''Rude Awakening'' 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 ne ...

series created by

Claudia Lonow Claudia Lonow (born January 26, 1963) is an American actress, comedian, television writer and producer. She is best known for her portrayal of Diana Fairgate on ''Knots Landing'' (1979-1984, 1993). Early life and education Lonow was born Claud ...

, that aired on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

over fifty-five 22-minute episodes spanning three seasons (1998–2001).

Story

''Rude Awakening'' tells the story of Billie Frank, an out of work alcoholic ex-soap-opera actress. She tries to go sober and become a writer but continues to struggle with her self-destructive habits. The show depicts her relations with other members of AA, her neighbor Dave, and her mother, Trudy.

Episodes

Cast

Main

Sherilyn Fenn Sherilyn Fenn (born Sheryl Ann Fenn; February 1, 1965) is an American actress and author. She came to attention for her performance as Audrey Horne on the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) for which she was nominated for a Go ...

as Billie Frank *

Lynn Redgrave Lynn Rachel Redgrave (8 March 1943 – 2 May 2010) was an English actress. She won two Golden Globe Awards throughout her career. A member of the Redgrave family of actors, Lynn trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962. By ...

as Trudy Frank *

Jonathan Penner Jonathan Lindsay Penner (born March 5, 1962) is an American actor, screenwriter, television personality, and film producer, known for producing and starring in the film ''The Last Supper'', as well as acting in the television series '' Rude Awa ...

as Dave Parelli *

Rain Pryor Rain Pryor is an American actress and comedian. Her television credits include sitcoms ''Head of the Class'' and '' Rude Awakening''. She is the daughter of comedian Richard Pryor. Early life Pryor was born in Los Angeles, California, the daugh ...

as Jackie Garcia (seasons 1–2) *

Roger E. Mosley Roger Earl Mosley (; December 18, 1938 – August 7, 2022) was an American actor, director, and writer best known for his role as the helicopter pilot Theodore "T.C." Calvin in the CBS television series '' Magnum, P.I.'', which originally aired ...

as Milton "Milt" Johnson (season 2) *

Mario Van Peebles Mario Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is an American film director and actor best known for directing and starring in ''New Jack City'' in 1991 and '' USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage'' in 2016. He is the son of actor and filmmaker Melvin Va ...

as Marcus Adams (season 3)

Recurring

Paul Ben-Victor Paul Ben-Victor (born July 24, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Greek mobster Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'', Alan Gray in ''Entourage'' (2005–2008), and Ray in '' Body Parts'' (1991). ...

as Carl *

Corinne Bohrer Corinne Bohrer (born October 18, 1958) is an American film and television actress whose career has continued uninterrupted for four decades and includes regular roles in eight primetime series produced between 1984 and 2015: '' E/R'' (1984–8 ...

as Tish Frank *

Taylor Dayne Taylor Dayne (born Leslie Wunderman; March 7, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to fame in 1987 after her debut single " Tell It to My Heart". Dayne achieved six additional U.S. top-10 singles, including "Love Will ...

as Maureen *

Dan Finnerty Dan Finnerty (born January 22, 1970) is an American actor and singer. Early life Finnerty was born in Rochester, New York, and grew up in the small town of Bath, New York. He attended Emerson College in Boston. He was a member of the hit off-Br ...

as Joe the Bartender *

Tom Gallop Tom Gallop is an American actor. He is best known for his performance as Tom Cronin in the '' Bourne'' film franchise and for playing recurring character Rob in ''Will & Grace ''Will & Grace'' is an American television sitcom created by Max Mu ...

as Jerry Frank *

Jason Graae Jason Graae (pronounced "grah" or "graw", but not "gray") (born 15 May 1958) is an American musical theater actor, best known for his musical theater performances but with a varied career spanning Broadway, opera, television and film. He has ...

as Chad *

Richard Lewis Richard, Rich, Richie, Rick, Ricky or Dick Lewis may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Richard Field Lewis Jr. (1907–1957), American radio network owner * Dick "Rocko" Lewis (Richard Henry Lewis III, 1908–1966), American entertainer * Rich ...

