American Woman (TV series)
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''American Woman'' is an American
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 was inspired by the childhood of actress and reality star
Kyle Richards Kyle Richards Umansky (: born January 11, 1969) is an American actress, socialite, and television personality. Since 2010, she has appeared as a main cast member on ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'', and as of 2022, is the last remaining ...
that premiered on June 7, 2018, on
Paramount Network Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles. The channel was ...
. The series was created by
John Riggi John Riggi is an American television writer, producer, director, and actor who has worked on various television shows. He is from Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended high school at Elder High School, in Cincinnati, OH. He has worked as a writer o ...
and stars Alicia Silverstone,
Mena Suvari Mena Alexandra Suvari (; born February 13, 1979) is an American actress, producer, fashion designer and model. After beginning her career as a model and guest-starring on several television shows, she made her film debut in the 1997 drama '' Now ...
, Jennifer Bartels, Makenna James, and Lia McHugh. On September 5, 2018, it was announced that the series had been cancelled after one season.


Premise

''American Woman'' follows "Bonnie, an unconventional mother struggling to raise her two daughters after leaving her husband amid the rise of second-wave feminism in the 1970s. With the help of her two best friends, Kathleen and Diana, these three women each discover their own brand of independence in a glamorous and ever-changing world reluctant to give it."


Cast and characters


Main

* Alicia Silverstone as Bonnie Nolan *
Mena Suvari Mena Alexandra Suvari (; born February 13, 1979) is an American actress, producer, fashion designer and model. After beginning her career as a model and guest-starring on several television shows, she made her film debut in the 1997 drama '' Now ...
as Kathleen Callahan * Jennifer Bartels as Diana Vaughan * Makenna James as Becca Nolan, Bonnie and Steve's elder daughter * Lia McHugh as Jessica Nolan, Bonnie and Steve's younger daughter


Recurring

*
James Tupper James Tupper (born August 4, 1965) is a Canadian actor known for his roles as Jack Slattery on the ABC television series ''Men in Trees'', Dr. Chris Sands on the NBC medical drama series ''Mercy'', and David Clarke on ABC's ''Revenge''. He also s ...
as Steve Nolan, Bonnie's husband whom she throws out after catching him with another woman. *
Cheyenne Jackson Cheyenne David Jackson (born July 12, 1975) is an American actor and singer. His credits include leading roles in Broadway musicals and other stage roles, as well as film and television roles, concert singing, and music recordings. After beginni ...
as Greg, Kathleen's boyfriend who is secretly gay. * Sam Morgan as Adam * Diandra Lyle as Louise * Tobias Jelinek as Mr. Bishop *
Patrick Bristow Patrick Bristow (born September 26, 1962) is an American actor, comedian and director. He is best known for playing Peter Barnes on ''Ellen'' (1994-1998), and Patrick on ''The Suite Life of Zack and Cody'' (2005-2008), and for the film ''Pain ...
as Randall * Jonathan Chase as Alan *
Christine Estabrook Christine Estabrook (born Mary Christine Estabrook; September 13, 1952) is an American actress, known for her roles on the television series '' The Crew'', '' Nikki'', '' Desperate Housewives'' and ''American Horror Story''; she had a recurring ...
as Peggy, Diana's Mother


Guest

*
Sam Anderson Sam Anderson (born April 2, 1947) is an American actor. He is best known for his character roles such as Sam Gorpley on '' Perfect Strangers'', Holland Manners on ''Angel'', dentist Bernard Nadler on ''Lost'' and in film, as the principal in ''F ...
as Raymond Turner ("Changes and The New Normal") *
Elizabeth Bogush Elizabeth Bogush is an American actress. She has appeared in the main cast or regular recurring cast of a variety of television series, including '' NCIS: Los Angeles'' and ''Masters of Sex'', as well as ''Titans'', '' October Road'', ''Eve ...
as Sherry ("Changes and The New Normal") * Audrey Wasilewski as Anne ("Changes and The New Normal") *
Chosen Jacobs Chosen Jacobs (born July 1, 2001) is an American actor and singer best known for his recurring role as Will Grover on the CBS television series '' Hawaii Five-0'' and his role as Mike Hanlon in the 2017 film adaptation of the Stephen King novel ...
as William ("The Heat Wave") *
Jon Prescott Jon Prescott (born August 10, 1981) is an American actor. Early life He was born in Mountain View, California, but raised near Portland, Oregon. Prescott has two brothers, and a sister. He attended Emerson College in Boston. After college h ...
as Barry ("The Agreement") * Carter MacIntyre as Harris ("The Agreement") *
Matt Knudsen Matt Knudsen (born March 10, 1974) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the villain Sonny Appleday in the Cartoon Network TV film '' Re-Animated'' and its spinoff series ''Out Of Jimmy's Head''. Early life Knud ...
as Dr. Taylor ("Jack") *
Peta Sergeant Peta Sergeant is a Malaysian-born Australian actress best known for her lead role in the Australian television series '' Satisfaction''. She graduated from NIDA. Career Her other television credits include the television series '' All Saints'', ...
as Hannah ("Jack") *
Cullen Douglas Cullen Douglas (born November 6, 1967) is an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. His most notable television appearances have come from recurring roles on ''Pure Genius'', '' Private Practice'', ''Prison Break'', ''Grey's Anatomy'', '' ...
as Philip ("The Breakthrough") *
Bob Glouberman Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals * Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname ...
as Mr. Knave ("The Breakthrough") *
Matthew Glave Matthew Glave (born August 19, 1963) is an American actor best known for his roles in ''The Wedding Singer'', '' Picket Fences'', '' Baby's Day Out'', '' ER'', '' Stargate SG-1'', ''Army Wives'', '' Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce'', and '' Angie ...
as Cal ("Obstacles and Assets") * Laura Regan as Carol ("I Will Survive")


