Franklin & Bash

Franklin & Bash is an American comedy-drama television series created by Kevin Falls and Bill Chais. The series starred Breckin Meyer and Mark-Paul Gosselaar as unconventional lawyers and longtime friends. A Turner Broadcasting executive referred to the series as a "funny legal procedural",[2] whereas in the United Kingdom it was referred to as "Ally McBeal with Balls" when advertised for its forthcoming debut on E4.[3]

Franklin & Bash
GenreComedy-drama
Legal procedural
Created byKevin Falls
Bill Chais
StarringBreckin Meyer
Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Dana Davis
Kumail Nanjiani
Malcolm McDowell
Reed Diamond
Garcelle Beauvais
Heather Locklear
Toni Trucks
Anthony Ordonez
Opening theme"Mixture" performed by Pete[1]
Composer(s)John Robert Wood, Tree Adams
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes40 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)Jamie Tarses
Kevin Falls
Bill Chais
Jason Ensler
Producer(s)Dana Calvo
Production location(s)Los Angeles, California
Atlanta, Georgia (pilot only)
CinematographyDennis S. Hall
Editor(s)Joe Hobeck
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time38 minutes
Production company(s)FanFare Productions
Four Sycamore Productions
Left Coast Productions
Sony Pictures Television
DistributorSony Pictures Television
Release
Original networkTNT
Original releaseJune 1, 2011 (2011-06-01) –
October 22, 2014 (2014-10-22)
External links
Website

The series was broadcast in the United States on cable channel TNT. It premiered on June 1, 2011.[4] The second season aired June 5, 2012,[5] and the third on June 19, 2013.[6] The show was renewed for a fourth season on October 17, 2013, which premiered August 13, 2014.[7] On November 11, 2014, TNT canceled Franklin & Bash after four seasons.[8]

Overview
Main article: List of Franklin & Bash episodes

The characters Franklin and Bash, for whom the show is named, are an unlikely duo of streetwise attorneys. After defeating Damien Karp of the prestigious law firm Infeld & Daniels, LLC (colloquially "Infeld Daniels"), they are recruited by co-founder and managing partner Stanton Infeld to breathe new life into the ailing firm with the duo reminding Stanton of his early days with his partner the late Daniels. Assisting Franklin and Bash is Carmen Phillips, an ex-convict out on parole who assists with background investigations on cases, and Pindar Singh, a brilliant, agoraphobic attorney and classmate of theirs.

In agreeing to work for Infeld Daniels, Franklin and Bash were guaranteed that they would still be taking on the same kind of cases as before, only with the backing of a major law firm. Over the course of their cases Franklin and Bash, through their courtroom antics, prove to be effective advocates for their clients, much to the chagrin of Damien Karp and his ex-girlfriend fellow attorney Hanna Linden.

Unbeknownst to the titular duo, Karp and Linden have been clandestinely stockpiling files on the team in the hopes that enough infractions will motivate Infeld to fire them. However, after assisting Franklin & Bash in military court, Linden tried to delete the entire file, failing to hide the file from the NY firm partners.

The duo later learn their hiring was a move by Infeld to protect the firm from a leveraged buyout by any firm, particularly Franklin's father's firm, Franklin and Franklin. Although the pair feel understandably manipulated, the team still work to save Infeld Daniels from the attempted takeover. Infeld arrives at their house offering his regrets about the lie.

In Season 3's "Coffee and Cream", the firm is renamed Infeld•Daniels•King LLC, with the hiring/buying in of Rachel King, a lawyer who had worked with Karp years ago and had recently humiliated Franklin and Bash on national television. Infeld hired her in hopes of restoring some of the corporate culture lost with the changes Franklin and Bash brought in with their own hiring.

In season 4, it is revealed that Rachel King fled to Croatia after embezzling money from clients and Stanton is believed to be her accomplice, leading to his suspension from the bar. He leaves Peter and Jared in charge, effectively making the firm Infeld•Daniels•Franklin•Bash LLC. Pindar and Carmen have left and are replaced by new lawyer Anita Haskins and Dan Mundy, a new investigator. Also joining the firm is Ellen Swatello, who has left the DA's office and taken a job with the firm to work with Stanton Infeld, becoming dismayed at learning of his disbarment and having to work for Peter and Jared.

