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Revision as of 14:50, 14 July 2007 by Toughpigs (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) 2007 American TV series or program| John from Cincinnati | |
|---|---|
| Created by | David Milch Kem Nunn |
| Starring | Bruce Greenwood Rebecca De Mornay Austin Nichols Ed O'Neill Luke Perry Luis Guzman Willie Garson Matt Winston Garret Dillahunt Brian Van Holt Jim Beaver Greyson Fletcher Dayton Callie Paula Malcomson Emily Rose |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | June 10 2007 – Present |
John From Cincinnati is an American television drama, set against the surfing community of Imperial Beach, California, that airs on HBO. It is the result of a collaborative effort between writers David Milch and Kem Nunn, whose novels have been termed surf noir. The series began filming in October 2006, and premiered on June 10 2007.
The series stars Bruce Greenwood, Austin Nichols, Rebecca De Mornay, Greyson Fletcher, Luke Perry, Brian Van Holt, Dayton Callie, Jim Beaver, Garret Dillahunt, Willie Garson, Luis Guzmán, Emily Rose, and Ed O'Neill among others. Milch previously created Deadwood and co-created NYPD Blue.
The series includes surfing sequences by well-respected surfers Brock Little, Keala Kennelly, Dan Malloy (surfer), John-John Florence, Shane Beschen, and Herbie Fletcher.
The program deals with a strange young man of mysterious origin and the effect he has on a community and in particular a dysfunctional family of professional surfers.
The series' theme song is "Johnny Appleseed", performed by Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros. A diverse soundtrack, other songs used include "Tic" by Kava Kava and songs from Tv On The Radio, Muse, Buddy Guy, Kasabian and the Yardbirds.
Cast and characters
Main Cast:
| Actor | Role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bruce Greenwood | Mitch Yost | An aging and proud professional surfer who co-owns a surf shop with his wife |
| Rebecca De Mornay | Cissy Yost | Mitch's stubborn wife who tends to disagree with her husband and co-owns the surf shop with Mitch |
| Brian Van Holt | Mitch "Butchie" Yost II | Mitch's heroin-addicted son and professional surfer |
| Austin Nichols | John Monad | A mysterious person who, seeming mentally challenged, often repeats what he has already heard and can manifest requested objects through his pockets |
| Ed O'Neill | Bill Jacks | An obsessive retired police officer friend of the Yosts who tends to babble and talk to himself, he constantly tries to fill the hole that Butchie has made in Shaun's life. His house is filled with caged birds. |
| Luke Perry | Linc Stark | A surf talent scout, manager and agent |
| Luis Guzman | Ramon Gaviota | Manager of the Snug Harbor Motel |
| Matt Winston | Barry Cunningham | A mentally unstable man who just won the lottery and bought the local Snug Harbor Motel; went to grade school with Butchie. He experienced something traumatic in room 24 of the motel as a young teenager and originally purchased it with the intent to tear it down. Was bullied in high school, specifically by Butch Yost. |
| Willie Garson | Meyer Dickstein | Lawyer and huge surf fan who hangs around the Snug Harbor Motel, and who arranged the sale of the hotel to the new owner |
| Greyson Fletcher | Shaun Yost | Butchie's 13-year-old son and surf prodigy |
| Keala Kennelly | Kai | A young woman who works at the Yost's surf shop |
| Jim Beaver | Vietnam Joe | A war veteran who occasionally sneaks illegal immigrants into the country |
Viewer response
The pilot for the series was shown directly after the highly anticipated finale of The Sopranos, but it failed to capture an audience. The Sopranos received an audience of 11.9 million people (the highest rating on the show since its fifth season premiere in 2004), according to Nielsen Ratings. The finale led into the John from Cincinnati premiere which had an audience of 3.4 million viewers, less than one third of The Sopranos finale's total audience. HBO studio executives remain adamant that the Nielsen Rating system is unreliable and inaccurate. The low ratings may also be the reaction of an audience that was shocked by The Sopranos series finale.
