Jon Cryer’s First Sitcom: ‘The Famous Teddy Z’

Hollywood employment will be nice fodder for buzzy comedies, from The Larry Sanders Present to 30 Rock. However one sitcom that will have been forward of its time was The Well-known Teddy Z, which debuted on CBS 35 years in the past on Sept. 18, 1989. 

Created by Hugh Wilson, the sequence starred Jon Cryer as Teddy Zakalokis, a mailroom employee at a fictional UTA — Limitless Expertise Company — who punches Hollywood’s prime actor shortly after assembly him and is quickly picked by the Marlon Brando-esque star to be his rep. The idea was impressed by the real-life story of younger MCA agent Jay Kanter, who grew to become Brando’s rep after selecting him up at a practice station. Cryer had landed a CBS deal off the success of Fairly in Pink, however producer Richard Dubin most popular one other on-the-rise actor, Ben Stiller, who additionally auditioned. “I assumed that Jon, whereas a really ready and journeyman actor, didn’t have the cojones crucial for [Teddy],” Dubin tells THR. 

This was Wilson and Dubin’s third venture collectively, nevertheless it led to a falling-out, with Dubin leaving earlier than capturing wrapped. Rigidity spiked over Lainie Kazan (My Favourite Yr), Dubin’s choose as Teddy’s mother. After seven episodes, Wilson wasn’t pleased with Kazan and let her go, and scenes had been reshot. (Erica Yohn changed Kazan as Teddy’s grandmother.) Jane Sibbett, later referred to as Carol on Mates, performed Cryer’s love curiosity, and so they dated throughout that point. Cryer mentioned the present’s turbulence introduced them collectively: “It was a curler coaster, and whenever you’re each on the identical curler coaster, you are inclined to seize one another.” 

Critics praised Teddy Z — THR dubbed it “this season’s finest new comedy” — and co-star Alex Rocco would win a supporting actor Emmy for his flip as agent Al Floss. However low rankings led to the sequence being pulled midseason with 5 episodes unaired. “It was completely devastating, and I actually took it personally,” remembers Cryer. Now, he seems again on the present fondly: “The trouble was value it, even when it didn’t hit all the precise notes.”

This story appeared within the Oct. 30 situation of The Hollywood Reporter journal. Click on right here to subscribe.