Cast and characters

Main
  • Breckin Meyer as Elmo "Jared" Franklin, Duke of Landingshire, the snarky, self-confident party-boy son of a famous trial lawyer. In season 2, it is revealed that his real first name is Elmo, a name which his family passes down from father to son. In season 4, he and Peter become name partners at the firm after Stanton is disbarred and leaves them in charge.
  • Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Peter Bash, Franklin's best friend and legal partner. He is (slightly) more mature and level-headed than Franklin. In season 4, he and Jared become name partners at the firm after Stanton is disbarred and leaves them in charge.
  • Malcolm McDowell as Stanton Infeld, who is eccentric and yet easy-going. Stanton is a senior partner in the prominent law firm Infeld-Daniels. After witnessing their unconventional techniques in court, he hires Franklin and Bash due to their resemblance to him and a partner back in his early days of his law firm. In season 4, he is suspended from the bar after Rachel King's embezzlement and takes a job as an auto mechanic.
  • Reed Diamond as Damien Karp, Stanton's nephew, former senior partner for Infeld Daniels, who become jealous of Franklin and Bash's good standing and quick success with his uncle. He was once in a relationship with Hanna Linden, but is no longer because he refuses to have relations with a co-worker. Surprisingly, Karp has no interest in taking over his uncle's firm as he yearns to be a judge, since his childhood days. Karp is amenable to Hanna Linden taking over instead. With the arrival of Rachel, Karp is more determined than ever to fast track his road to a judgeship. He was a senior partner at another firm as of the season 4 premier, but later rejoined Infeld-Daniels at Stanton's request.
  • Dana Davis as Carmen Phillips (seasons 1–3),[9] an ex-convict working for Franklin and Bash as their private personal investigator. She does not appear in "Good Lovin", "Freck" and "Shoot to Thrill" in season 3, her absence is not explained in these episodes. The season 4 premiere reveals that Carmen and Pindar left the firm.
  • Kumail Nanjiani as Pindar ("Pindy") Singh (seasons 1–3),[9] an agoraphobic lawyer working for Franklin and Bash, who first met the duo during their law school days. In season 3, his absence is not explained in the "Control" and "Out of the Blue" episodes. The season 4 premiere reveals that Carmen and Pindar left the firm. He said he left the show because of his new show Silicon Valley, and that Pindy's departure will be explained. "Yeah, I actually had to leave Franklin & Bash to do Silicon Valley, so you'll see in the new season that we figure out a way to hand it off to another character in a really funny way." [10]
  • Garcelle Beauvais as Hanna Linden (seasons 1–2), a senior partner working for Infeld Daniels, and Karp's ex-girlfriend who uses Franklin's affections to get back at Damien. Infeld has stated he sees her as running the future of his law firm when he decides to eventually step down as managing partner. Linden was a member of the ROTC and following her time in law school, she served in the United States Navy as a JAG attorney for a year. In "Coffee and Cream" Jared mentions that she left for a better senior partnership at the Buget & Towne law firm.
  • Heather Locklear as Rachel Rose King (season 3), a trial lawyer who joins the firm as a newly named on-door law partner, causing it to be renamed Infeld•Daniels•King LLC.[11] At the beginning of season 4, it is revealed that she fled to Croatia after embezzling money from clients.
  • Toni Trucks as Anita Haskins (season 4), a smart, professional law school graduate who joins the firm for a chance to actually try cases as opposed to doing research.[9]
  • Anthony Ordonez as Dan Mundy (season 4), the firm's eccentric new investigator. He has a number of strange mannerisms, such as appearing out of nowhere and liberally interpreting Peter and Jared's requests. It is loosely implied that he has a military or intelligence background.[9]

Recurring
  • Claire Coffee as Janie Ross (seasons 1–2), an Assistant DA and Peter Bash's ex-girlfriend.
  • Beau Bridges as Elmo "Leonard" Franklin (seasons 1–2), Jared Franklin's father. Their family passes the name Elmo from father to son, though they adopt other names for everyday use.
  • Alexandra Holden as Debbie Wilcox (season 1), an assistant to Franklin and Bash. Her absence from the series midway through season 1 onward is never explained.
  • Rhea Seehorn as Ellen Swatello (seasons 1, 3–4), an assistant DA who is overshadowed by Janie Ross and dislikes Franklin & Bash. In season 3, she and Jared start a sexual relationship. In season 4, she leaves the DA's office and takes a job at Infeld-Daniels.
  • Kathy Najimy as Judge Alice Sturgess (season 1). Sturgess is no fan of the titular attorneys and has even in her career cited them for contempt of court. Rather than giving the duo an opportunity to cull potential clients from inside jail, Sturgess instead placed the pair under house arrest.
  • Gates McFadden as Judge Mallory Jacobs (season 1–4), a judge who gravely dislikes the duo.
  • Kat Foster as Wendy Cowell (seasons 2, 4), an LAPD officer who dated Bash.
  • Robert Wuhl as Judge Maxwell Nulis (season 2–4), a judge who admires the duo.
  • Nicky Whelan as "Charlie" Charlotte (season 3), beach house neighbor, kinesiologist and love interest for Bash[12][13]
  • Jane Seymour (season 2–4) as Colleen Bash, mother of Peter Bash and a sex surrogate.

