Hot in Cleveland Information

Hot in Cleveland is an American sitcom on TV Land starring Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick and Betty White. The series, which is TV Land's first original scripted series, premiered on June 16, 2010, and was TV Land's highest rated telecast in the cable network's 14-year history. The series was picked up for ten episodes. On January 12, 2012, TV Land renewed the series for a fourth season. On March 20, 2013, TV Land renewed Hot in Cleveland for a fifth season.

The series was created by Suzanne Martin (Frasier, Ellen) and is executive produced by Martin, Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner, through their production companies SamJen Productions and Hazy Mills Productions, and is produced in association with TV Land. The concept behind the show is based on an original idea by Lynda Obst, who serves as executive producer. The series is recorded in front of a live studio audience at CBS's Studio City in Los Angeles.

Synopsis

The series centers on three past-their-prime entertainment industry veterans (Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick) from Los Angeles who find a more welcoming and less shallow and youth-obsessed community in Cleveland, Ohio, where their plane makes an emergency landing in the pilot. They lease a home with a sassy caretaker (Betty White).

Cast

Main cast

• Valerie Bertinelli as Melanie Hope Moretti, a writer and mother of college-age kids, named Will and Jenna. Depressed by her divorce, she boards a plane to Paris in the pilot episode to find love. However, when the plane makes an emergency landing in Cleveland, Melanie loves the city and its people so much that she decides to stay and live there.
• Jane Leeves as Rejoyla "Joy" Scroggs, a never-married beautician, known as the "Eyebrow Queen of Beverly Hills", who counts among her clients stars such as Oprah Winfrey and Ryan Seacrest. Joy's mother, who lives in England, is highly critical of her. She had a son, Owen, when she was 15, but put him up for adoption. In the first season finale, Joy receives a message from her son, but a tornado prevents her from contacting him. Her son finally comes to visit her in Season 2, with disastrous results.
• Wendie Malick as Victoria Chase, a five-time-divorced, Emmy Award-winning soap opera star whose 27-year running show, Edge of Tomorrow, was recently canceled, leaving her to lament that her only career opportunities are playing Megan Fox's grandmother and Melanie Griffith's mother (in separate projects), and promoting adult underpants in Japan. In "The Play's The Thing," after helping out in a high school play, Victoria accepts a job as the school's drama teacher. In Season 2, she becomes a reporter for Oh Hi, Ohio, a local news magazine program. She has two daughters, Emmy (an actress) and Oscar (a journalist), and one son named Tony (a civil engineer). She is sworn enemies with Susan Lucci and has fought Melanie Griffith.
• Betty White as Elka Ostrovsky, an elderly Polish caretaker whose judgmental retorts to the other women in the pilot reveal an astringent demeanor and allude to a storied life, including escaping from the Nazis, an active sex life, heavy drinking and possible marijuana use. It is revealed in the first season finale that her late husband had mob connections, and that the smell of marijuana came from the polish of his stolen goods. In the season 2 finale her "dead" husband surprisingly shows up at her wedding to Fred. White was only expected to have a guest role in the pilot episode, but her performance was so well-received that the producers decided to make her a regular.

Recurring cast

• Wayne Knight as Rick, the women's neighbor and a reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Rick has slept with Joy, but professes in Season 2 that he is more attracted to Melanie.
• Carl Reiner as Max, Elka's on-again/off-again (mostly off) boyfriend.
• John Mahoney as Roy, a waiter who flirts with Elka in season two. In season three, he fakes a murder investigation to get closer to Elka. The two start dating, and go on many adventures, including skydiving. They break up after Roy's mother disapproves of Elka.
• James Patrick Stuart as Colin Cooper, Victoria's co-anchor on Oh Hi, Ohio, whom she finds annoying. He has an off/on relationship with Joy throughout the second and third seasons.
• Susan Lucci as a fictionalized version of herself. A rival of Victoria's from their soap opera days, who is constantly competing with her.
• Jon Lovitz as Artie Firestone, a mentally unstable billionaire who is heir to the Firestone family fortune. In season two, while disowned by his family and homeless, he became engaged to Joy so she could get her green card. In season three, he began taking medication for his mental illness and was welcomed back into the Firestone family. The character's name and personal fortune is a reference to another character played by Lovitz, Artie Ziff, on The Simpsons.
• Georgia Engel as Mamie-Sue Johnson, a friend of Elka's.
• Michael McMillian as Owen, Joy's son
• Jay Harrington as Alec, Melanie's boss and love interest in Season 4.
• Alan Dale as Emmett Lawson, Victoria's on-screen and off-screen love interest in Season 4.

Guest stars

Season 1

Guest stars during the first season included Shirley Knight as Melanie's overprotective mother, Loretta; Hal Linden as Victoria's womanizing actor father, Alex; singer Joe Jonas as Melanie's son, Will; Carl Reiner as Max, Elka's boyfriend; Bil Dwyer as Melanie's ex-husband Anders; and Juliet Mills as Joy's critical mother, Philippa. Other first season guest stars include John Schneider, Wayne Knight, Robert Gant, Huey Lewis, Amy Yasbeck, Tim Conway, Mark Indelicato, David Starzyk, Gary Anthony Williams, Dave Foley and Susan Lucci.

