''Buddies'' is an American television

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

that aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

from March 5 to May 29, 1996. It was created by

Carmen Finestra Carmen Finestra (born 1947) is an American producer and TV writer who currently is partnered with Matt Williams and David McFadzean in Wind Dancer Productions, a firm which Finestra also co-owns and co-founded with actor Tim Allen. For Wind Dance ...

David McFadzean David Campbell McFadzean (born April 9, 1947) is an American television producer, television writer, film producer and playwright. He is best known for co-creating the ABC sitcom ''Home Improvement'' with Carmen Finestra and Matt Williams. C ...

, and Matt Williams and starred Dave Chappelle,

Christopher Gartin Christopher Russell Gartin (born January 12, 1977, in New York City, New York) is an American actor and producer, known for '' Black Swan'' (2010), '' Tremors 2: Aftershocks'' (1996) and '' Transcendence'' (2014). He was previously married to Jo ...

, Tanya Wright, Jeff Rawluk and

Richard Roundtree Richard Roundtree (born July 9, 1942) is an American actor. Roundtree is noted as being "the first black action hero" for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film ''Shaft'', and its four sequels, released between 1972 and 2 ...

History

''Home Improvement'' connection

Comedians Dave Chappelle and

Jim Breuer James E. Breuer (born June 21, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, and radio host. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 1998 and starred in the film '' Half Baked'' (1998). Early life Breuer was born ...

attracted the attention of TV network executives with their guest appearance on the (4th season) March 14, 1995 episode of

's highly rated

Home Improvement The concept of home improvement, home renovation, or remodeling is the process of renovating or making additions to one's home. Home improvement can consist of projects that upgrade an existing home interior (such as electrical and plumbing), ...

''. The storyline had Chappelle and Breuer play friends who appear together on ''

Tool Time ''Home Improvement'' is an American television sitcom starring Tim Allen that aired on ABC from September 17, 1991 to May 25, 1999 with a total of 204 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons. The series was created by Matt Williams, Carmen Fi ...

'' to ask Tim Taylor advice on their girlfriends. The characters' single outing on the episode proved so popular that ABC decided to give Chappelle and Breuer their own half-hour sitcom.

Cast changes

After subsequent rehearsals,

was replaced with

as Dave Chappelle's "buddy". The unique comic timing and chemistry that Chappelle had with Breuer, his real-life friend, was not present with Gartin, and Breuer's abrupt firing exacerbated ill will. This prevented Chappelle and Gartin from developing the rapport and chemistry necessary for the characters' believability and likeability.

Broadcast

''Buddies'' premiered on Tuesday, March 5, 1996. The show garnered disappointing ratings. ''Buddies'' was cancelled on April 3 after airing only five out of the 13 produced episodes. Dave Chappelle himself was not proud of his involvement with ''Buddies'' in retrospect:

Cast

David Chappelle David Khari Webber Chappelle ( ; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for his satirical comedy sketch series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006), which he starred in until quitting in the middle of p ...

as Dave Carlisle *

as John Bailey * Tanya Wright as Phyllis Brooks *

Paula Cale Paula Cale (born June 2, 1970) is an American actress best known for her role as Joanie Hansen on the television series ''Providence''. Early life Cale was born Paula Korologos in Great Falls, Virginia. Her father, Tom C. Korologos, worked as a ...

as Lorraine Bailey *

Judith Ivey Judith Lee Ivey (born September 4, 1951) is an American actress and theatre director. She has twice won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play: for ''Steaming'' (1981) and '' Hurlyburly'' (1984). She has also appeared in several film ...

as Maureen DeMoss *

as Henry Carlisle

Episode list

Home media

Best Buy released an exclusive DVD on May 15, 2005 that contained 10 episodes of ''Buddies'', including all 8 unaired episodes.Best Buy ad for DVD release.
Best Buy. Last accessed November 10, 2007.

References

External links

* {{Home Improvement 1990s American black sitcoms 1990s American sitcoms 1990s American comedy television series 1996 American television series debuts 1996 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company original programming American television spin-offs English-language television shows Television series by ABC Studios Television shows set in Chicago Home Improvement (TV series) Latino sitcoms