Hello Ladies (sitcom)
| Hello Ladies | |
| TBD Stephen Merchant in Hello Ladies | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Running time | 30 mins |
| Creator(s) | Stephen Merchant, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky |
| Writer(s) | Stephen Merchant, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky |
| Starring | Stephen Merchant, Christine Woods, Nate Torrence, Kevin Weisman and Kyle Mooney |
| Country | US |
| Network | HBO |
| Original runs | September 29, 2013 – Present |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| IMDB Profile | |
Hello Ladies is an American television sitcom based on Stephen Merchant's stand-up comedy tour of the same name. The show is created and written by Stephen Merchant, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, and stars Stephen Merchant as Stuart. The show primarily centers around Stuart's exploits in Los Angeles as he awkwardly searches for love however most episodes will also contain subplots that address the experiences of Stuart's various friends, particularly his roommate Jessica (Christine Woods).
Hello Ladies is notable as the first major TV project that Steve has worked on without longtime collaborator Ricky Gervais.
The first episode of Hello Ladies premiered on HBO on September 29, 2013.
Origin
HBO executives first approached Stephen Merchant about making a sitcom based on his stand-up show when he performed in Los Angeles[1]. He agreed and he decided to collaborate with Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky who had previously worked on the U.S. version of The Office.[2] Steve says he admired their work and had become friends with them prior to working together on Hello Ladies.[3]
Merchant has described his goal as "making it feel real and I wanted to tap into something human..."[4] and that "I wanted the idea of loneliness in the city"[5]. Specifically, the show is set in Los Angeles because "[w]e wanted that sense that [Stuart is] out of place... He is like an existential fish out of water."[6] Aside from the thematic goals of the series, Steve also adds that "I do some falling over." He's said that many of the physical gags are homages to British comedians who may be less well known in America.[7]
In terms of being apart from usual collaborator Ricky Gervais, Steve describes Hello Ladies as his "ambitious jazz-funk solo album." [8]
Cast
- Stephen Merchant - Stuart Pritchard
- Christine Woods - Jessica
- Nate Torrence - Wade
- Kevin Weisman - Kives
- Kyle Mooney - Rory
Episodes
Series One
| Title | Series | Original Airdate | Buy | # | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot | Series 1 | 29th September 2013 | N/A | 1 | ||
| Stuart and his friend, the newly separated Wade, attempt to pick up women with no success. Eventually they are joined by Kives who has no trouble. Jessica becomes convinced that her boyfriend doesn't really care for her. | ||||||
| The Limo | Series 1 | 6th October 2013 | N/A | 2 | ||
| Stuart and his friends have access to a limousine for a "night on the town". The limo helps them in picking up women but doesn't gain them entry into an expensive restaurant. Jessica's attempts to raise the level of intellectual discourse among her own group of friends include a viewing of "Battleship Potemkin". Her friends are uninterested and they eventually join Stuart in his limo. | ||||||
| The Date | Series 1 | 13th October 2013 | N/A | 3 | ||
| Stuart manages to arrange a date with Annie, an employee at his gym. Things go well initially but when she seems to be obsessively "texting" someone named "Alex", he suspects the worst. Jessica goes on an audition for a commercial but tries to fool her hated rival into thinking it's for something much more prestigious. Wade and Rory exchange text messages to continuously affirm that they're each alive and safe. | ||||||
| The Dinner | Series 1 | 20th October 2013 | N/A | 4 | ||
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| Pool Party | Series 1 | 27th October 2013 | N/A | 5 | ||
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| Long Beach | Series 1 | 3rd November 2013 | N/A | 6 | ||
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| The Wedding | Series 1 | 10th November 2013 | N/A | 7 | ||
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| The Drive | Series 1 | 17th November 2013 | N/A | 8 | ||
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