Still Standing (TV series)
Still Standing is an American sitcom created by Diane Burroughs and Joey Gutierrez, that ran on CBS from September 30, 2002, to March 8, 2006. It starred Mark Addy and Jami Gertz as Bill and Judy Miller, a working-class couple living in Chicago. Taylor Ball, Renee Olstead, and Soleil Borda portrayed their children and Jennifer Irwin portrayed Judy's sister Linda.
| Still Standing | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | |
| Starring |
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| Opening theme | "You Make Me Happy" written by Holly Knight (performed by Will Hoge) |
| Composer(s) | Dennis C. Brown |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 88 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | |
| Producer(s) |
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| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 21 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
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| Distributor | 20th Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original release | September 30, 2002 – March 8, 2006 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Plot
A working-class couple in Chicago tries to instill good values in their three kids, Brian (Taylor Ball), Lauren (Renee Olstead), and Tina (Soleil Borda), but their own past experiences often conflict with the lessons they teach their children. Judy Miller (Jami Gertz) is the attractive wife who was wooed by Bill (Mark Addy). Judy's sister Linda (Jennifer Irwin) continuously butts heads with Bill.
Characters
Main characters
- William "Bill" Miller (Mark Addy): The patriarch of the Miller family, he is a former high school football standout but is now often perceived as overweight and lazy.
- Judith "Judy" Miller (born as Judy Michaels) (Jami Gertz): The matriarch of the Miller family.
- Brian Hops Miller (Taylor Ball): Eldest and only son of the Miller family, Brian is a gifted but relatively unpopular high-school student; widely regarded as a geek.
- Lauren Barley Miller (Renee Olstead): The older daughter of the Miller family, Lauren is one of the pretty, popular girls at school.
- Tina Kathleen Miller (Soleil Borda): The youngest child of the Miller family.
- Linda Michaels (Jennifer Irwin): Judy's younger sister, Linda spends much of her time hanging around the Miller house, much to Bill's dismay.
- Daniel "Fitz" Fitzsimmons (Joel Murray): Bill's best friend, who works with Bill as a salesman.
Guest and recurring roles
- Perry (James Patrick Stuart): Linda's husband, a musician who performs in Reno.
- Marion Fitzsimmons (Kerri Kenney): Fitz's wife. She is considered controlling by Fitz. She is very much portrayed as not on the same page humor wise with Fitz, Bill and Judy, which is one of the factors behind her and Judy not always getting along.
- Gene Michaels (Steven Gilborn): Judy and Linda's father. He is an avid collector of model trains.
- Helen Michaels (Janet Carroll seasons 1 and 2; Swoosie Kurtz seasons 3 and 4): Judy and Linda's mother.
- Hakim (Daniel Murillo) Hakim is Brian's good friend who also attends Jefferson High School
- Al Miller (Paul Sorvino): Bill's father, a retired steelworker. When Bill was younger, Al left Bill and his mother (Louise) with little or no money, creating the main dynamic between Bill and Al.
- Louise Miller (Sally Struthers): Bill's manipulative mother who moved to Chicago after her divorce. She manipulates those around her by guilt-tripping them. Her controlling nature with Bill sets her constantly at odds with Judy.
- Johnny (Clyde Kusatsu): Louise Miller's new love interest and eventual husband. He is Japanese.
- Bonnie (Ashley Tisdale): Brian's girlfriend.
- Becca (Lauren Schaffel): Lauren's best friend.
- Ted Halverson (Kevin Nealon): The Millers' religious neighbor.
- Kathy Halverson (Marin Mazzie): Ted Halverson's equally-religious wife. Kathy is usually the voice of reason, and dampens Ted's competitive nature.
- Matt Halverson (Shawn Pyfrom): Ted's son and one of Lauren's boyfriends.
- Shelly (Julia Campbell) and Terry (Justine Bateman): The Millers' lesbian neighbors, and mothers of Chris.
- Chris (Sean Marquette/Jared Hillman): Lauren's love interest in several episodes; Shelly and Terry's son.
- Kyle Polsky (Todd Stashwick): Bill's neighbor who has a large collection of toys
- Carl (David Koechner): Bill's best friend during seasons 1 and 2. Works with Bill at the department store.
- Maxwell "Mack" McDaniel (John Marshall Jones): Bill and Fitz's friend during seasons 2 and 3 (6 episodes). Mack works with Bill and Fitz at the department store.
- Jeff Hackman (Chris Elliott): Also works with Bill. Sometimes called Jeff Hackman "Never-Pay-Ya-Backman".
Episodes
Each of the episode titles begins with the word "Still", with the exception of the pilot.
Syndication
The show entered off-network syndication in 2006, and in the fall of that year 20th Television put it into barter-syndication. It aired on many affiliates, most notably MyNetworkTV and The CW. Lifetime Television acquired the cable rights from 2006 to 2009. ABC Family acquired the rights to rerun it in the Fall of 2010, but due to low ratings, it was removed from their lineup. The show returned to ABC Family (now Freeform), from December 2013 to June 2014, before it was ultimately replaced by The Middle.
Critical reception
A 2002 Entertainment Weekly review gave Still Standing a "D" grade, calling it an "apathetic" show that "does zip to freshen the Fatty-Gets-a-Family formula."[1]
Nielsen ratings
| Season | Timeslot (EDT) | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Rank | Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monday 9:30 P.M. | September 30, 2002 | May 12, 2003 | 2002–2003 | #17 | 14.41[2] |
| 2 | Monday 8:30 P.M. | September 22, 2003 | May 24, 2004 | 2003–2004 | #26 | 11.82 |
| 3 | Monday 8:00 P.M. | September 20, 2004 | May 23, 2005 | 2004–2005 | #48 | 9.95 |
| 4 | Wednesday 8:00 P.M. | September 21, 2005 | March 8, 2006 | 2005–2006 | #87 | 7.0 |
Notes
- Still Standing review, Gillian Flynn, Entertainment Weekly, September 2002
- "Google Groups".