That's My Bush!: Difference between revisions

{{short description|American sitcom television seriessitcom}}

|creator executive_producer = [[Trey Parker]]<br />[[Matt Stone]]<br />Anne Garefino

|network company = Important Television<br />[[Comedy Central]]

'''''That's My Bush!''''' is aan hilariousAmerican Americantelevision [[sitcom]] that aired on [[Comedy Central]] from April 4 to May 23, 2001.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comedycentral.com/press/press_releases/2001/020701_Thats_My_Bush.jhtml |author=Press release |title=New Series: That's My Bush |date=February 7, 2001 |publisher=Comedy Central |access-date=2010-03-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605125752/http://www.comedycentral.com/press/press_releases/2001/020701_Thats_My_Bush.jhtml |archive-date=June 5, 2011 }}</ref> The show was created by [[Trey Parker]] and [[Matt Stone]], a comedy-duo best known for creating ''[[South Park]]''.

Despite the political overtones, the show itself was more a broad lampoon of American sitcoms, including jokes, clever references, a laugh track, and stock characters such as ditzyklutzy secretary Princess ([[Kristen Miller]]), know-it-all maid Maggie ([[Marcia Wallace]]), and comicsupposedly with a causehelpful next door neighbor Larry ([[John D'Aquino]]). Although in the opening credits, the characters names were used, not the actors. This was the first time a sit-com had done this.

The series was conceived in the wake of the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 presidential election]], between [[George W. Bush]] and [[Al Gore]]. Parker and Stone were sure that Gore would win the election, and tentatively titled the show ''Everybody Loves Al''. However, due to the [[United States presidential election in Florida, 2000|controversy regarding the election's outcome]], the series was pushed back. Instead, the show was then plotted around Bush at the workplace.<ref name="Parker2">{{Cite video | people=[[Trey Parker|Parker, Trey]]| date=October 2006 |title=That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "A Poorly Executed Plan" |formatid=[[Audio commentary]] |medium=DVD|publisher=[[Paramount Pictures#Paramount Home Entertainment|Paramount Home Entertainment]]}}</ref>

The show received positive reviews from critics, with ''[[The New York Times]]'' commenting, "''That's My Bush!'' is a satire of hero worship itself; it is the anti-''[[The West Wing|West Wing]]'' and the first true post-[[Bill Clinton|Clinton]] comedy. [...] This politically astute criticism is embedded in so much hysterical humor that the series never seems weighty."<ref>{{cite news |last=James |first=Carolyn |title=''That's My Bush'': A Raucous Leap Into a New Era |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 1, 2001 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/01/arts/television-radio-that-s-my-bush-a-raucous-leap-into-a-new-era.html?pagewanted=2&src=pm |access-date=June 12, 2011}}</ref>

Episodes dealt (with deliberate heavy -handedness) with the topics of [[abortion]], [[gun control]], the [[war on drugs]], drilling in the [[Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]], and the [[death penalty]]. Every episode ended with George saying "One of these days, Laura, I'm gonna punch you in the face!", a parody of [[Jackie Gleason]]'s line from ''[[The Honeymooners]]'', "One of these days, Alice... Bang, zoomPOW!!! Right toin the moonkisser!"

{{quoteblockquote|''[That's My] Bush!''{{'}}s irresistibly gimmicky premise—a workplace sitcom centering on Bush and his wife Laura—represents a perverse act of extended misdirection. While audiences waited for Parker and Stone to tear into the [[George W. Bush administration|Bush administration]], they instead attacked the hoary conventions of the 1970s and 1980s sitcoms, which proved a surprisingly apt target for [[satire]] and [[pop-culture]] riffing.}}

Parker and Stone stated before the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 presidential election]] that they would create a satire about whoever won. According to their DVD commentary, they were "95% certain that [[Al Gore|Gore]] would win" and startedbegan developing the series under the title ''Everybody Loves Al''. When the [[Florida election recount|final election results]] were in limbo, production was delayed until the winner was determined. With Bush's election, the title became the entendre ''That's My Bush!'' The final episode involvedinvolves [[Dick Cheney]] forcing Bush to step down, and featured an alternate title music called ''That's My Dick!'' which, later in the episode, changed to ''What Aa Dick!''

