''The Lot'' is an American comedy-drama series that aired for two seasons and 17 episodes on the

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

from 1999 to 2001. It profiled the fictional studio Sylver Screen Pictures during the 1930s and the pursuits of its classic stars (such as Barbara Stanwyck,

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragic ch ...

and Shirley Temple). The show was met with neither popular nor critical success but

Jeffrey Tambor Jeffrey Michael Tambor (born July 8, 1944) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles such as Jeffrey Brookes, the uptight neighbor of Stanley and Helen Roper in the television sitcom ''The Ropers'' (1979–1980), as Hank Kings ...

Rue McClanahan Eddi-Rue McClanahan (February 21, 1934 – June 3, 2010) was an American actress and comedian best known for her roles on television as Vivian Harmon on '' Maude'' (1972–78), Aunt Fran Crowley on '' Mama's Family'' (1983–84), and Blanche ...

, Linda Cardellini and

Michael York Michael York OBE (born Michael Hugh Johnson; 27 March 1942) is an English film, television and stage actor. After performing on-stage with the Royal National Theatre, he had a breakthrough in films by playing Tybalt in Franco Zeffirelli's ''Ro ...

all had notable recurring roles. The two seasons had two different plotlines. The first season (four episodes) detailed the rise and fall of young starlet June Parker ( Linda Cardellini). Cardellini left to star in ''

Freaks and Geeks ''Freaks and Geeks'' is an American teen drama, teen comedy-drama television series created by Paul Feig and executive producer, executive-produced by Judd Apatow that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 United States network television schedul ...

'', forcing a premature end to the first season. The second season (thirteen episodes) revolved around a new main character.

Cast

Sara Botsford Sara Botsford (born August 4, 1951) is a Canadian television and film actress. She starred in the CTV drama series '' E.N.G.'' (1989-1994) for which received Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role. Career S ...

as Norma St. Claire *

Allen Garfield Allen Garfield (born Allen Goorwitz; November 22, 1939 – April 7, 2020) was an American film and television actor. Early life Garfield was born in Newark, New Jersey, to a Jewish family, the son of Alice (née Lavroff) and Philip Goorwitz. H ...

as Harry Sylver (season 1) * Linda Cardellini as June Parker (season 1) *Steven Petrarca as Charlie Patterson *

Stephanie Faracy Stephanie Faracy (born January 1, 1952) is an American actress. She is known for playing supporting roles in films include '' Heaven Can Wait'' (1978), ''Scavenger Hunt'' (1979), ''Blind Date'' (1987), '' The Great Outdoors'' (1988), '' Hocus Pocu ...

as Mary Parker *Francois Giroday as Fabian *

Holland Taylor Holland Virginia Taylor (born January 14, 1943) is an American actress. She won the 1999 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Judge Roberta Kittleson on ABC's ''The Practice'' (1998–2003). ...

as Letitia DeVine * Perry Stephens as Jack Sweeney *

Jonathan Frakes Jonathan Scott Frakes (born August 19, 1952) is an American actor and director. He is best known for his portrayal of Commander William Riker in the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' and subsequent films and series. Frakes als ...

as Roland White

Episodes

Season 1 (1999)

Season 2 (2001)

Historical references

The characters of Priscilla Tremaine (

) and Letitia DeVine (

) were based on gossip columnists

Hedda Hopper Hedda Hopper (born Elda Furry; May 2, 1885February 1, 1966) was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, her readership was 35 million. A strong supporter of the House Un-American Activities Committ ...

and

Louella Parsons Louella Parsons (born Louella Rose Oettinger; August 6, 1881 – December 9, 1972) was an American movie columnist and a screenwriter. She was retained by William Randolph Hearst because she had championed Hearst's mistress Marion Davies and s ...

, respectively. A running end-credits gag had Letitia DeVine reporting ironic news items about period stars on her radio show, then insulting them ''sotto voce'' when the broadcast was over. Roland White (

) is based on millionaire

aeronautical engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is sim ...

and movie mogul

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in th ...

, who was known for his relationships with pretty redheaded Hollywood starlets. A movie being made by Sylver Studios refers to ''

The Moon Is Blue ''The Moon Is Blue'' is a play by F. Hugh Herbert. A comedy in three acts, the play consists of one female and three male characters. Performance history ''The Moon Is Blue'' premiered at The Playhouse in Wilmington, Delaware on February 16, 1 ...

'', a movie famously censored for having

Maggie McNamara Marguerite "Maggie" McNamara (June 18, 1928 – February 18, 1978) was a stage, film, and television actress and model from the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', March 22, 1978, page 46. McNamara began her career as a teenage fashion model. Sh ...

say the word "virgin" in one of her lines. Sylver Studios was a stand-in for

Samuel Goldwyn Productions Samuel Goldwyn Productions was an American film production company founded by Samuel Goldwyn in 1923, and active through 1959. Personally controlled by Goldwyn and focused on production rather than distribution, the company developed into the m ...

. The title ''The Lot'' also refers to the famed Pickford-Fairbanks Studios lot in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, which rented out production space to multiple film studios.

Awards and nominations

* Casting Society of America: Nominated: Best Casting for TV, Comedy Episodic: Deborah Barylski, Pat McCorkle * Costume Designers Guild Awards: Nominated: Excellence in Costume Design for Television - Period/Fantasy: Jean Pierre Dorléac *Emmy Awards: 2001: Won: Outstanding Costumes for a Series: Gilberto Mello, Jean-Pierre Dorléac for episode "Mob Scene" Nominated: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series:

for episode "Daddy Dearest" and "Stiffed" Nominated: Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series: Cheri Ruff, Carl Bailey, Stephen Elsbree for episode "Daddy Dearest" 2000: Nominated: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series:

for playing Letitia Devine.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lot, The 1999 American television series debuts 2001 American television series endings English-language television shows 1990s American comedy-drama television series 2000s American comedy-drama television series AMC (TV channel) original programming Television series set in the 1930s Television shows set in Los Angeles