The second episode's ratings also slipped. A total of 1.2 million people watched the episode, which is a drop of 2.2 million viewers.
List of episodes
Season 1 (2007)
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Director | Original airdate | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "His Visit, Day One" | David Milch & Kem Nunn | Mark Tinker | June 10 2007 | 101 |
| A stranger called John arrives in a small shoreside town--Imperial Beach--where he befriends a legendary surfing family, the Yosts. Meanwhile, Mitch prohibits his grandson, Shaun, from attending a surfing competition and local businessman Dickstein and Ramon devise a plan to sell their property, The Snug Harbor Motel. | |||||
| 02 | "His Visit, Day Two" | Kem Nunn | Gregg Fienberg | June 17 2007 | 102 |
| A drug dealer surfaces on Imperial Beach looking for Butchie. Linc expresses interest in sponsoring Shaun in his next competition. Barry decides not to raze the Snug Harbor Motel after a vision told him not to. | |||||
| 03 | "His Visit, Day Two Continued" | Ted Mann | Mark Tinker | June 24 2007 | 103 |
| Dr. Smith is brought to a revelation that something phenomenal occurred in Shaun's hospital room in order to revive him. Kai brings John back to her home to determine whether he is telling the truth. Cass turns out to be a source of comfort for Mitch, who is completely oblivious to her affiliation with Linc. | |||||
| 04 | "His Visit, Day Three" | Regina Corrado | John McNaughton | July 1 2007 | 104 |
| Some thugs rough up John; Kai connects with Butchie; Dr. Smith gets a new patient; Shaun's mother arrives in Imperial Beach. | |||||
| 05 | "His Visit, Day Four" | Steve Hawk | Ed Bianchi | July 8 2007 | 105 |
| Zippy issues Bill an unusual mandate; Shaun's porn-star mother lets the Yosts know she's back. | |||||
| 06 | "His Visit, Day Five" | TBA | Tom Vaughan | July 15 2007 | 106 |
| Plot TBA | |||||
Trivia
The show is loosely based on the Fletchers, a well-known surf family:
- Herbie Fletcher was an innovative and top-ranked surfer in the sixties (Mitch Yost role)
- Christian Fletcher, son of Herbie, later became a surf star with a "bad boy" image who eventually developed a drug habit (Butch Yost role)
- Greyson Fletcher, son of Christian, is an up-and-coming young surfer (Shaun Yost role)
Herbie Fletcher is the stunt double for Bruce Greenwood (Mitch Yost) in the surfing scenes and Greyson Fletcher in turn plays the role of himself in this HBO series. See http://www.slate.com/id/2168001/nav/tap3/
- The last name on John's credit card is Monad, this is an allusion to the Monadology theory of Leibniz.
References
- (November 12, 2004) Author Interview: Kem Nunn, Bookbuffet.com. Retrieved November 16, 2006.
- Martin, Denise, (October 22, 2006) Surf's up for Milch as HBO takes skein, Variety.com. Retrieved November 16, 2006.
- Havrilesky, Heather, (May 03, 2005) The man behind "Deadwood", Salon.com. Retrieved November 16, 2006.
- (Myers, Nathan) On The Set: John from Cincinnati, SurfingMagazine.com. Retrieved March 28, 2007.
- http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-ratings13jun13,0,3695012.story?coll=cl-tv-features
- http://www.maconareaonline.com/news.asp?id=17554
External links
- John From Cincinnati, an external wiki
- John from Cincinnati at IMDb
- JohnMonad.com - HBO Promo Site
- Exploring Life On The Border With David Milch - Article about David Milch and the filming of John from Cincinnati in Imperial Beach's local newspaper
- Locals Enjoy Hollywood Premiere Of HBO Series
- HBO Wraps Filming; Locals Recall Experiences As Extras