The entire idea behind the series was to parody sitcoms. The premise developed into one of the U.S. President in office. Parker recalled the idea came about three months before the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 presidential election]]. The duo were "95 percent sure" that [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] candidate [[Al Gore]] would win, and tentatively titled the show ''Everybody Loves Al''.<ref name="Parker2" /> It was, essentially, the same show: a lovable main character, the sassy maid, the wacky neighbor.<ref name="Stone2">{{Cite video | people=[[Matt Stone|Stone, Matt]]| date=October 2006 |title=That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "A Poorly Executed Plan" |formatid=Audio commentary |medium=DVD|publisher=[[Paramount Pictures#Paramount Home Entertainment|Paramount Home Entertainment]]}}</ref> Parker said the producers did not want to make fun of politics, but instead lampoon sitcoms.<ref name="Parker2" /> The duo watched a lot of ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'' in preparation.<ref name="Stone2" />

The duo signed a deal with [[Comedy Central]] to produce a live -action sitcom, titled ''Family First'', scheduled to debut on February 28, 2001.<ref name="salon">{{cite news|url=http://www.salon.com/news/politics/feature/2000/11/08/parker_stone/index.html |title=Bush or Gore, it's trippy either way |author=Carina Chocano |date=November 8, 2000 |work=[[Salon.com]] |access-date=June 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103095650/http://www.salon.com/news/politics/feature/2000/11/08/parker_stone/index.html |archive-date=November 3, 2012 }}</ref> They threw a party the night of the election with the writers, with intentions to begin writing the following Monday and shooting the show in January 2001 with the inauguration. With the [[2000 United States presidential election#Results|confusion of who the President would be]], the show's production was pushed back.<ref name="Parker2" /> The duo wanted to write a "family sitcom", with the Bush family.

Comedy Central, however, prohibited Parker and Stone from including the Bush twins ([[Jenna Bush Hager|Jenna Bush]] and [[Barbara Bush (born 1981)|Barbara Pierce Bush]]). The writers then turned the Bush twins character into Princess.<ref name="Parker2" /> "An Aborted Dinner Date" was the show's pilot episode. The episode features Felix the Fetus, which was made and operated by [[the Chiodo Brothers]], who later worked with Parker and Stone on ''[[Team America: World Police]]'' (2004).<ref name="Stone1">{{Cite video | people=[[Matt Stone|Stone, Matt]]| date=October 2006 |title=That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "An Aborted Dinner Date" |formatid=Audio commentary |medium=DVD|publisher=[[Paramount Pictures#Paramount Home Entertainment|Paramount Home Entertainment]]}}</ref> They also created the cat Punk'kin in "The First Lady's Persqueeter". The show's producers consider the second episode aired, "A Poorly Executed Plan", the ''true'' first episode.<ref name="Parker1">{{Cite video | people=[[Trey Parker|Parker, Trey]]| date=October 2006 |title=That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "An Aborted Dinner Date" |formatid=Audio commentary |medium=DVD|publisher=[[Paramount Pictures#Paramount Home Entertainment|Paramount Home Entertainment]]}}</ref>

This was Parker and Stone's first live -action production toin beassociation a part ofwith the [[Writers Guild of America, West]].<ref name="Stone2" /> The show's writers got a big dry-erase board and on one side, they would write down political ideas (abortion, capital punishment) and on the other side would be typical sitcom stories (frat buddies show up, trapped in a small space).<ref name="Parker3">{{Cite video | people=[[Trey Parker|Parker, Trey]]| date=October 2006 |title=That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "Eenie Meenie Miney Murder" |formatid=Audio commentary |medium=DVD|publisher=[[Paramount Pictures#Paramount Home Entertainment|Paramount Home Entertainment]]}}</ref> They would then combine the two ideas, in what Stone described as "a ''[[Three's Company]]'' mix-up kind of thing."<ref name="Stone3">{{Cite video | people=[[Matt Stone|Stone, Matt]]| date=October 2006 |title=That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "Eenie Meenie Miney Murder" |formatid=Audio commentary |medium=DVD|publisher=[[Paramount Pictures#Paramount Home Entertainment|Paramount Home Entertainment]]}}</ref> ''That's My Bush!'' was filmed at [[Sony Pictures Studios]], and was the first time Parker and Stone shot a show on a production lot.

