"Normal, Ohio" (2000) TV series 2000-2001

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

David Trainer

Writers:

Kira Arne (staff writer)
Bob Nickman (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

1 November 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Gay Interest | Homosexual | Homosexuality | Gay Parent

Awards:

1 win

Cast

John Goodman	...	Rex Gamble / ... (7 episodes, 2000)
Joely Fisher	...	Pamela Theresa Gamble-Miller (7 episodes, 2000)
Greg Pitts	...	Charles 'Charlie' Gamble (7 episodes, 2000)
Anita Gillette	...	Joan Gamble (7 episodes, 2000)
Julia McIlvaine	...	Kimberly Miller (7 episodes, 2000)
Cody Kasch	...	Robert 'Robbie' Miller (7 episodes, 2000)
Mo Gaffney	...	Elizabeth (7 episodes, 2000)
Charles Rocket	...	Danny (7 episodes, 2000)
Orson Bean	...	William 'Bill' Gamble, Sr. (7 episodes, 2000)
Jayson Schaal	...	Young Bill (4 episodes, 2000)

Also Known As:

"Butch" (USA) (working title)
"Don't Ask" (USA) (working title)
"Goodman" (USA) (working title)
"The John Goodman Project" (USA) (working title)
"Untitled John Goodman Project" (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Carsey-Werner Company

Trivia:

13 Episodes were made but only 7 episodes got to air.

Quotes:

Robert 'Robbie' Miller: What is the point of having a great tree if the outside of the house looks like... like...
Pamela Theresa Gamble-Miller: Our house?
Robert 'Robbie' Miller: Yes.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Lucy Liu/Jay-Z (#26.8)" (2000)

Loud, Crass, and not too funny

I watched the show pretty regularly until it's recent cancellation. While there were funny bits here and there (mostly in the early episodes), most of the show was loud, crass & way too broadly acted, in the usual Fox Network style. The two parents - played by Orson Bean and Anita Gillette - were particularly tiresome.

The idea of having a non-urban, average-guy gay man as the central character is terrific. But this show had too many characters to juggle; some of the more interesting ones (the ex-wife, the son) had too little to do, while I could've done with less of the sister and the parents.

Given how bad most of the new network comedy shows have been over the last few seasons, I was really hoping this one would be the exception.