Sammy (TV series)
Sammy is an American animated television series that aired on NBC in the summer of 2000. Created by comedians David Spade and Drake Sather, the series only had a two-week run, from August 8th until August 15, 2000, with the first two episodes each being aired once. The show was said to be based loosely off Spade's early years as an actor.
| Sammy | |
|---|---|
 Sammy Blake (left) and James Blake (right) | |
| Created by | David Spade Drake Sather |
| Starring | David Spade |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (11 unaired) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | David Spade Drake Sather Richard Raynis Brad Grey Marc Gurvirz |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | Brad Grey Television Desert Rat Productions NBC Studios Adelaide Productions (animation service) Columbia TriStar Television |
| Distributor | Columbia TriStar Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | August 8 – August 15, 2000 |
Sammy, along with another animated sitcom, God, the Devil and Bob, was conceived by NBC in order to capitalize on the fledgling trend of animated programs geared towards adults. When God, the Devil and Bob attracted low ratings and controversy due to its subject matter, it was quickly cancelled and sold to Cartoon Network to be a part of its Adult Swim block years later. This left Sammy in limbo, not premiering until early August 2000 with minimal promotion and fanfare. NBC was contractually obligated to air the first two episodes, and once both premiered, the show was quietly cancelled.
With very little information on the series, and not a single clip nor episode being available online, the show was believed to have been lost, until a crew member of the show uploaded the pilot episode, "Swimmin' Pools, Movie Stars", onto YouTube on May 24th, 2021.[1] Another episode, titled "House of Pain", was uploaded on June 1, 2021.[2] More episodes have been uploaded on a semi-weekly basis.
Premise
An actor, James Blake, copes with his dysfunctional family.[3]
Cast
- David Spade as the voice of Sammy Blake and James Blake
- Harland Williams as the voice of Todd Blake
- Bob Odenkirk as the voice of Gary Blake
- Maura Tierney as the voice of Kathy Kelly
- Andy Dick as the voice of Mark Jacobs
- Julia Sweeney as the voice of Marie Lapier
- Jeffrey Tambor as the voice of Steve Lapier
- Olivia Hack as the voice of Lola Blake (episodes 3-13)
- Janeane Garofalo as the voice of Emily Blake
- Mila Kunis as the voice of Lola Blake (episode 2)
- Pauly Shore as the voice of Kathy's ex-boyfriend.
- David Cross as the voice of Craig Blake
- A. J. Benza as Himself
- Drew Hastings as the voice of Dr. Breman, Referee, Border Guard
- Frank van Keeken as Theadeus
- Mark Fite as Bartender, Doorman
- Tony Plana as Kiosk Owner, El Capitan
- Becky Thyre as Girl 1, Microphone Girl
- Candi Milo as Pilar, Mexican Woman
- Rolando Molina as Barkeep, Mexican Guy, Deputy, Lieutenant
- Sally Kellerman as Cleo
- Nia Vardalos
Episodes
According to Olivia Hack (who voiced Lola), 13 episodes were produced, but only two aired.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Denver" | Jennifer Graves | Justin Adler | August 8, 2000 | |
| When James' mother Marie finds out that her ex-husband Sammy is living with James and Todd, she drags her new husband Steve out to Los Angeles to "save" them, but instead finds herself again falling for his charms. James' agent Mark gets a book deal for James, but when it has to be written in two days, he forces Mark and Kathy to write it instead. | |||||
| 2 | "Sammy Makes Amends" | Chuck Klein & Erik Wiese | Frank van Keeken | August 15, 2000 | |
| A joy ride in James' new sports car ends in a near-death experience for Sammy, causing him to reassess his past and use his "second chance" to make amends with his sons, with disastrous results. Incensed by their ungratefulness at his attempt to become a "normal" father, Sammy runs away to Mexico, and when his sons try bring him home, they end up in trouble and Sammy must come to their rescue in a Tijuana jail. James' agent Mark has brokered a deal that will bring James' "Mongo Man" movie character to toy store shelves as an action figure. But a broken mold and an ever-accommodating Kathy as the new model turn the toy hero into a doll with a broader appeal than they had originally planned. | |||||
| 3 | "Swimmin' Pools, Movie Stars" | Bob Hathcock & Rich Wilkie | Drake Sather & David Spade | Unaired | |
|
James Blake reunites with his father, Sammy Blake, as he tries to re-establish relations with his family just as James' movie career is taking off. James' superagent, Mark Jacobs, attempts to keep the 'heat' on James while fending off Sammy's attempts at getting involved in James' career. Note: This episode was produced to be the series premiere, and was initially going to be aired out of order. | |||||
| 4 | "House of Pain" | Bob Boyle & Todd Frederiksen | Sam Johnson & Chris Marcil | Unaired | |
| James hears from his mother, Marie, that they're tearing down his childhood home to build a shopping center, so he gets the house delivered to James' residence on the back of a flatbed truck. Him, Gary, and Todd fight in terms of what to do with their childhood 'paradise.' | |||||
| 5 | "Malibu" | Dave Edwards | Bonnie Kallman | Unaired | |
| James's plans to get some R&R by renting a house in Malibu are foiled when his entire family shows up to hang out. James & Sammy end up feuding over the affections of Cleo, a woman they meet on the beach, who turns out to be a stalker. Kathy and Mark look after Wiley and Lola at a celebrity children's party where Mark thinks he can make some 'contacts'. Gary and Emily have rekindled their romance with the help of Emily's new bikini. | |||||
| 6 | "Fair" | Stephen Lewis | Glenn Eichler | Unaired | |
| James is looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home, until he finds out his agent, Mark has booked him to appear as "Mongo Man" at the county fair. He invites his brothers Todd and Gary and Gary's family to come along, but Gary doesn't want Sammy coming because of his bad influence on the kids. Gary's fears become real when Sammy stows away in the family car and then accidentally is left alone with Gary's kids, who end up stranded upside down on a broken ride while Sammy is at the bar. | |||||
| 7 | "Son of Sammy" | Tom Ellery | J.B. Cook | Unaired | |
|
James bribes Sammy into spending a quality-time weekend with Gary and his wife, with disastrous results. Meanwhile, James takes in his assistant Kathy when she breaks up with her boyfriend. Note: Pauly Shore guest stars as Kathy's ex-boyfriend. | |||||
| 8 | "Biography" | Rich Wilkie | Dan McGrath | Unaired | |
| James learns he will be the subject of an A&E Biography profile, but the program will instead air on the E! Network. No one, particularly James, looks forward to being grilled by A. J. Benza. | |||||
| 9 | "Gabriella's Return" | TBA | Keith Leslie | Unaired | |
| 10 | "Gary's Trophy" | TBA | Justin Adler | Unaired | |
| 11 | "Earthquake" | TBA | Drake Sather | Unaired | |
| 12 | "100th Episode Party" | TBA | Larry Solomon | Unaired | |
| 13 | "Mark's 40th" | TBA | Bonnie Kallman | Unaired | |
References
- "SAMMY (S1E1) Lost David Spade cartoon, 2000". YouTube. May 24, 2021.
- "SAMMY (S1E2) Lost David Spade cartoon, 2000". YouTube. June 1, 2021.
- TV Guide. "Sammy Cast and Details". TV Guide. Retrieved 2013-02-18.