The''That's My Bush!'' was filmed at [[Sony Pictures Studios]], the first time Parker and Stone shot a show on a production lot. It was not shot in front of a live audience, so as to keepmaintain control over the show and by necessity, thanks to various shots they would be unable to do in a normal show.<ref name="Parker4" /> They had built several rooms from the [[White House]] in their studio (bedroom, dining room) and were allowed "one new, rotating set" per week.<ref name="Parker3" />

{{quote box |width=30em | bgcolor=transparent |align=right |quote=At 3 ([[Pacific Time Zone|PST]]) Tuesday afternoon, just like everybody else, we were thinking, "Well, it's going to be a show about [[Al Gore|Gore]]." And we're sitting here with the writers and coming up with Gore ideas, and all of a sudden [[United States presidential election in Florida, 2000|they pull Florida back out]]. And it was like, "Oh, wait a minute." It's just so funny that this election, the one our show hinged on, was the one that was just too close to call.|salign=right|source=—[[Trey Parker]], on the revision of the show<ref name="salon"/>}}

Casting was relatively simple; Parker and Stone came across a photo of [[Timothy Bottoms]] in ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' for a play he was doing in [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]]. Parker and Stone called him in, and they found he was "perfect" for the role.<ref name="Parker3" /> The plan was not to viciously "rip on" Bush or make him out to be a monster; in accordance with sitcom stereotypes, Bush was made a sweet and lovable oaf.<ref name="Parker3" /> [[Kurt Fuller]] was the last actor to be cast in the show.<ref name="Stone7">{{Cite video | people=[[Matt Stone|Stone, Matt]]| date=October 2006 |title=That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "Trapped in a Small Environment" |formatid=Audio commentary |medium=DVD|publisher=[[Paramount Pictures#Paramount Home Entertainment|Paramount Home Entertainment]]}}</ref> Jeff Melman wasdirected theall directoreight for each episodeepisodes. This was the first time Trey Parker was only writing, not directing.<ref name="Parker5">{{Cite video | people=[[Trey Parker|Parker, Trey]]| date=October 2006 |title=That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "The First Lady's Persqueeter" |formatid=Audio commentary |medium=DVD|publisher=[[Paramount Pictures#Paramount Home Entertainment|Paramount Home Entertainment]]}}</ref>

Each episode was shot in two days. The weeks were spent in writing and getting readypre-production while the cast rehearsed.<ref name="Parker6">{{Cite video | people=[[Trey Parker|Parker, Trey]]| date=October 2006 |title=That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "Mom "E" D. E. A. Arrest" |formatid=Audio commentary |medium=DVD|publisher=[[Paramount Pictures#Paramount Home Entertainment|Paramount Home Entertainment]]}}</ref> Like ''South Park'', in which Parker would be able to write a scene and see it animated a short time later, he and Stone could walk to rehearsals and see the cast rehearsing their script.<ref name="Parker6" /> Each episode openedcommenced with a [[cold open]], with a "cheesy" joke that segued into the theme song. The duo recalled that, with stupid titles, these scenes were often the hardest to write.<ref name="Parker7">{{Cite video | people=[[Trey Parker|Parker, Trey]]| date=October 2006 |title=That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "Trapped in a Small Environment" |formatid=Audio commentary |medium=DVD|publisher=[[Paramount Pictures#Paramount Home Entertainment|Paramount Home Entertainment]]}}</ref>

