''Excused'' is an American dating reality-based competition series that debuted in first-run

syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

in the United States and Canada on September 12, 2011. The half-hour series is hosted by

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

Iliza Shlesinger Iliza Vie Shlesinger (; born ) is an American comedian, actress, television host, executive producer, and screenwriter. She was the 2008 winner of NBC's ''Last Comic Standing'' and went on to host the syndicated dating show ''Excused'' and the ...

and created by David Garfinkle and Jay Renfroe for Renegade 83 Productions (the same company that produced ''

Blind Date A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance. Structure A blind date is arranged for by a mutual acquaintance of both participants. The two people who take part in the blind ...

'') and

CBS Television Distribution CBS Media Ventures, Inc. (formerly CBS Television Distribution, Inc. and CBS Paramount Domestic Television, Inc.) is an American television distribution company owned by CBS Studios, part of CBS Entertainment Group, a division of Paramount Glob ...

. The series, which is primarily syndicated to

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affiliated with

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, CW,

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

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and to independent stations for broadcast in late fringe and access time periods, is the first dating series (along with

Entertainment Studios Entertainment Studios, Inc., also known as Allen Media Group, is an American media and entertainment company based in Los Angeles. Owned and founded in 1993 by businessman Byron Allen, the company was initially involved in the production and d ...

-produced ''

Who Wants to Date a Comedian? ''Who Wants to Date a Comedian?'' is an American reality-based dating competition series that debuted in first-run syndication in the United States on September 19, 2011. The half-hour series was created by Byron Allen through his production ...

'', which debuted the same month) to air in first-run syndication since the 2006 cancellations of ''Blind Date'' and '' Elimidate''. On April 19, 2012, CBS Television Distribution announced that ''Excused'' would be renewed for a second season, which began on September 10, 2012, but it would also be its last as the series ended its run in September 2013 after 230 episodes.

Format

The series utilizes a house in the

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city of Encino as its setting for this program.

Dating

In the first round, two contestants (either two males or two females; for the second season, episodes in which male contestants choose female suitors are less commonly seen) are introduced and are asked by host Shlesinger about what they look for in a mate. Originally, the contestants then had to decide which potential suitors that they wanted to let in by watching a feed from a security camera located outside the front door of the house to give their first impression by explaining why they should be given the chance to date the contestants; often, Shlesinger will give snarky commentary to the potential suitors whether they are chosen to enter the house or not. This round was eliminated beginning in the second season and four suitors are chosen before the show for the contestants to choose from, though Shlesinger's commentary was retained as an element. Once four potential suitors are chosen, the two contestants then view video dating profiles to determine based on their personality and other personal details they reveal as to which two people they will choose to go on to the third round (starting with season two, the contestants' decision whom to excuse in this round and the additional eliminations shown thereafter are now only revealed once that person is announced to have been eliminated, instead of being first revealed by the contestants to Shlesinger shortly beforehand). The group of four is cut down to two remaining potential suitors, who then will go out on dates with the two contestants. The two contestants then will decide which of the two remaining suitors will go on to go out on a one-on-one date with each of the contestants, in which the contestant has to impress their date, before the suitor decides which one of the two contestants they choose to go out on a second date.Celebuzz Gets ‘Excused’ by New Dating Show Host Iliza Shlesinger (PHOTOS)

Celebuzz Celebuzz is an entertainment website launched in June 2008 that features breaking TV, movie, and entertainment news. Headquartered in Hollywood, CA, Celebuzz is known for featuring exclusive blogs written by A-list celebrities, particularly members ...

, September 12, 2011 .

Changes in the initial rounds

In the first season, the contestants would travel by van to different locations in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

for the first four dates. In some episodes, the elimination from four to three contestants would take place at the location of the dates in a face-to-face encounter. In other episodes, all eliminations would take place back at the Excused house with the eliminations being announced by Shlesinger over a speaker. The final two dates took place in the Excused house, and one of these final dates would frequently be a hot tub date. For the second season, all dates featured in each episode are taped in the Excused house; as such, all four daters are initially seen together before the first two one-on-one pairings go off on separate dates around the premises. The series also introduced a designated "private room" within the house, that includes

hidden camera A hidden camera or spy camera is a camera used to photograph or record subjects, often people, without their knowledge. The camera may be considered "hidden" because it is not visible to the subject being filmed, or is disguised as another obje ...

s within the room, in which contestants take their dates to a more intimate setting.

The Courtyard

The show culminates with each contestant choosing whether to meet their suitor in the courtyard of the house. The suitor will go to the courtyard and wait for his or her prospective partner to join him or her. Joining the other outside signifies that the contestants both want to pursue a relationship; contestants who choose they do not want to pursue a relationship with the remaining suitor (either due to the lack of a romantic connection or simply because the contestant sought to be the one chosen and had no actual intention of pursuing a relationship with the suitor), will not appear in the courtyard.

References

External links

Official website (via Internet Archive)
* {{IMDb title, 1926538, Excused American game shows 2010s American game shows 2010s American reality television series 2011 American television series debuts 2013 American television series endings American dating and relationship reality television series First-run syndicated television programs in the United States English-language television shows Television series by CBS Studios