The Help (TV series)

The Help is an American sitcom television series which premiered on The WB on March 5, 2004.[1] The show was a raunchy comedy that focused on the hard-luck life of a beauty school dropout who must work for the wealthy, spoiled Ridgeway family. The rest of the hired help are also quirky. The WB only aired seven episodes, the show ending on April 16, 2004, and canceled it in May 2004.

The Help
GenreSituation comedy
Created byRon Leavitt
StarringCamille Guaty
Al Santos
Brenda Strong
Keri Lynn Pratt
Megan Fox
Mindy Cohn
Marika Dominczyk
Antonio Sabato Jr.
Opening theme"Jump in the Line" by Harry Belafonte
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes7
Production
Executive producersRon Leavitt
Marty Adelstein
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes
Production companyWarner Bros. Television
Release
Original networkThe WB
Original releaseMarch 5 (2004-03-05) –
April 16, 2004 (2004-04-16)

It was the last television series created by Ron Leavitt before his death from lung cancer in 2008.[2]

Summary

Maria is studying to be a beautician when she has to come home to nurse her sick mother. After her mother's death, Maria is forced to take her place as the wealthy Ridgeway family's maid. She soon discovers not only a class struggle between the Ridgeways and the help, but also an all-out war among the servants.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes

All seven episodes were directed by Gerry Cohen.

No.TitleWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"Ron LeavittMarch 5, 2004 (2004-03-05)3.33[3]
Arlene's new personal assistant, Bernice Hipple (Kennedy), announces that if the missing $1000 is not returned by the end of the day, all of the help will be fired.
2"Dwayne Gets A Cold"Ron LeavittMarch 12, 2004 (2004-03-12)2.30[4]
Dwayne misses work because mysophobe Arlene doesn't want a sick trainer near her. The help realize that the new trainer (Roland Kickinger) is a threat to Dwayne's job—and is more repulsive than Dwayne—so Maria starts a campaign to save Dwayne's job.
3"Maggie Chicken"Christina LynchMarch 26, 2004 (2004-03-26)2.47[5]
The help's love of Maggie's "Maggie Chicken" leads to getting the Ridgeways to invest in a start-up venture. All goes well until Maggie refuses to include her secret ingredient in the recipe.
4"Pahtay"James L. Freedman & Stacie LippMarch 26, 2004 (2004-03-26)2.51[6]
The Ridgeways take an immediate vacation when a rat is found in their mansion. The help take advantage of the freedom and throw a wild party that gets busted by Bernice.
5"Ollie Shares"Matt LeavittApril 2, 2004 (2004-04-02)2.11[7]
After getting arrested for selling fake IDs, Ollie sells shares of himself to the help in order to pay for his lawyer.
6"Doghouse"James L. Freedman & Stacie LippApril 9, 2004 (2004-04-09)1.83[8]
Maria lives in the posh doghouse while her apartment is being renovated.
7"Searching For Grandpa Eddie"Marcy VosburghApril 16, 2004 (2004-04-16)2.25[9]
When Arlene announces an "employee of the month" competition, Molly decides to take Grandpa Eddie along when she walks the dog to show her dedication to the Ridgeways. Molly loses Grandpa Eddie at the park. The Help come to the rescue, for Molly's sake as much as for their own job security.

Reception

The premiere of The Help was the most watched program in the Friday 9:30–10:00 time slot on The WB in the 2003–04 season.[10] The premiere was more popular among women than men aged 12–34 (2.0/8 versus 1.3/5).[10]

Despite the premiere being the best performance in the time slot of the season on The WB the critics have nothing positive to say. Virginia Heffernan of The New York Times said the show "comes off like a school play, clumsily blocked, loudly acted and nearly shouted down by obligatory laughter and applause".[1] Robert Bianco of USA Today pointed out that "this is the kind of show that opens with a doggie-doo joke and still finds a way to go downhill".[11] Perhaps the harshest was Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe: "The WB's claim that 'The Help' is a 'biting satire' is only half true. No, it's not a satire, but yes, it does indeed bite. And it will be biting the dust before long, unless it can find a new cast, new writers, new producers, a new set, and an entirely new premise."[12] In her review of the 2003–04 season Kay McFadden, television critic for The Seattle Times, classified The Help as "Never should have aired".[13]

References
  1. Heffernan, Virginia (March 5, 2004). "Television Review; Upstairs, Downstairs in the Crass Class War". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 March 2010.
  2. "'Married ... With Children' Co-Creator Dies". Zap2It.com. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  3. "Weekly Program Rankings FROM 03/01/04 THROUGH 03/07/04" (Press release). ABC Medianet. March 9, 2004. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  4. "Weekly Program Rankings FROM 03/08/04 THROUGH 03/14/04" (Press release). ABC Medianet. March 16, 2004. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  5. "Weekly Program Rankings FROM 03/15/04 THROUGH 03/21/04" (Press release). ABC Medianet. March 23, 2004. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  6. "Weekly Program Rankings FROM 03/22/04 THROUGH 03/28/04" (Press release). ABC Medianet. March 30, 2004. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  7. "Weekly Program Rankings FROM 03/29/04 THROUGH 04/04/04" (Press release). ABC Medianet. April 6, 2004. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  8. "Weekly Program Rankings FROM 04/05/04 THROUGH 04/11/04" (Press release). ABC Medianet. April 13, 2004. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  9. "Weekly Program Rankings FROM 04/12/04 THROUGH 04/18/04" (Press release). ABC Medianet. April 20, 2004. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  10. ""THE HELP" HELPS THE WB TO ITS MOST-WATCHED FRIDAY OF THE SEASON" (Press release). The WB. March 8, 2004. Archived from the original on March 13, 2004. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  11. Bianco, Robert (March 4, 2004). "WB's 'The Help' is the worst". USA Today. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  12. Gilbert, Matthew (March 5, 2004). "An abysmal farce, 'Help' is not on its way". The Boston Globe. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  13. McFadden, Kay (August 29, 2004). "Canceled shows: The dearly, or merely, departed". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
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