Development and production

The series was originally in development for the TBS network.[14] In February 2010, TBS placed a cast-contingent pilot order from a script written by Kevin Falls and Bill Chais.[14] Casting announcements began in early March, with Meyer and Gosselaar taking starring roles as the title characters.[15] Next to be cast was McDowell, as Stanton Infeld.[16] Then, comedian Nanjiani was cast as Pindar Singh,[17] followed by Diamond, as Damien Karp,[18] and Beauvais and Davis as Hanna Linden and Carmen Phillips respectively.[18]

The pilot was filmed in Atlanta in late March and early April.[19][20] In May 2010, the show was moved from TBS to sister station TNT, where network executives believed it was a better fit.[2][21] The network green-lit production in mid-May with a ten episode order,[22][23] with production moving to Los Angeles.[24]

Reception

Critical reception

Franklin & Bash received mixed reviews from TV critics. On Metacritic, the show has a score of 56 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[25] On Rotten Tomatoes, the show holds a rating of 41%, based on 17 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The site's consensus reads, "Slick, playful, and occasionally witty, Franklin & Bash unfortunately sticks too close to the courtroom drama formula".[26]

The Los Angeles Times described the pilot episode as "not as intrigue-heavy as White Collar, as satiric as The Good Guys or as beautifully located as Hawaii Five-0; 'Franklin & Bash' is smart, it's fun and it's summer."[27] Variety gave a positive review, describing the show as "playful, silly and wholly unpretentious."[28] The Hollywood Reporter also gave the pilot a positive review:

In the end, Franklin & Bash uses the legal genre to prop up what is mostly a buddy story. There may be bigger reveals ahead and certain daring complications, but no doubt Franklin and Bash will get out of them with their good looks and quick wits. That’s how they roll – mostly – on TNT.[29]

Ratings

The pilot episode premiered with 2.7 million total viewers, scoring 1.1 million viewers in the 18–49 demographic and 1.2 million in the 25–54 demographic, making it the fourth most watched cable-program of the evening.[30] Live + 3 day ratings for the series premiere updated those numbers to 3.5 million total viewers, scoring 1.5 million viewers in the 18–49 demographic, 1.6 million in the 25–54 demographic and 0.7 million in the 18–34 demographic.[31]

Season Season premiere Season finale
Date Viewers
Total
(in millions)		 Viewers
18–49
 Date Viewers
Total
(in millions)		 Viewers
18–49
1 June 1, 2011 2.74[32] 1.14[32] August 3, 2011 2.54[33] 0.8[33]
2 June 5, 2012 3.07[34] 0.9[32] August 14, 2012 2.82[35] 0.9[35]
3 June 19, 2013 1.97[36] 0.6[36] August 14, 2013 2.17[37] 0.6[37]
4 August 13, 2014 October 22, 2014 TBA TBA

Home media

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have released the first three season of Franklin & Bash in Region 1, and the first three seasons in Region 2.

DVD Name Ep# Release dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
The Complete First Season 10 June 19, 2012[38] November 14, 2011[39] N/A
The Complete Second Season 10 June 23, 2015 April 28, 2014[40] N/A
The Complete Third Season 10 September 1, 2015 November 3, 2014[41] N/A

Broadcast

Franklin & Bash premiered in Canada on Bravo! on August 22, 2011.[42] For the fourth season, the show was moved to M3.[43] In the UK the show premiered on July 13, 2011 on E4.[44] On November 8, 2011 it began showing on M-Net in South Africa.[45] In Australia it premiered on FX on June 6, 2012.[46]

