Muscle | |
---|---|
Genre | Sitcom, Soap opera parody |
Created by | Rob LaZebnik |
Directed by | Gary Halvorson |
Starring |
|
Theme music composer | Mark Mothersbaugh |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 13 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Camera setup | Multi-camera |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network | The WB |
Release | January 11 May 24, 1995 | –
Muscle is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 11 to May 24, 1995.[1] It was set inside the fictional Survival Gym in New York City, and was a parody of prime time soap operas of the 1990s (with Fox's Melrose Place being the most noticeable inspiration). The series was created by Rob LaZebnik, and was executive produced by Paul Junger Witt, Tony Thomas and Gary S. Levine.
Muscle was one of the four sitcoms that aired as part of the original Wednesday night two-hour WB lineup, at 9:30/8:30c (with The Wayans Bros., The Parent 'Hood, and Unhappily Ever After being scheduled before it).[2] It was the only one of the four that did not make it past the first season, and was also the first series to get canceled on the brand new WB.[3] It ended with all the show's characters being shot & killed off, after being canceled due to low ratings.
The central plot concerned the murder of "Big" Jim Atkinson (Adam West), the president and founder of the chain of gyms, by poisoning in the first episode. His son Kent, a former alcoholic and drug addict, was determined to figure out who the killer was and bring him or her to justice. His original suspect was his stepmother and the new president of the company, Jane Atkinson.
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Episode 1" | Gary Halvorson | Rob LaZebnik | January 11, 1995 | 2.4[4] |
2 | "Episode 2" | Gary Halvorson | Rob LaZebnik | January 11, 1995 | 2.4[4] |
3 | "Episode 3" | Gary Halvorson | Rob LaZebnik | January 18, 1995 | 2.4[5] |
4 | "Episode 4" | Gary Halvorson | Rob LaZebnik | January 25, 1995 | 2.3[6] |
5 | "Episode 5" | Gary Halvorson | Rob LaZebnik | February 1, 1995 | 2.4[7] |
6 | "Episode 6" | Gary Halvorson | Rob LaZebnik | February 8, 1995 | 2.2[8] |
7 | "Episode 7" | Gary Halvorson | Rob LaZebnik | February 15, 1995 | 2.3[9] |
8 | "Episode 8" | Gary Halvorson | Rob LaZebnik | February 22, 1995 | 2.5[10] |
9 | "Episode 9" | Gary Halvorson | Rob LaZebnik | March 1, 1995 | 1.9[11] |
10 | "Episode 10" | Gary Halvorson | Rob LaZebnik | April 26, 1995 | 1.7[12] |
11 | "Episode 11" | Gary Halvorson | Rob LaZebnik | May 10, 1995 | 1.5[13] |
12 | "Episode 12" | Gary Halvorson | Rob LaZebnik | May 17, 1995 | 2.0[14] |
13 | "Episode 13" | Gary Halvorson | Rob LaZebnik | May 24, 1995 | 2.1[15] |