won the Turner Prize in 2001 for Work No. 227: the lights going on and off, which was an empty room in which the lights went on and off.-Life and work :...
– "I Can't Move"
- The Mountain Goats
The Mountain Goats is an American indie rock band formed in Claremont, CA by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle himself, despite the plural moniker....
– "Cotton"
- Joey Santiago
Joey Santiago is a Filipino-American guitarist and composer. Active since 1986, Santiago is best known as the lead guitarist for the American alternative rock band Pixies. After the band's breakup in 1993, Santiago produced musical scores for film and television documentaries, and he formed The...
– "Birthday Video"
- Flogging Molly
Flogging Molly is a seven-piece Irish-descendant band from Los Angeles, California, that is currently signed to their own record label, Borstal Beat Records.-Early years:...
– "If I Ever Leave This World Alive"
- The Be Good Tanyas
The Be Good Tanyas are a Canadian traditional music group, whose influences included folk, country, and bluegrass. The style of music they performed can be referred to as alt-country or Americana.-Career:...
– "The Littlest Birds"
- Hill Of Beans – "Satan Lend Me a Dollar"
Weeds: Music from the Original Series, Volume 2
- Released October 17, 2006
- Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
– "Little Boxes"
- Zeroleen – "All Good"
- Of Montreal
Of Montreal is an American rock band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontman Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance with a woman "of Montreal." The band is one of the bands of the Elephant 6 collective...
– "Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games"
- Jenny Owen Youngs
Jenny Owen Youngs is an American singer-songwriter from Montclair, New Jersey.-Music career:Youngs played the flute in elementary school and the tuba in junior high school. At 14, she began to play the guitar...
– "Fuck Was I"
- Fern Jones – "Strange Things Are Happening"
- (The Real) Tuesday Weld
The Real Tuesday Weld are a British band, fronted by lead singer and founder Stephen Coates. They are known for producing jazzy cabaret-style music with subtle electronica influences, a style dubbed "antique beat" by Coates. They have six albums, several singles and eps and many tracks on...
– "Bathtime In Clerkenwell"
- Gwendolyn Sanford
Gwendolyn Sanford is a singer-songwriter who was born in Philadelphia and raised in Sierra Madre, California. Her work, and the appreciation of it, reflects the continuing popularity of independent recording artists who eschew the pursuit of commercial success associated with major record labels...
& Brandon Jay – "Shane Digs Gretchen"
- Rogue Wave
Rogue Wave is an indie rock band from Oakland, California, , and headed by Zach Schwartz who created the band after losing his job in the dot-com bust. Their first album was Out of the Shadow which was released privately in 2003 and re-released in 2004...
– "Kicking The Heart Out"
- Regina Spektor
Regina Ilyinichna Spektor is a Russian American singer-songwriter and pianist. Her music is associated with the anti-folk scene centered in New York City's East Village.-Early life:...
– "The Ghost of Corporate Future"
- Dengue Fever
Dengue Fever is a six-member band from Los Angeles who combine Cambodian pop music and lyrics with psychedelic rock.-History:The band was formed in 2001 by Ethan Holtzman and his brother Zac after Ethan was inspired by a trip to Cambodia...
– "One Thousand Tears of a Tarantula"
- Aidan Hawken – "Neighborhood"
- Squirrel Nut Zippers
The Squirrel Nut Zippers are a band formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina by James "Jimbo" Mathus , Katharine Whalen , Chris Phillips on drums, Don Raleigh on bass and sideman Ken Mosher....
– "It Ain't You"
- Gwendolyn Sanford
Gwendolyn Sanford is a singer-songwriter who was born in Philadelphia and raised in Sierra Madre, California. Her work, and the appreciation of it, reflects the continuing popularity of independent recording artists who eschew the pursuit of commercial success associated with major record labels...
& Brandon Jay – "From Agrestic to Las Vegas"
- The 88
The 88 is a four-piece indie rock band based in Los Angeles, California. They have released five full length albums as of 2010, and are the backing band for the Ray Davies Fall 2011 US Tour.- Members :Members of the band are:...
