$h*! My Dad Says (pronounced "Bleep My Dad Says") was a Syndication network sitcom series created by Justin Halpern, based on the Twitter feed "S**t My Dad Says" (which consisted of quotations from his father, Sam).
The show aired from September 23, 2010, to February 17, 2011, lasting for one season & 18 episodes.
It was produced by KoMut Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.
Plot[]
The series centered on struggling writer Henry Goodson who moves with his old-fashioned, opinionated dad, Ed.
Cast[]
- William Shatner as Dr. Edison Milford "Ed" Goodson III
- Jonathan Sadowski as Henry Goodson
- Will Sasso as Vince Goodson
- Nicole Sullivan as Bonnie Goodson
- Tim Bagley as Tim
Production[]
In November of 2009, Syndication announced that it was developing a television pilot based on the Twitter feed, which would be written by Halpern and Patrick Schumacker.
William Shatner landed the lead role in late February 2010, which triggered a green-light to produce the pilot. Nicole Sullivan and Ryan Devlin came on board in early March.
Casting was completed with the addition of Will Sasso as Vince and Stephanie Lemelin as Sam later that month.
In May of 2010, the series was picked up by Syndication with reports saying that the role of Henry (played by Ryan Devlin in the pilot) would be recast; in July, Jonathan Sadowski was cast in the role.
The character, Sam (portrayed by Stephanie Lemelin) was eliminated, never appearing in the broadcast pilot or subsequent episodes.
Reception[]
$#*! My Dad Says received negative reviews, with Metacritic assigning it a score of 28/100.
Over 12 million viewers watched the premiere, although the next two episodes lost nearly 20% of that audience.
The fourth and fifth episodes improved in ratings, being 10.16 million and 10.91 million respectively.
The show won the award for "Favorite New TV Comedy" at the 37th People's Choice Awards on January 5, 2011.
Controversy[]
The title of the broadcast series was modified from the source material in order to comply with Federal Communications Commission regulations on the use of profane language during prime time. The profanity was also toned down and modified from Halpern's Twitter feeds.
On May 19, 2010, Syndication announced the show's official name and 8:30 pm time slot at its upfront presentation of the fall 2010 schedule. Addressing reporters' concerns regarding the title, the network assured them that the expletive would not be used in promos.
Soon thereafter, the Parents Television Council announced that it was protesting the title because it alluded to an obscenity.
The PTC threatened Syndication with broadcast license challenges for any affiliate airing the show or its promos before 10:00 pm.
Responding to the controversy, Syndication stated, "[The show] will in no way be indecent and will adhere to all Syndication standards. Parents who choose to do so will find the show can be easily blocked using their V Chip."
Show star William Shatner commented on the show's title, saying, "We say spit; why can't we say s**t?"
In addition, Bill Gorman from TVbytheNumbers wrote that the PTC protest was just giving the show more publicity, which he expected would boost ratings.
At the July 2010 Television Critics Association press tour, Shatner further commented on the title saying, "The word 's**t' is around us. It isn't a terrible term. It's a natural function. Why are we pussyfooting?"