SPIN CITY: THE GREAT PRETENDER (TV)
Summary
One in this comedy series about the Deputy Mayor of New York City and his co-workers at City Hall as they deal with problems both professional and personal.
Michael is declared the “sexiest man in Manhattan” by Manhattan magazine, and he flaunts his new position to the entire office. The mayor and his staff have been invited to a party hosted by the Association of Christians and Jews. Everyone is expected to bring a date or they will be sentenced to “Helen duty,” i.e. making sure the mayor’s wife stays out of trouble. Michael shows the magazine article to Ashley, who is not impressed.
Paul visits Michael to address problems he’s been having with Ashley lately; he says she has been relentless in her questions concerning a case of misappropriated funds at a Queens high school. Michael knows about the situation; one of the custodians at the school apparently owns a yacht, and it could look bad if word got out. Michael promises the office that if they all get dates for the party, then he will go on “Helen duty.” Everyone in the office promptly agrees to accompany each other.
Michael discusses the Queens high school situation with the mayor, who warns him that his newfound fame means he will be constantly watched. That night, Michael finds himself unable to have relations with Ashley; the mayor’s advice has made him nervous and uncomfortable. Soon he finds the attention he receives is too much and wants it to stop. Meanwhile, Paul tries to avoid Ashley’s questions about the yacht scandal. Ultimately, he can't dodge them and becomes flustered at his press conference. Later, Michael again tries to be intimate with Ashley, but feels agitated and is unable to perform in bed, despite her efforts to calm him.
As Helen arrives at the party, Ashley and Michael try to figure out how to overcome his problem. Paul is depressed about his handling of the yacht case. Michael talks to him about it and helps him discover that he has a “tell” that signifies when he lies. In private, Michael talks to the mayor and covertly mentions his dysfunction. The mayor tells him how fame and attention interfered with his golf game. His advice to appreciate “the beauty of the game” restores Michael’s confidence. He finds Ashley and they retreat to the bedroom; Michael finds that he no longer cares about the attention he receives. Finally, Helen tells the mayor she will strive to act more appropriate in public, so that she won’t need to be “handled.” Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: September 24, 1996 9:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:30:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:45919
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; LGBT Collection
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series - 1996-2002
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV – Commercials – Home Depot department stores
- TV – Commercials – Honda automobiles
- TV – Commercials – Microsoft computer software
- TV – Commercials – Pizza Hut restaurants
- TV – Commercials – Red Lobster restaurants
- TV – Commercials – Serta mattresses
- TV – Commercials – “Extreme Measures” motion picture
- TV – Commercials – “Ransom” motion picture
- TV – Commercials – “That Thing You Do” motion picture
- TV – Promos – “A Loss of Innocence”
- TV – Promos – “Ellen”
- TV – Promos – “Grace Under Fire”
- TV – Promos – “Primetime”
- TV – Promos – “Relativity”
- TV – Promos – “The Drew Carey Show”
- TV – Promos – “Turning Point”
CREDITS
- Gary David Goldberg … Executive Producer, Created by
- Michael J. Fox … Executive Producer
- Walter Barnett … Producer
- Randall Winston … Associate Producer
- Pixie Bartholomew … Associate Producer
- Bill Lawrence … Supervising Producer, Created by
- Lee Shallat-Chemel … Director
- Sarah Dunn … Writer
- Shelly Palmer … Music by
- Michael J. Fox … Cast, Michael Flaherty
- Carla Gugino … Cast, Ashley Schaffer
- Richard Kind … Cast, Paul Lassiter
- Alan Ruck … Cast, Stuart Bondek
- Michael Boatman … Cast, Carter Heywood
- Connie Briton … Cast, Nikki Faber
- Alexander Gaberman (See also: Alexander Chaplin) … Cast, James Hobert
- Barry Bostwick … Cast, The Mayor
- Deborah Rush … Cast, Helen
- Taylor Stanley … Cast, Karen
- Sylvia Kauders … Cast, Roberta
- Kim Serafin … Cast, Lila
- Robert Trumbull … Cast, Priest
- James A. Palumbo … Cast, Bartender