– "Not Enough"
- Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
– "Holland"
- Gwendolyn Sanford
Gwendolyn Sanford is a singer-songwriter who was born in Philadelphia and raised in Sierra Madre, California. Her work, and the appreciation of it, reflects the continuing popularity of independent recording artists who eschew the pursuit of commercial success associated with major record labels...
& Brandon Jay – "Huskaroo TV Spot"
- The Mopes - "You Look Like A Gorilla"
Weeds: Music from the Original Series, Volume 3
- Released June 3, 2008 as digital-only release, retail release July 8.
- Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
– "Little Boxes"
- Page France
Page France was an American indie folk-pop music band that played melodic and emotional music. Their last record deal was with Suicide Squeeze Records, before the disbandment in 2008, because of band leader Michael Nau wanting to focus his full attention on Cotton Jones.The band was started as a...
– "Chariot"
- That 1 Guy
Mike Silverman, better known as That 1 Guy, is an American musician based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He frequently performs and records as a one-man band, singing and using a variety of homemade musical instruments.-Early career:...
– "Buttmachine"
- Beirut
Beirut is an American band which was originally the solo musical project of Santa Fe native Zachary Francis Condon, and later expanded into a band. The band's first performances were in Wollaston, United Kingdom, in May 2006, to support the release of their debut album, Gulag Orkestar...
– "Scenic World"
- The Dresden Dolls
The Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 2000, the group consists of Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione...
– "Girl Anachronism"
- Ween
Ween is an American alternative rock group. They formed in 1984 in New Hope, Pennsylvania when central members Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo met in an eighth grade typing class. Ween has a large cult underground fanbase despite being generally unknown in American pop music...
– "You Fucked Up"
- Oh No! Oh My!
-Biography:Oh No Oh My consists of multi-instrumentalists Daniel Hoxmeier, Joel Calvin, Greg Barkley, and Tim Regan. The members of Oh No Oh My started playing music when they were fourteen years old, and all of them play at least three different instruments...
– "Walk In The Park"
- Illinois
Illinois is an American indie rock band from Bucks County, Pennsylvania fronted by singer/guitarist Chris Archibald. The other members of the band are Martin Hoeger , John-Paul Kuyper , Jason Buzolits and Craig Laber...
– "Nosebleed"
- Great Lake Swimmers
Great Lake Swimmers is a Canadian band built around the melodic folk rock songs of singer-songwriter Tony Dekker. Originally from Wainfleet, Ontario, the band is currently based in Toronto....
– "Your Rocky Spine"
- Mr. Smolin – "The Earth Keeps Turning On"
- Kevin Nealon
Kevin Nealon is an American actor and comedian, best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1995, acting in several of the Happy Madison films, for playing Doug Wilson on the Showtime series Weeds, and providing the voice of the title character, Glenn Martin on Glenn Martin,...
– "Just Like The Superdome"
- State Radio
State Radio is an alternative rock band from Sherborn, Massachusetts, consisting of Chad Urmston , Chuck Fay and Mike Najarian...
– "Keepsake"
- Eleni Mandell
Eleni Mandell is an American singer-songwriter. She currently publishes albums through Zedtone in Toronto, Ontario...
– "Let's Drive Away"
- The Shins
The Shins are an American indie rock band comprising singer, songwriter, and guitarist James Mercer, guitarist/bassist Dave Hernandez, Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats, drummer Joe Plummer and bassist Ron Lewis. Their sound draws on several musical genres, including pop, alternative rock, indie rock,...
– "Little Boxes" (iTunesThe iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
Exclusive)
Weeds: Music from the Original Series, Volume 4
- DeVotchKa
DeVotchKa is a four-piece multi-instrumental and vocal ensemble. They take their name from the Russian word devochka , meaning "girl"...
– "A New World"
- Nortec Collective
Nortec Collective is a musical ensemble formed by various individual one or two man production projects. The group came together in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Their sound genre mixes electronica with musical elements and instrumentation of Tambora and Norteño music, resulting in the nortec ...
