Still Standing (American TV series)

Still Standing
Title Screen
Created by	Diane Burroughs Joey Gutierrez
Starring	Mark Addy Jami Gertz Jennifer Irwin Taylor Ball Renee Olstead Soleil Borda Joel Murray (2004-2006)
Opening theme	"You Make Me Happy" by Will Hoge
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	88 (list of episodes)
Production
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	21 minutes
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 30, 2002 – March 8, 2006

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The Cast of Still Standing

Still Standing is an American comedy television series. It debuted on CBS on September 30, 2002, and ended March 8, 2006. Lifetime obtained the U.S. syndication rights to the show in February 2005 and now airs every weekday on Lifetime and in syndication on cable networks and various broadcast stations. Still Standing aired for four seasons and won three awards over that time. Will Hoge sang the show's theme song.

Synopsis

A working class couple in Chicago try to instill good values in their three kids, Brian (Taylor Ball), Lauren (Renee Olstead) & Tina (Soleil Borda), but their own past experiences often conflict with the lessons they try to teach to their children. Judy Miller (Jami Gertz) is the attractive wife who was wooed by Bill (Mark Addy) when he duplicitously dated Judy's less attractive friend. Judy started dating Bill when she noticed him to be sensitive. Bill noticed Judy in front of the lockers located by the principal's office, wearing a tight red Aerosmith t-shirt and jeans with her right pocket ripped. He thought that if he found making Judy laugh the way other guys did in High School would make the world a lot brighter.

Judy and Bill were both popular in high school and they never outgrew that teenage mentality. Neither one has the level of maturity to teach their kids right and wrong, often causing a role reversal between the parents and the children. Judy's unmarrried sister, Linda (Jennifer Irwin) continuously butts heads with Bill. Brian Miller CARL MARTIN

Main characters

• Bill Miller (Mark Addy): The want-to-be cool father of the Miller family, he is often perceived as an overweight, lazy, Homer Simpson-like character. Bill has a tendency to take part in "macho" activities such as watching sports, drinking beer, and working on carpentry projects. Bill isn't the most intelligent person in the bunch and only spent six weeks in college, but he does well working at a Sears-like department store's toilet department. He tends to play the "good cop" when parenting his kids.

• Judy Miller (Jami Gertz): The mother of the Miller family, she is a good-looking woman in her late 30s, trying not to lose touch with her younger self and trying to be the "cool mom." She often sports red and green highlights in her hair. Judy works as a dental assistant. She is more intelligent than Bill (marginally) and often joins in his schemes after seemingly having foiled them.

• Brian Hops Miller (Taylor Ball): Eldest offspring and only son of the Miller family, Brian is a gifted (he is the valedictorian) but relatively unpopular high-school student; widely regarded as a geek, nerd, or lame (usually by his parents). Although he is straight, Brian's sexual orientation has been questioned several times by his parents because he reads Vogue magazine (he justifies this by saying that "sometimes those models wear see-through clothes, and it gets cold in those studios"), twirls a baton, and is a school cheerleader (ultimately revealed as his way to meet cute girls). In later seasons, he is neglected and even ignored by his parents. This is ironic when one considers the amount of times the two parents mention their future reliance on Brian's success due to his intelligence. At the end of the series, Brian is admitted to Northwestern University, his top choice. He is called "Bri-Bri" by his mother, much to his chagrin.

• Lauren Barley Miller (Renee Olstead): The hormonal, spoiled teenage older daughter of the Miller family, Lauren is one of the popular girls at school. She gets in trouble for breaking her parents' and the school's rules. She is smart, but doesn't apply herself as much as her brother does. Lauren is shown to have a talent for the arts; in one episode she is found to be a gifted singer, and in another she stars in the school play (although she doesn't seem to be any good at clarinet, making her parents hide it from her). She is called "Pumpkin" by her father, much to her chagrin.

• Tina Miller (Soleil Borda): The youngest child and mismatched daughter of the Miller family, Tina could be described as an obnoxious second grader. Tina's family sees her as clueless, but viewers see that she is one of the cleverest in her family. In a few episodes, Tina is also portrayed being unafraid to take a practical joke to the next level.