Season 2

For the second season, Mary Tyler Moore guest starred in the season premiere as Elka's jail cellmate, in the wake of the latter's arrest in the first season finale. This marked the first time since 1977, when The Mary Tyler Moore Show ended, that White and Moore had worked together. Sherri Shepherd appeared in two episodes as the judge in Elka's competency case. David Starzyk, John Schneider, Huey Lewis, Wayne Knight and Carl Reiner all reprised their roles from season 1. Bonnie Franklin also guest starred as Melanie's ex-boyfriend's mother, Franklin reuniting with One Day at a Time co-star Valerie Bertinelli. On July 20, 2011, Doris Roberts appeared as Lydia Dombrosky, Elka's nemesis. Jennifer Love Hewitt guest starred as Victoria's daughter Emmy, while Michael McMillian appeared as Joy's son, Owen. Buck Henry appeared in multiple episodes as Elka's love interest and eventual fiance. Jimmy Kimmel, Susan Lucci, and Melanie Griffith made guest appearances as themselves. Michael E. Knight, Jon Lovitz, Isaiah Mustafa, Monica Horan, Frank Caliendo, Cedric the Entertainer, Darnell Williams and Jane Leeves' Frasier co-stars Peri Gilpin and John Mahoney also appeared on the show as guest stars. Don Rickles made a surprise appearance as Elka's dead husband in the Season 2 finale, "Elka's Wedding".

Season 3

Season three features guest stars such as series producer Sean Hayes as a hand model boyfriend of Victoria's, Gilles Marini as Captain Lebeau, Kathie Lee Gifford, Sandra Bernhard, Don Rickles as Elka's late husband Bob, who faked his death, John Mahoney as Roy, Elka's boyfriend, and Laura San Giacomo as Melanie's estranged sister, and Baron Davis and Josh Cribbs as themselves. In addition to Mary Tyler Moore guest starring in the second season premiere, the third season saw Betty White reunite with Ed Asner and Georgia Engel in two different episodes. The season includes the return of guests Jennifer Love Hewitt, Susan Lucci, Huey Lewis, Joe Jonas and Jon Lovitz. Cybill Shepherd, Curtis Armstrong, Doug Savant, Kristin Chenoweth, Barry Bostwick, Dan Cortese, Regis Philbin, Joan Rivers, and David Spade also make guest appearances in the third season.

Season 4

Season four recurring guests include Heather Locklear as Chloe, Jay Harrington as Alec, and Alan Dale as Emmett. Other guest stars include Eddie Cibrian as Sean, Fred Willard as Dr. Hill, and Gary Anthony Sturgis as Officer Davenport. Georgia Engel and Regis Philbin also reprise their roles from the previous season, while Michael McMillian returns as Owen, Joy's son.

Episodes

See List of Hot in Cleveland episodes for more information

Production

Hot in Cleveland is TV Land's first attempt at a first-run scripted comedy (the channel has rerun other sitcoms since its debut) and is produced by Sean Hayes's Hazy Mills Productions and written by Suzanne Martin, who also serves as the showrunner. It is shot with a multicamera setup in front of a live studio audience at the CBS Studio City soundstage.

TV Land announced that the show was renewed for a second season on July 7, 2010. The 20-episode second season began production on November 1, 2010, and premiered January 19, 2011. On February 28, 2011, TV Land renewed the show for a third season to consist of 22 episodes. On March 21, 2011, TV Land announced that the third season order was increased to 24 episodes. On January 12, 2012, TV Land renewed the series for a fourth season.

While appearing on Inside The Actor's Studio, Betty White revealed that she was only meant to appear in the pilot of the show but was asked to stay on for the entire series. She is reportedly earning $75,000 per episode for the series.

Spin-off series

On April 18, 2011, It was announced that Cedric the Entertainer would guest star in a season 2 episode as a minister that gets caught up in the girls' problems. The episode served as a backdoor pilot for a spin-off series to star Cedric. The episode entitled "Bridezelka" was written by Hot in Cleveland creator Suzanne Martin and aired on August 24, 2011.

The spin-off series centers on Reverend Boyce (Cedric) as he moves from Cleveland to St. Louis and has to balance his wild past as an R&B singer with the expectations of his congregation and his family. On January 12, 2012, TV Land officially picked up the pilot to series, under the title Have Faith; with the first season set to have 12 episodes. On March 11, 2012, it was announced that the series' title was changed from Have Faith to The Soul Man. The series premiered on June 20, 2012.

Critical reception

The show has received positive reviews from critics. Wendie Malick has received extensive individual praise for her performance. The first season scored a 65 out of 100 on Metacritic.