– "Tengo La Voz"
- Greg Weeks
Greg Weeks is an American singer-songwriter based in Philadelphia. His music has been described as folk, acoustic, psychedelic and experimental. He is best known as a founding member of the psychedelic folk-rock band Espers. Weeks has released four solo albums and has guest-recorded with many...
– "Made"
- The Free Design
The Free Design was a Delevan, New York-based vocal group playing jazzy pop music. Their music can be described as sunshine pop and baroque pop, which were pop music subgenres at the time, which later influenced the bands Stereolab, Cornelius, Pizzicato Five, Beck and The High Llamas.-Early...
– "Love You"
- That Handsome Devil
That Handsome Devil is an American rock band hailing from Brooklyn, New York, by way of Boston, Massachusetts.The band mixes genres such as rock, funk, jazz, jive, blues, surf, R&B, reggae, rockabilly, rap, and psychedelic. Their sound has also been described as "equal parts Screamin’ Jay Hawkins,...
– "Mexico"
- Miss Li
Linda Carlsson , better known by her stage name Miss Li, is a Swedish singer. She was born in Borlänge, but now lives in Stockholm. Her single "Don't Try To Fool Me" has been featured on the Showtime original series Weeds, as well as Grey's Anatomy...
– "Don't Try To Fool Me"
- Tunng
Tunng are an experimental folk band from the United Kingdom.The band is often associated with the folktronica genre due to the electronic influences evident in some of their work.-Biography:...
– "Bullets"
- Mucca Pazza
Mucca Pazza is a 30 piece self-described "circus punk marching band" based in Chicago. The band, whose name comes from the Italian for "crazy cow," has been performing in and around the Chicago area for over seven years. Their repertoire ranges from Balkan-brass to covers of 60's television show...
– "Borino Oro"
- Los Mono – "Se Puede"
- Linus of Hollywood
Kevin Dotson , better known by his stage name Linus of Hollywood, is an American rock and pop singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer...
– "Thank You For Making Me Feel Better"
- The Mountain Goats
The Mountain Goats is an American indie rock band formed in Claremont, CA by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle himself, despite the plural moniker....
– "International Small Arms Traffic Blues"
- Toots & The Maytals
Toots and the Maytals, originally called simply The Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group and one of the best known ska and reggae vocal groups. According to Sandra Brennan at Allmusic, "The Maytals were key figures in reggae music...
– "Celia"
- Soul Swingers – "Brighter Tomorrow"
DVD and Blu-ray releases
| DVD Name | # of Ep | Release dates |
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 |
| Season One |
10 |
July 11, 2006 |
September 3, 2007 |
July 18, 2007 |
| Season Two |
12 |
July 24, 2007 |
January 7, 2008 |
May 28, 2008 |
| Season Three |
15 |
June 3, 2008 |
May 26, 2008 |
July 8, 2009 |
| Season Four |
13 |
June 2, 2009 |
November, 2009 |
March 17, 2010 |
| Season Five |
13 |
January 19, 2010 |
August 22, 2010 |
November 24, 2010 |
| Season Six |
13 |
February 22, 2011 |
TBA |
November 16, 2011 |
Season seven
The Region 1 Season One DVD is only available in
4:3 pan and scanPan and scan is a method of adjusting widescreen film images so that they can be shown within the proportions of a standard definition 4:3 aspect ratio television screen, often cropping off the sides of the original widescreen image to focus on the composition's most important aspects...
format. The Region 2 and 4 releases are all in
anamorphic widescreenAnamorphic widescreen, when applied to DVD manufacture, is a video process that horizontally squeezes a widescreen image so that it can be stored in a standard 4:3 aspect ratio DVD image frame. Compatible playback equipment can then re-expand the horizontal dimension to show the original widescreen...
. Season one was released on Blu-ray on May 29, 2007, and Season two was released on July 24, 2007. Both seasons include all episodes in 1080p widescreen with Dolby Digital EX sound and either DTS-HD (season one) or
LPCMLinear pulse-code modulation is a method of encoding audio information digitally. The term also refers collectively to formats using this method of encoding...
