ED: PILOT {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The pilot of this comedy series about Ed Stevens, a New York lawyer who returns to his hometown of Stuckeyville, Ohio to manage a combination bowling alley/law office. Ed Stevens is fired from his job as a contract lawyer in New York City, and on the same day discovers his wife in bed with another man. To cope with these difficulties, he returns to his hometown of Stuckeyville, Ohio, where he meets with some of his old high school friends, including his best friend Mike. He finds Carol Vessey, once a classmate he had a crush on and now a teacher at the local high school, and asks her out on a date. However, she is already in a relationship with another teacher, Nick Stanton. Despite this, Ed manages to get her to go on a walk with him and gets her to kiss him. Instead of returning to New York, Ed decides to purchase the local bowling alley and remain in Stuckeyville. Ed moves into Mike's house alongside his wife Nancy and his infant daughter Sarah. He returns to the bowling alley to find it inhabited by an employee named Phil who apparently lives in an unused bowling lane. Phil reveals that Ed was only present during the alley's league night and that at all other times the bowling alley hardly does any business. Ed calls his staff, consisting of Phil and two other employees named Kenny and Shirley, for a meeting to get to know them. He soon discovers that they all possess their own idiosyncrasies. Meanwhile, Carol rebuffs the awkward advances of Warren, one of her students. Ed tries to get ideas from his staff about how to shore up business at the bowling alley, and is not fond of their ideas. Later, Ed and Mike spot Carol in town getting coffee. Ed makes awkward small-talk with her before she leaves. Phil sets up a booth for Ed to give free legal advice in the bowling alley, which quickly attracts customers. Ed reluctantly plays along with the scheme. Meanwhile, Nancy and Mike talk about how they haven't had sex since Sarah was born and she promises to rectify that. Molly Hudson, a science teacher at the high school and Carol's friend, approaches Ed for legal help. She is being sued by an auto shop; they installed hydraulics on her car which she claims she did not ask for and are insisting that she pay them. Despite being a contract lawyer and not a court lawyer, Ed agrees to take the case. He asks Molly about Carol and she tries to dissuade him from pursuing her, but only seems to succeed in encouraging him. While Warren tries to further endear himself to Carol, Ed arrives at her class in full medieval plate armor to give her flowers. His dramatic entrance surprises and embarrasses Carol. She takes him outside and tries to get him to stop pursuing her but he insists that she belongs with him and not Nick. She sends him away, not wishing to jeopardize her relationship with Nick. However, immediately afterwards she learns that Nick is cancelling their plans together for the weekend so that he can work on his book, upsetting her. That night, Nancy attempts to sleep with Mike but he is busy with work-related reading and declines. Molly takes Ed to the auto shop. They insist they are in the right and refuse to reach a settlement, thus Ed will take them to court. Carol visits Ed at the bowling alley and asks him out to dinner, and he accepts. Mike talks to Ed about his and Nancy's sex life, believing that he is the reason they haven't been having sex and that he is worried about its effect on their daughter. Ed represents Molly in court, where he has gained a reputation as the "bowling alley lawyer." He wins the case by pointing out a discrepancy in Molly's service contract, indicating an error at the auto shop. Ed is rather pleased with himself for his victory. That night, as he is out to dinner with Carol, he tells her he plans to start his own law practice within the bowling alley, experiencing "the best of both worlds." After dinner they walk together and Ed asks why she's out with him instead of Nick, but she changes the subject. Mike attempts to get romantic with Nancy, but their efforts are soon cut short. Ed brings Carol home and she starts crying, much to his confusion. She asks about what happened to his marriage and Ed talks about his wife, noting that two people can love each other but be wrong for each other as well. They kiss and Carol invites him inside, but they both realize that they are carrying too much emotional baggage from their other relationships and so they decide not to go through with it. The episode ends as Ed tries to change his mind, but to no avail. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: October 8, 2000 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:43:45
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:63932
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 2000-2004
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Rob Burnett … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Jon Beckerman … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- David Letterman … Executive Producer
- Marc Buckland … Co-Executive Producer
- Kathleen McGill … Producer
- Andrea Newman … Producer
- Richard Davis … Producer
- Bob Brush … Consulting Producer
- James Frawley … Director
- Stephen Graziano … Music by
- Foo Fighters … Theme Music by
- Tom Cavanagh … Cast, Ed Stevens
- Julie Bowen … Cast, Carol Phyllis Vessey
- Jana Marie Hupp … Cast, Nancy Burton
- Josh Randall … Cast, Mike Burton
- Lesley Boone … Cast, Molly Hudson
- Michael Ian Black … Cast, Phil Stubbs
- Rachel Cronin … Cast, Shirley Pifko
- Mike Starr … Cast, Kenny Sandusky
- Justin Long … Cast, Warren Cheswick
- Gregory Harrison … Cast, Nick Stanton
- Martin Chatinover … Cast, Dr. Walter R. Jerome
- Jay Brazeau … Cast, "Southern" Lawyer Sam
- Henry Woronicz … Cast, Ed's Boss
- Marianne Hagan … Cast, Liz Stevens
- Patti Allan … Cast, Joanne
- Michael Countryman … Cast, Mr. Potter
- Saundra McClain … Cast, Wendy
- Matthew Arkin … Cast, Customer
- Steve Dimopoulos … Cast, Roy Stangleton
- Sean Campbell … Cast, Benjie Stangleton
- Ray Bokhour … Cast, Client
- Mark Giordano … Cast, Mailman
- Judy Norton … Cast, Judge
- Jim Bremner … Cast, Stenographer
- Jason Anderson … Cast, Big Kid
- Anaise Mayer … Cast, Baby Sarah
- Emmanuel Mayer … Cast, Baby Sarah
- Sarah Mayer … Cast, Baby Sarah