Comparisons with The Golden Girls

Hot in Cleveland has been referred to as a modern spin on the classic 1980s television series The Golden Girls in which actress Betty White played a starring role. Craig Berman of Today stated that the show is "as close as we're likely to get to a repeat of White's 1980s ensemble comedy hit, The Golden Girls ... [TV Land] the network known as the refuge for people looking to fall asleep to reruns of shows from their childhood has made its first scripted program a modern version of the classic sitcom premise." Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times commented: "This is the first original scripted comedy on TV Land, a network that was founded on reruns. So not surprisingly, Hot in Cleveland is a pastiche of classics " a little bit Cheers and Frasier, a little bit The Golden Girls." Michael Musto of The Village Voice wrote: "Wendy Malick is basically the modern-day Bea Arthur. Sweet-faced Valerie Bertinelli is the new Betty White. Been-around Jane Leeves is the nouveau Rue McClanahan. And witheringly sarcastic Golden Girl Betty White has turned into Estelle Getty."

Awards and nominations

Betty White received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for her role as Elka Ostrovsky, and went on to win the award. The cast received a nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

On May 17, 2011, TV Land entered the show in the race for the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. The show submitted for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for all four leading women, to reinforce the idea of an ensemble cast. The show also submitted in technical categories.

On July 14, 2011, the show received two Primetime Emmy nominations, including Betty White getting nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series.

In December 2011, Betty White received her second consecutive SAG nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series. She went on to win it. In 2012 Hot in Cleveland received 2 more Emmy nominations.

Award Ceremony	Year	Category	Nominee	Result	Source
The Comedy Awards	2011	Best Actress in a TV Comedy	Betty White
Emmy Awards	2011	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
		Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series	Michael Andrew Hynes and Maralee Zediker (for "Sisterhood of the Traveling SPANX©", "I Love Lucci: Part Two" and "LeBron is Le Gone")
Gracie Allen Awards	2011	Best Actress in a Comedy Series	Betty White
Screen Actors Guild Awards	2011	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
		Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series	Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick & Betty White
People's Choice Awards	2012	Favorite Cable TV Comedy	Hot in Cleveland
Screen Actors Guild Awards	2012	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series	Betty White

Ratings

The series premiere of Hot in Cleveland was a ratings success for TV Land. It earned 1.9 rating and averaged 2 million viewers among the network's target adults 25"54 audience and also averaged 1.3 million among women 25"54. It drew a total of 4.75 million viewers making it the most watched show in TV Land history.

Season	Timeslot (ET/PT)	# Ep.	Premiered		Ended		TV Season	Viewers (in millions)
			Date	Premiere Viewers (in millions)	Date	Finale Viewers (in millions)
1	Wednesday 10:00pm	10	June 16, 2010	4.75	August 18, 2010	3.40	2010	4.2
2		22	January 19, 2011	2.95	August 31, 2011	2.44	2011	2.08
3		24	November 30, 2011	1.94	June 6, 2012	1.95	2011"2012	1.52
4		24	November 28, 2012	1.70	2013	TBA	2012"2013	TBA

DVD releases

Paramount Pictures began releasing seasons of Hot in Cleveland on Region 1 DVD with the first season being released on January 11, 2011 and the second season on November 29, 2011.

DVD Name	Region 1 Release Date	Region 2 Release Date	Region 4 Release Date	Ep #	Discs	Additional Information
Season 1	January 11, 2011	April 25, 2011	February 17, 2011	10	2	Original full-length pilot, bloopers, wardrobe featurette, "We Love Our Age" featurette, set tour, Victoria's full-length Japanese "lady pants" commercial, episode of "Retired at 35".
Season 2	USA " November 29, 2011 Canada " January 31, 2012	August 29, 2011 (Part 1), February 25, 2013 (Part 2), February 25, 2013 (Complete Season 2)	January 19, 2012	22	3	Interviews, The Cast Visits Cleveland, On the Set of Hot in Cleveland, The First Episode of TV Land's Newest Sitcom, The Exes
Season 3	November 27, 2012			24	3

International broadcast

On June 22, 2010, it was announced that Endemol will distribute Hot in Cleveland internationally, while CBS Television Distribution will own the US rights, with syndication to start in 2013. The show began broadcasting on July 5, 2010, in Canada on CTV and on July 9 on The Comedy Network but only Season 1 and Part 1 of Season 2 have aired. It began broadcasting on July 26, 2010, in Australia on the Nine Network and CNBC-e in Turkey at 2010. In the UK and Ireland, the series began airing on Sky Living on February 15, 2011. For season 3, the show switched to Sony Entertainment Television (UK & Ireland). In Germany, the series starts in 2012 on RTL II. In former Yugoslavian countries, the series began broadcasting on FOX life on April 5, 2011, and in Norway it began broadcasting on TV3 on June 9, 2011. In South Africa it began broadcasting on M-Net on July 8, 2011. In Israel it is shown on yes (Israel). In India Hot in Cleveland started airing from June 2012 on Comedy Central. In Slovenia, it premiered September 5, 2012, on POP TV. In Croatia, the show premiered on December 12, 2012, on HRT in late night time slot, showing 3 episodes a week from Mon.-Wed. In Latin America, the show is broadcast on TBS.