(season two), as well as extras exclusive to the Blu-ray release. Season three was released on Blu-ray on June 3, 2008. Seasons one to three on Blu-ray are multi-region discs; however, season four has been region-locked to region A only. This is due to a lack of broad international pick-up by non-US broadcasters at the time of release. This implies that Showtime does not wish to prejudice any future transmission rights negotiations by having the season available to own before it could be broadcast in the countries concerned.
In late 2009, Weeds seasons four and five have been aired in at least one region B country, namely The Netherlands. Subsequently, a region 2 DVD of Season 4 has indeed been released. However, the region 2 DVD release was not accompanied by a region B Blu-ray. Showtime has not commented on whether they ever anticipate releasing a region B Blu-ray version, or if any further non-US transmission rights are agreed. The same region locking has been applied to Blu-ray for season five. In November 2011, Seasons 2-5 were released on Region B Blu-ray in Australia with Season 6 Region B Blu-ray due for release December 16 2011.
An extra feature on the Season Two DVD was rejected by the
British Board of Film ClassificationThe British Board of Film Classification , originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom...
since it was regarded as "likely [...] to promote and encourage the use of legal drugs".
Books
On August 7, 2007, Simon Spotlight, a division of Simon and Schuster, published In the Weeds: The Official Guide to the Showtime Series by Kera Bolonik, which features interviews with the show's creator, its writers and crew, and the entire cast. It also features detailed character and plot descriptions, recipes, trivia and behind-the-scenes information.
Reception
In its first year, Weeds was the highest rated series for Showtime. Its fourth-season premiere attracted 1.3 million viewers to Showtime, the channel's highest-ever viewership; the season as a whole averaged 962,000 viewers. Season 5 premiered to 1.2 million viewers, with a rerun on the same night adding another 500,000 viewers for a cumulative 1.7 million. The final episode of the show's fifth season aired on August 31, 2009 and attracted 1.3 million viewers.
SlateSlate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
magazine named the character of Nancy Botwin as one of the best on television and one of the reasons they were looking forward to the return of the show in fall 2007. TIME magazine's James Poniewozik named it one of the Top 10 Returning Series of 2007, ranking it at #9.
The New York TimesThe 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...
opined the show is "transforming for Showtime."
MetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
scored season two, four and five a score of 78, 67 and 73 respectively.
Weeds has been criticized for lessening in quality in subsequent seasons. Many found Nancy to become unlikable and found that the story "jumped the shark". Seasons six and seven have a score of 55 and 67, respectively.
Won
| Award | Title | Credit | Year |
| Satellite Awards The Satellite Awards are an annual award given by the International Press Academy. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards.- Film :*Best Actor – Drama*Best Actor – Musical or Comedy*Best Actress – Drama...
|
Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical |
Mary-Louise ParkerMary-Louise Parker is an American actress, known for her current lead role on Showtime's television series Weeds portraying Nancy Botwin, for which she has received several nominations and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2006...
|
2005 |
| Golden Globe Awards |
Best Performance by a TV Actress in a Musical or Comedy |
Mary-Louise Parker |
2006 |
| Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
|
Episodic Comedy |
Jenji Kohan Jenji Leslie Kohan is an American television writer, producer and director.-Early life:Kohan was born in Los Angeles, California and is Jewish...
|
2006 |
| Young Artist Awards |
Best Supporting Young Actor – Television Series |
Alexander Gould Alexander Jerome Gould is an American television actor and voice artist. He is best known for his role as Shane Botwin on the Showtime TV series Weeds and for having provided the voice of Nemo in Pixar's Finding Nemo....
|
2006 |
| Satellite Awards The Satellite Awards are an annual award given by the International Press Academy. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards.- Film :*Best Actor – Drama*Best Actor – Musical or Comedy*Best Actress – Drama...
|
Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical |
Justin KirkJustin Kirk is an American stage and film actor. He is known for playing Prior Walter in Mike Nichols's screen adaptation of Angels in America and for his portrayal of Andy Botwin in Showtime's Weeds.-Early life and education:Kirk was born in Salem, Oregon, son of a...
|
2008 |
| Emmy Awards |
Outstanding Cinematography for a Half-Hour Series |
Michael Trim Michael Trim is an artist most famous for illustrating the cover of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds, which depicts a Martian tripod striking down the heroic Thunder Child...
