''The Lot'' is an American

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

television series that aired for two seasons on AMC 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 Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic sc ...

, Greta Garbo and

Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...

). The show was met with neither popular nor critical success but Jeffrey Tambor, Rue McClanahan,

Linda Cardellini Linda Edna Cardellini (born June 25, 1975) is an American actress. In television, she is known for her leading roles in the teen drama ''Freaks and Geeks'' (1999–2000), the medical drama '' ER'' (2003–09), the drama thriller ''Bloodline'' (2 ...

and Michael York 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 (

). Cardellini left to star in '' Freaks and Geeks'', 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 Sh ...

as Norma St. Claire * Allen Garfield as Harry Sylver (season 1) *

as June Parker (season 1) *Steven Petrarca as Charlie Patterson * Stephanie Faracy as Mary Parker *Francois Giroday as Fabian * Holland Taylor as Letitia DeVine *

Perry Stephens Perry Stephens (February 14, 1958 - September 8, 2005), born Perry Stephens Moody in Frankfurt, Germany, was an American actor known primarily for his roles on daytime soap operas, including the role of Jack Forbes on '' Loving'' from 1983 to 1990 ...

as Jack Sweeney * Jonathan Frakes as Roland White

Episodes

Season 1 (1999)

Season 2 (2001)

Historical references

The characters of Priscilla Tremaine ( Rue McClanahan) and Letitia DeVine ( Holland Taylor) were based on gossip columnists Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons, 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 ( Jonathan Frakes) is based on millionaire aeronautical engineer and movie mogul Howard Hughes, who was known for his relationships with pretty redheaded Hollywood starlets. A movie being made by Sylver Studios refers to '' The Moon Is Blue'', a movie famously censored for having Maggie McNamara say the word "virgin" in one of her lines. Sylver Studios was a stand-in for Samuel Goldwyn Productions. The title ''The Lot'' also refers to the famed Pickford-Fairbanks Studios lot in Hollywood, California, which rented out production space to multiple film studios.

Awards and nominations

Casting Society of America The Casting Society, formerly known as Casting Society of America (CSA), was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1982 as a Professional association, professional society of about 1,200 Casting (performing arts), casting directors and associate ...

: Nominated: Best Casting for TV, Comedy Episodic: Deborah Barylski, Pat McCorkle *

Costume Designers Guild Awards The Costume Designers Guild, Local 892, is a union of professional costume designers, assistant costume designers, and illustrators working in film, television, commercials and other media. The CDG is not an employment agency, it is a labor union. ...

: 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 Jean-Pierre Dorléac is an American costume designer whose work has appeared in film, television, theater, variety, opera and burlesque. He was nominated at the 53rd Academy Awards in the category of Best Costumes for his work on the film '' ...

for episode "Mob Scene" Nominated: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: Michael York for episode "Daddy Dearest" and "Stiffed" Nominated: Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series:

Cheri Ruff Cheri or Chéri may refer to: People Given name * Cheri Blauwet (born 1980), American wheelchair racer * Cheri Dennis (born 1979), American singer * Cheri DiNovo (born 1950), Canadian United Church minister and social democratic politician * Che ...

, Carl Bailey, Stephen Elsbree for episode "Daddy Dearest" 2000: Nominated: Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series: Holland Taylor for playing Letitia Devine.

References

External links

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