Normal, Ohio

*Normal, Ohio*
Normal, Ohio
Created by	Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner; Bob Kushell
Starring	John Goodman; Joely Fisher; Anita Gillette; Orson Bean; Mo Gaffney; Charles Rocket
Composers	Ben Vaughn; Jeff Sudakin
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	12 (7 aired, 5 unaired episodes) + 1 unaired original alternative pilot
Production
Executive producers	Marcy Carsey; Caryn Mandabach; Tom Werner
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	Bonter Productions; Carsey-Werner Company
Original release
Network	Fox
Release	November 1 –; December 13, 2000

Normal, Ohio is an American television sitcom aired on Fox in 2000. The show stars John Goodman as William "Butch" Gamble, a gay man returning to his Midwestern home town. The cast also includes Joely Fisher, Anita Gillette, Orson Bean, Mo Gaffney and Charles Rocket. The title is a reference to Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio.

Overview

The original concept for the series was an Odd Couple–style situation comedy called Don't Ask, with Goodman as "Rex", sharing his West Hollywood apartment with college friend David (Anthony LaPaglia). Although the pilot was well-received, creators Bonnie and Terry Turner felt that the premise was not strong enough for an ongoing series. LaPaglia's character was written out and the series was relocated to Ohio.^[1]

The show was most notable for the divisions it exposed regarding American culture's view of homosexuality. Gamble is an average blue collar bear-type gay man, with many traits typical of American masculinity, including a love of football and beer, and very few of the traits stereotypically associated with gay men. Nevertheless, his sexuality itself was signified in part by isolated moments of more stereotypically gay behavior, such as singing snippets of Broadway show tunes and helping his sister to color her hair, that were seemingly at odds with the way his character was presented most of the time. As a result, some media outlets dismissed Goodman's role as unrealistic.^[2]

Goodman won the People's Choice Award for Best Actor in a New Comedy Series, but, up against the second half hour of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, it flopped in the Nielsen ratings. Twelve episodes of the series were made, but only seven were aired before its cancellation.

Goodman appeared on the cover of TV Guide's 2000 Fall Preview issue, along with three other actors starring in new sitcoms: Geena Davis, Bette Midler and Michael Richards. The magazine proclaimed them a "fab foursome", but none of the shows was a hit. (In the 2001 Fall Preview issue, the 2000 cover was re-printed with thought balloons over the actors' heads, with Goodman's saying, "Even I didn't buy me as a gay dad!")

Cast

John Goodman as William "Butch" Gamble
Anita Gillette as Joan Gamble
Joely Fisher as Pamela Gamble-Miller
Greg Pitts as Charlie Gamble
Julia McIlvaine as Kimberly Miller
Cody Kasch as Robbie Miller
Orson Bean as Bill Gamble
Mo Gaffney as Elizabeth
Charles Rocket as Danny

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code ^[3]
1	"Homecoming Queen"	Philip Charles MacKenzie	Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner & Bob Kushell	November 1, 2000 (2000-11-01)	101
2	"Foreign Affairs"	Phillip Charles MacKenzie	Gregg Mettler	November 8, 2000 (2000-11-08)	104
3	"Caught on Tape"	Phillip Charles MacKenzie	Jimmy Aleck & Jim Keily	November 15, 2000 (2000-11-15)	106
4	"A Thanksgiving Episode"	Phillip Charles MacKenzie	Miriam Trogdon	November 22, 2000 (2000-11-22)	102
5	"Buyer's Remorse"	Phillip Charles MacKenzie	Brad Walsh & Paul Corrigan	November 29, 2000 (2000-11-29)	103
6	"Working Girl"	Phillip Charles MacKenzie	Lynnie Greene & Richard Levine	December 6, 2000 (2000-12-06)	108
7	"Just Another Normal Christmas"	Phillip Charles MacKenzie	John Schwab	December 13, 2000 (2000-12-13)	107
8	"Pamela's New Boyfriend"	Phillip Charles MacKenzie	Bob Nickman	Unaired	105
9	"Forgotten, But Not Gone"	Philip Charles MacKenzie	Brad Walsh & Paul Corrigan	Unaired	109
10	"The Favorite"	Phillip Charles MacKenzie	Kira Arne	Unaired	110
11	"He Always Get His Man"	Phillip Charles MacKenzie	Gregg Mettler	Unaired	111
12	"Charlie's Gamble"	Phillip Charles MacKenzie	Jimmy Aleck & Jim Keily	Unaired	112
00	"Don't Ask (Unaired Alternative Pilot)"^[4]	David Trainer	Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner	Unaired	TBA

References

^ Tropiano, Stephen (2002). The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lesbians on TV. New York, Applause Theatre and Cinema Books. ISBN 1-55783-557-8. p. 252
^ Maitra, Rob. "Getting Back to Normal". PopMatters. Archived from the original on January 17, 2014. Retrieved June 24, 2009.
^ From the United States Copyright Office catalog: "Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search [search: "Normal, Ohio"]". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
^ From the Writers Guild of America, West catalog: "Signatory Project Confirmation [search: "Normal, Ohio"]". Writers Guild of America, West. Retrieved 2017-10-31.

External links

[1] Tropiano, Stephen (2002). The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lesbians on TV. New York, Applause Theatre and Cinema Books. ISBN 1-55783-557-8. p. 252

[2] Maitra, Rob. "Getting Back to Normal". PopMatters. Archived from the original on January 17, 2014. Retrieved June 24, 2009.

[U.S.C.O.-3] From the United States Copyright Office catalog: "Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search [search: "Normal, Ohio"]". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 2017-10-31.

[WGAW-4] From the Writers Guild of America, West catalog: "Signatory Project Confirmation [search: "Normal, Ohio"]". Writers Guild of America, West. Retrieved 2017-10-31.

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