• Linda Michaels (Jennifer Irwin): Judy's younger sister, Linda spends much of her time hanging around the Miller house, much to Bill's dismay. She suffers from low self-esteem and high self-pity. Eventually she marries Perry, a singer in a Foghat cover band. Though she has a guestroom for when her mother comes to town, Helen prefers to sleep on the couch at Judy's, much to Linda's dismay.

• Daniel "Fitz" Fitzsimmons (Joel Murray): Bill's best friend, credited as so for seasons 3 and 4. He works with Bill as a salesman and has a gay son who hit on Brian and is the high school quarterback.

Guest and recurring roles

• Perry (James Patrick Stuart): Linda's husband, a musician who performs in Reno, NV.
• Marion Fitzsimmons (Kerri Kenney): Danny's wife. In one episode, she plays Mary Simms, a volunteer at Tina's school.
• Gene Michaels (Steven Gilborn): Judy and Linda's father.
• Helen Michaels (Janet Carroll seasons 1 and 2; Swoosie Kurtz seasons 3 and 4): Judy and Linda's mother. She favors Judy over Linda. Her character portrayal differs based on the actress(she is more motherly when portrayed by Caroll, but outgoing and fun when portayed by Kurtz, thus, changing the mentality of the character during the seasons)
• Al Miller (Paul Sorvino): Bill's father, a retired steelworker.
• Louise Miller (Sally Struthers): Bill's manipulative mother who moved to Chicago after her divorce. She manipulates those around her by guilt-tripping them.
• Johnny (Clyde Kusatsu): Louise Miller's new love interest and eventual husband. He is very wealthy, having bought Loise an expensive car.
• Bonnie (Ashley Tisdale): Brian's girlfriend.
• Becca (Lauren Schaffel): Lauren's best friend. She is also very afraid of Judy. In one episode, Lauren reveals that Becca's parents went to a marriage counselor, but unfortunately the counseling soon lead to group therapy, which soon turned into a cult that partook in perverted sexual acts of group orgies and wife-swapping.
• Ted Halverson (Kevin Nealon): The Millers' religious neighbor. He can be competitive.
• Matt Halverson (Shawn Pyfrom): Ted's son and one of Lauren's boyfriends.
• Shelly (Julia Campbell) and Terry (Justine Bateman): The Millers' lesbian neighbors.
• Chris (Sean Marquette): Lauren's boyfriend in several episodes; Shelly and Terry's son. Also has good handyman skills.
• Kyle Polsky (Todd Stashwick): Bill's irresponsible, immature neighbor who has a large collection of toys and is related to the (fictional) famous and wealthy Polsky beer family.
• Carl (David Koechner): Bill's best friend during seasons 1 and 2. Works with Bill at the Department store.
• Maxwell "Mack" McDaniel (John Marshall Jones): Bill and Fitz's friend during seasons 2 and 3 (6 episodes). Mack works with Bill and Fitz at the department store.
• Jeff Hackman (Chris Elliot): Also works with Bill. Sometimes called Jeff Hackman "Never-Pay-Ya-Backman".

Also Vince Neil has played a tattoo artist in one episode.

Episodes

Main article: List of Still Standing episodes

All of the episode titles have the word still at the beginning, with the exception of the pilot.

Critical reception

A 2002 Entertainment Weekly review gave Still Standing a "D" grade, calling it an "a pathetic" show that "does zip to freshen the Fatty-Gets-a-Family formula."

References

• "Lifetime Adds Still Standing" (Variety)
• "Still Standing Readies for its Final Bow" (USA Today)
• "Still Standing Survives Critical Mass" (USA Today)
• Still Standing TV Character Biographies at TVacres.com
• List of productions at CBS Studio Center
• "July 7th Development Update" (TheFutonCritic.com)

External links

• Still Standing at IMDb
• Still Standing on Lifetimetv.com
• Still Standing on CBS.com
• Hooking the Showrunner: Ari Eisner, Still Standing writers' assistant, shares the story of Still the Man, his first episode ever produced
• Floorplan for Stage 20, Still Standing's home at CBS Studio Center
• Official Myspace page