, Director of Photography |
2010 |
Nominated
Golden Globe Awards
- Best TV Series-Comedy (2006, 2007, 2009)
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-series, or TV Movie Elizabeth Perkins
Elizabeth Ann Perkins is an American actress. Her film roles have included Big, The Flintstones, Miracle on 34th Street, About Last Night..., and Avalon...
(2006): Best Performance by a TV Supporting Actress Elizabeth PerkinsElizabeth Ann Perkins is an American actress. Her film roles have included Big, The Flintstones, Miracle on 34th Street, About Last Night..., and Avalon...
(2006, 2007)
- Best Performance by a TV Actress in a Musical or Comedy Mary-Louise Parker
Mary-Louise Parker is an American actress, known for her current lead role on Showtime's television series Weeds portraying Nancy Botwin, for which she has received several nominations and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2006...
(2005, 2007, 2008)
- Best Performance by a TV Supporting Actor Justin Kirk
Justin Kirk is an American stage and film actor. He is known for playing Prior Walter in Mike Nichols's screen adaptation of Angels in America and for his portrayal of Andy Botwin in Showtime's Weeds.-Early life and education:Kirk was born in Salem, Oregon, son of a...
(2007)
Screen Actors GuildThe Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Mary-Louise Parker
Mary-Louise Parker is an American actress, known for her current lead role on Showtime's television series Weeds portraying Nancy Botwin, for which she has received several nominations and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2006...
(2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
- Ensemble In A Comedy Series (2007, 2009)
Satellite AwardsThe Satellite Awards are an annual award given by the International Press Academy. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards.- Film :*Best Actor – Drama*Best Actor – Musical or Comedy*Best Actress – Drama...
- Outstanding Actress in a Series-Comedy Elizabeth Perkins
Elizabeth Ann Perkins is an American actress. Her film roles have included Big, The Flintstones, Miracle on 34th Street, About Last Night..., and Avalon...
(2005)
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-series, or TV Movie Elizabeth Perkins
Elizabeth Ann Perkins is an American actress. Her film roles have included Big, The Flintstones, Miracle on 34th Street, About Last Night..., and Avalon...
(2006)
- Best Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical Mary-Louise Parker
Mary-Louise Parker is an American actress, known for her current lead role on Showtime's television series Weeds portraying Nancy Botwin, for which she has received several nominations and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2006...
(2006, 2008)
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series, or TV Movie Justin Kirk
Justin Kirk is an American stage and film actor. He is known for playing Prior Walter in Mike Nichols's screen adaptation of Angels in America and for his portrayal of Andy Botwin in Showtime's Weeds.-Early life and education:Kirk was born in Salem, Oregon, son of a...
(2007)
- Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical (2007, 2008)
Emmy Awards
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Elizabeth Perkins
Elizabeth Ann Perkins is an American actress. Her film roles have included Big, The Flintstones, Miracle on 34th Street, About Last Night..., and Avalon...
(2006, 2007, 2009)
- Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series Craig Zisk
Craig Zisk is an American director and producer. He has worked on Smallville, Scrubs, Weeds and My Name Is Earl as well as many other programs.-Director:* My Name Is Earl * The Office * Weeds...
, for the episode Good Shit Lollipop (2006)
- Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series (2006, 2007)
- Outstanding Main Title Design (2006)
- Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series, for the episode Good Shit Lollipop (2006)
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Mary-Louise Parker
Mary-Louise Parker is an American actress, known for her current lead role on Showtime's television series Weeds portraying Nancy Botwin, for which she has received several nominations and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2006...
(2007, 2008, 2009)
- Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series, for the episode Mrs. Botwin's Neighborhood (2007)
- Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series, for the episode Crush Girl Love Panic (2007)
- Outstanding Comedy Series (2009)
External links