The episode "SDI-Aye-AYE!" features the first utterance of the word "Lemmiwinks", which Parker and the writers intended to be a parody of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. The word was later famously used in the ''South Park'' episode "[[The Death Camp of Tolerance]]".<ref name="Parker4">{{Cite video | people=[[Trey Parker|Parker, Trey]]| date=October 2006 |title=That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "S.D.I. -Aye-Aye!" |formatid=Audio commentary |medium=DVD|publisher=[[Paramount Pictures#Paramount Home Entertainment|Paramount Home Entertainment]]}}</ref> The show's first episode set a Comedy Central ratings record (at the time) for highest debut with over 2.9 million viewers tuning in; however, ratings dropped after this, with an average of 1.7 million viewers.<ref name="sun">{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZwFHAAAAIBAJ&pg=5498,471464&hl=en|date=August 3, 2001| title=''That's My Bush'' cancelled|publisher= AP Newswire|work=Sun Journal|access-date=March 14, 2010}}</ref>

During the production of "Fare Thee Welfare", the show's series finale, the producers knew the showend wouldwas endnear as it would be very expensive.<ref name="Parker8">{{Cite video | people=[[Trey Parker|Parker, Trey]]| date=October 2006 |title=That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "Fare Thee Welfare" |formatid=Audio commentary |medium=DVD|publisher=[[Paramount Pictures#Paramount Home Entertainment|Paramount Home Entertainment]]}}</ref> For example, for the episode "Eenie Meenie Miney Murder", Parker and Stone used a live bear, an animatronic bear, an actor in a bear suit, and a puppet bear, which ended up breaking their budget.<ref name="Stone3" /> Although the show received a fair amount of publicity and critical notice, according to Stone and Parker, the cost per episodebudget was too high, "about $1 million an episode."<ref name="herald">{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=20010803&id=yCUfAAAAIBAJ&pg=4871,422240| title=Comedy Central Cancels "That's my Bush"|author=Lynn Elber|publisher= AP Newswire|work=Spartanburg Herald-Journal| date=August 3, 2001|access-date=March 14, 2010}}</ref>

Comedy Central officially cancelledaxed the series in August 2001, as a cost-cutting move; Stone was quoted as saying "A super-expensive show on a small cable network...the economics of it were just not going to work."<ref name="sun" /> ComedyThe Centralseries continued the show invia reruns, considering it a creative and critical success.<ref name="herald" /> Parker believed the show would not have survived after the [[September 11 attacks]] anyway, and Stone agreed, saying the show would not "play well."<ref name="Parker5" /><ref name="Stone5">{{Cite video | people=[[Matt Stone|Stone, Matt]]| date=October 2006 |title=That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "The First Lady's Persqueeter" |formatid=Audio commentary |medium=DVD|publisher=[[Paramount Pictures#Paramount Home Entertainment|Paramount Home Entertainment]]}}</ref> There was talk of a [[Spin-off (media)|spin-off]] [[feature film]] for the series entitled ''George W. Bush and the Secret of the Glass Tiger''. The concept behindextended the film extended theseries' bait and switch gag of the show: it would have to do with a Chinese invasion foiled by the President. Parker and Stone intended to work ondevelop it during the summer of 2002.<ref name="herald" />

Bottoms went on to portray George W. Bush in two later films: in a comedic context in ''[[The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course]]'', and in a serious context in the television moviefilm ''[[DC 9/11: Time of Crisis]]''.

{{Episode table |background=#0d48af |overall= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |country=US |episodes=

| ShortSummary = Series finale. After losing an important peace treaty, George is removed from office by [[Dick Cheney]] and tries to find a new job.<br />'''Political Issue''': Presidential [[Federal impeachment in the United States|impeachment]].<br />'''Sitcom Plot''': Being fired from youra job. Also parodies the conventions of [[series finale]]s and [[Spin-off (media)|spin-offs]].

* ''[[Lil'Cory Bushin the House]]''&nbsp;–, animateda series satirizingwhere Bush,John alsoD'Aquino onplays Comedythe Centralpresident.

* ''[[The President Show]]''&nbsp;–, Anotheranother Comedy Central sitcom focusing on The President in office.

[[Category:2001Comedy AmericanCentral television series debutssitcoms]]

[[Category:2001 American English-language television series endingsshows]]