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References
  1. Pete. Facebook.
  2. Weisman, John (May 16, 2010). "TNT greenlights drama 'Franklin and Bash'". Variety. Archived from the original on June 26, 2010. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  3. "Franklin & Bash". E4. Retrieved 2013-07-12.
  4. Seidman, Robert (March 10, 2011). "TNT Announces Summer Schedule". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  5. Andreeva, Nellie (July 26, 2011). "TNT Renews 'Franklin & Bash' For Second Season". Deadline. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  6. "Franklin & Bash, Perception, Rizzoli & isles, Cold Justice: New Premiere Dates". April 10, 2013. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
  7. Goldberg, Lesley (2011-11-17). "'Franklin & Bash' Renewed for Fourth Season at TNT". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
  8. Nellie Andreeva. "'Franklin & Bash' Cancelled By TNT - Deadline". Deadline.
  9. Kondolojy, Amanda (March 14, 2014). "TNT to Roll Out 10 Original Series This Summer Including 'Falling Skies', 'The Last Ship', 'Legends' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  10. "Kumail Nanjiani discusses the best dick joke in history". June 17, 2014. Archived from the original on August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  11. Geldman, Vlada (January 17, 2013). "Heather Locklear Joins TNT's Franklin & Bash". TVLine. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  12. Nicky Whelan [@NickyWhelan] (10 May 2013). "Last day on @FrankandBashTNT :( the beautiful and hysterical cast @kumailn @breckinmeyer @MPG ..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. "Interview with Mark-Paul Gosselaar & Breckin Meyer from Franklin & Bash". June 18, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  14. Andreeva, Nellie (February 9, 2010). "TBS loads up on comedy pilots". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  15. Andreeva, Nellie (March 8, 2010). "Two actors join TBS' 'Franklin & Bash'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  16. "Development Update: Friday, March 12". The Futon Critic. March 12, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  17. McCarthy, Sean L. (March 17, 2010). "Kumail Nanjiani joins TBS hourlong comedy pilot "Franklin & Bash"". The Comic's Comic. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  18. "Development Update: Friday, March 26". The Futon Critic. March 26, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  19. Ho, Rodney (March 17, 2010). "Two TV pilots shooting in Atlanta: TBS's 'Franklin and Bash' with Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Malcolm McDowell; ABC's '187 Detroit' with Michael Imperioli". Access Atlanta. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on September 3, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
  20. "'Franklin & Bash' filming at DeKalb Peachtree Airport today". On Location Vacations. April 5, 2010. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
  21. Andreeva, Nellie (May 10, 2010). "'Glory Daze' Close To TBS Series Pickup; But TBS' 'Franklin & Bash' Now TNT-Bound". Deadline.com. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
  22. "TNT Greenlights Lawyer Buddy Series Franklin & Bash, Starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer". The Futon Critic. May 14, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  23. Ng, Philiana (May 14, 2010). "TBS' 'Glory Daze,' TNT's 'Franklin & Bash' picked up". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
  24. Ho, Rodney. "Radio & TV Talk TNT goes lighthearted with 'Franklin & Bash'". Access Atlanta. Archived from the original on 24 August 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  25. "Franklin & Bash : Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  26. "Franklin & Bash: Season 1". 1 June 2011.
  27. McNamara, Mary (1 June 2011). "TV review: 'Franklin & Bash'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
  28. Brian Lowry. "Franklin & Bash". Variety.
  29. Goodwin, Timothy (May 31, 2011). "Franklin & Bash: TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  30. Rice, Lynette. "'Franklin & Bash' off to a good start". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  31. Gorman, Bill. "Ratings Notes for TBS, TNT, Adult Swim, truTV; Including 'Conan,' 'Childrens Hospital,' 'Franklin & Bash' & More". TV By theNumbers. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  32. Gorman, Bill. "TNT's 'Franklin & Bash' Opens with 2.7 Million Viewers, 'Men Of A Certain Age' Draws 1.8 Million". TV By the Numbers. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  33. Gorman, Bill. "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'Royal Pains' Way Up, But 'Storage Wars' Tops Night + 'Necessary Roughness,' 'Franklin & Bash,' 'Rescue Me,' 'Hot in Cleveland' & More". TV By the Numbers. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  34. Kondolojy, Amanda (June 6, 2012). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: Celtics-Heat Lead +'Storage Wars', 'Deadliest Catch', 'Tosh.0', 'The Game,' 'Rizzoli & Isles' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  35. Kondolojy, Amanda (August 14, 2012). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: 'Teen Mom' Wins Night + 'Tosh.0', 'Hardcore Pawn', 'Pretty Little Liars', 'White Collar', 'Workaholics' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  36. Kondolojy, Amanda (June 20, 2013). "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'Futurama' & 'Royal Pains' Win Night + 'Necessary Roughness', 'Daily Show', 'South Beach Tow' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  37. Bibel, Sara (August 15, 2013). "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'Duck Dynasty' Dominates Night, 'Bad Ink', 'Royal Pains', 'The Bridge', 'The Challenge' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  38. "Franklin & Bash - Season 1". Amazon. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
  39. "Franklin & Bash - Season 1". Amazon UK. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  40. "Franklin & Bash - Season 2". Amazon UK. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  41. "Franklin & Bash - Season 3". Amazon UK. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  42. "Franklin & Bash". Bravo! Canada. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  43. "This August on M3, the Exclusive Season 4 Premiere of FRANKLIN & BASH, and the Season 5A Finale of PRETTY LITTLE LIARS". Bell Media Press Room. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  44. "Franklin & Bash". E4. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  45. "Franklin & Bash M-Net". M-Net. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  46. "About - Franklin & Bash - Shows - FX Australia". FX Australia. Retrieved 7 June 2012.
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