Episodes


Production


Development

On June 2, 2015, it was announced that
TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cl ...
was developing a television pilot inspired by the life of ''
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' (abbreviated ''RHOBH'') is an American reality television series which has been broadcast on Bravo since October 14, 2010. Developed as the sixth installment in ''The Real Housewives'' franchise, it has ...
'' star
Kyle Richards Kyle Richards Umansky (: born January 11, 1969) is an American actress, socialite, and television personality. Since 2010, she has appeared as a main cast member on ''The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'', and as of 2022, is the last remaining ...
. The pilot was set to be produced by John Wells Productions in association with Warner Horizon Television. Executive producers included John Wells and John Riggi, who wrote the pilot script. On November 7, 2016, it was announced that
TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cl ...
had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of 12 episodes, but a premiere date had not been set. On March 30, 2017, it was revealed that the series had been shifted from TV Land to the newly rebranded
Paramount Network Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles. The channel was ...
. On August 14, 2017, it was announced that John Riggi had departed the series citing creative differences. Replacing him in the role of showrunner was fellow executive producer John Wells. On January 16, 2018, it was announced at the annual
Television Critics Association The Television Critics Association (TCA) is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canada, Canadian television television criticism, critics, journalists and columnists who cover television television programme, programming for newspapers, ...
's winter press tour that the series would premiere on June 7, 2018. On September 5, 2018, it was announced that the series had been canceled after one season.


Casting

On July 25, 2016, it was announced that Alicia Silverstone had been cast in the series lead role. On August 11, 2016,
Mena Suvari Mena Alexandra Suvari (; born February 13, 1979) is an American actress, producer, fashion designer and model. After beginning her career as a model and guest-starring on several television shows, she made her film debut in the 1997 drama '' Now ...
joined the pilot in another lead role. Later that month, it was reported that
Cheyenne Jackson Cheyenne David Jackson (born July 12, 1975) is an American actor and singer. His credits include leading roles in Broadway musicals and other stage roles, as well as film and television roles, concert singing, and music recordings. After beginni ...
and Jennifer Bartels had also joined the cast. In May 2017, Diandra Lyle was cast as Louise, a recurring role. On June 13, 2017, it was announced that Sam Morgan had joined the cast in a recurring capacity.


Filming

Principal photography for the first season of the series began in April 2017 in Los Angeles, California.


Theme Song

The show's theme song was a cover version of the 1970
The Guess Who The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1965. The band originated in 1962 and achieved an international hit single with a cover of " Shakin' All Over" in 1965 under the name Chad Allan and the Expressions. After ...
song, ''
American Woman "American Woman" is a song by Canadian rock band the Guess Who, released January 1970, from the album of the same name. It was later released in March 1970 as a single backed with "No Sugar Tonight", and it reached number one for three weeks ...
.'' The song was performed by
Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...
.


Release


Marketing

On March 27, 2018, Paramount Network released six "first look" images from the series. On May 3, 2018, the first official trailer for the series was released. On May 17, 2018, it was announced that a cover of the song "
American Woman "American Woman" is a song by Canadian rock band the Guess Who, released January 1970, from the album of the same name. It was later released in March 1970 as a single backed with "No Sugar Tonight", and it reached number one for three weeks ...
" had been recorded by singer
Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...
. It was subsequently used in marketing material for the series.


Premiere

On April 29, 2018, the series held its official world premiere during the Series Mania Festival in
Lille, France Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deƻle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the Nord ...
in which the first three episodes of the first season were screened. It competed against nine other international television programs in the festival's "official competition" series of shows. On June 7, 2018, the series held a screening at the annual
ATX Television Festival ATX Television Festival is an annual event based in Austin, Texas, that celebrates and showcases the past, present, and future of the television industry. Screenings, Q&As, cast reunions, and industry panel discussions take place over four days an ...
in
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
. A question-and-answer panel followed, featuring executive producer Josh Wells, cast members Alicia Silverstone, Mena Suvari, Jennifer Bartels, and co-executive producer Kyle Richards.


Reception


Critical response

The series has received a mixed reception from critics upon its premiere. On the review aggregation website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the series holds a 44% approval rating with an average rating of 5.36 out of 10 based on 18 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Stereotypes and ambiguity shadow the well-meaning intentions of ''American Woman'', though the nostalgic period setting is cute."
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 48 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


Ratings


Notes


References


External links

* * {{Paramount Network 2010s American single-camera sitcoms 2018 American television series debuts 2018 American television series endings Paramount Network original programming English-language television shows Television series set in the 1970s Television shows set in Los Angeles Television series by Warner Horizon Television