as Harve Schwartz * Mark Lonow as Max Frank * Ana Mercedes as Antonia the Maid *

Beverly D'Angelo Beverly Heather D'Angelo (born November 15, 1951) is an American actress who starred as Ellen Griswold in the ''National Lampoon's Vacation'' films (1983–2015). She has appeared in over 60 films and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for h ...

as Sidney 'Syd' Gibson (season 2) *

Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London ...

as Martin Crisp (seasons 2–3) *

Jack Plotnick Jack Stuart Plotnick (born October 30, 1968) is an American film and television actor, writer, and producer. Career Plotnick is possibly best known for his role as Edmund Kay in the 1998 period drama '' Gods and Monsters'', which won an A ...

as Clark (seasons 2–3) *

Roger Daltrey Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the Rock music, rock band The Who. Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include "My Generation", "Pinball Wizard", "Won't Ge ...

as Nobby Clegg (season 2) *

George Katt George Katt (born George Katsipoutis on February 27, 1975) is an American actor who has worked in film, television and theatre. Early life Katt was born in New York City and attended Marymount Manhattan College in New York. Career In 2008, Katt ...

as Zack (season 2) *

Elizabeth Lackey Elizabeth Lackey (born 2 March 1971), is an Australian actress sometimes credited under the name Lisa Lackey. Career Lackey grew up in Orange, New South Wales, and attended Orange High School. Lackey was working as a model before she was cas ...

as Raquel (season 3) *

Salli Richardson Salli Elise Richardson-Whitfield () is an American actress, director and producer. Richardson is known for her role as Angela in the film ''A Low Down Dirty Shame'' (1994) and for her role as Dr. Allison Blake on the Syfy comedy-drama series ''Eu ...

as Nancy Adams (season 3) * Jenny Robertson as Haley (season 3)

Notable guest stars

Karen Black Karen Blanche Black (née Ziegler; July 1, 1939 – August 8, 2013) was an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the 1970s, frequently portrayi ...

as Crystal Garcia *

Jennifer Coolidge Jennifer Audrey Coolidge (born August 28, 1961) is an American actress known for her roles in comedic film and television particularly in American Pie (series), ''American Pie'' film series (1999–2012), Legally Blonde (franchise), ''Legally Bl ...

as Sue *

Lana Parrilla Lana Parrilla (born July 15, 1977) is an American actress. She was a regular cast member in the fifth season of the ABC sitcom ''Spin City'' (2000–2001) and in the fourth season of '' 24'' (2005), and starred in ''Boomtown'' (2002–2003), '' ...

as Nurse Lorna *

Ron Glass Ronald Earle Glass (July 10, 1945 – November 25, 2016) was an American actor. He was known for his roles as literary Det. Ron Harris in the television sitcom ''Barney Miller'' (1975–1982), and as the spiritual shepherd, Shepherd Book, in the ...

as Marcus' father *

CCH Pounder Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder (born December 25, 1952) is a Guyanese-American actress. She has received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her roles in ''The X-Files'', '' ER'', ''The Shield'', and ''The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agenc ...

as Tracy *

as Sidney Gibson *

Jason Bateman Jason Kent Bateman (born January 14, 1969) is an American actor, director and producer known for his roles of Michael Bluth in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox/Netflix sitcom ''Arrested Development (TV series), Arrested Development'' and of Mart ...

as Ryan *

as Maureen *

as Martin Crisp *

as Nobby Clegg * Martin Lewis as Nigel *

Michelle Phillips Michelle may refer to: People *Michelle (name), a given name and surname, the feminine form of Michael * Michelle Courtens, Dutch singer, performing as "Michelle" * Michelle (German singer) * Michelle (Scottish singer) (born 1980), Scottish wi ...

as Vivian *

Alan Young Alan Young (born Angus Young; November 19, 1919 – May 19, 2016) was a British, Canadian and American actor, comedian, radio host and television host, whom ''TV Guide'' called "the Charlie Chaplin of television". His notable roles includ ...

as Priest

References

* *

External links

*
''Rude Awakening''
at SeriesLive.com {{Showtime Network programming 1990s American single-camera sitcoms 1998 American television series debuts 2000s American single-camera sitcoms 2001 American television series endings 1990s American LGBT-related comedy television series Television series by Sony Pictures Television Showtime (TV network) original programming English-language television shows Television shows set in Los Angeles 2000s American LGBT-related comedy television series American LGBT-related sitcoms