The Greatest Event in Television History is a mockumentary TV special series created by Adam Scott and Naomi Scott. The series premiered on Cartoon Network's late night programming block Adult Swim on October 12, 2012, and ended on January 23, 2014, with a total of four episodes. Each episode originally aired independently as a "special presentation", several months apart.
| The Greatest Event in Television History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Mockumentary |
| Created by | Adam Scott Naomi Scott |
| Directed by | Lance Bangs Adam Scott |
| Presented by | Jeff Probst |
| Starring |
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| Narrated by | Amanda Anka (Opening) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Cinematography | Lance Bangs |
| Editors |
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| Running time | 11–18 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Adult Swim |
| Release | October 12, 2012 – January 23, 2014 |
Format
editThe format of each special is a brief mockumentary about the shot-for-shot remake of a 1980s TV series opening credits sequence, followed by the remake itself. Series co-creator Adam Scott says the specials are at least in part motivated by his own memories of watching 1980s TV as a kid.[1] Each episode is hosted by Jeff Probst with actors portraying fictional versions of themselves or others. After each episode, the original opening credit scene is shown.
Production
editFour episodes were produced during the show's run; the series finale aired on January 23, 2014. In an interview with Splitsider, Scott explained the conclusion of the series: "It's a lot of work for such a short, stupid thing... they're really fun and they're fun to make, but we're ready to move on."[2]
Cast
edit- Amanda Anka as voiceover (voice)
- Jeff Probst as himself
- Jon Hamm as Rick Simon
- Adam Scott as A.J. Simon / Jonathan Hart / Monroe Ficus / Henry Desmond
- Paul Rudd as Director / Kip Wilson
- Gus Van Sant as himself
- Joe Schroeder as Tallest Doctor
- Kathryn Hahn as Gretta Strauss / Sara Rush
- Paul Scheer as Protester
- Megan Mullally as Cecilia Simon
- Bailey as Marlowe
- Amy Poehler as Jennifer Hart
- Paul Rust as Director
- Horatio Sanz as Max
- Maya Ferrara as Basecamp PA
- David Wain as Bell Taint
- Nick Kroll as Jeremy Bay
- Catherine O'Hara as Muriel Rush
- Jon Glaser as Henry Rush
- Chelsea Peretti as Jackie Rush
- Jason Mantzoukas as Director
- Seth Morris as Channon Flowers
- Damian Lang as Emergency Medic
- Gillian Jacobs as Sonny Lumet
- Mo Collins as Ruth Dunbar
- Aisha Muharrar as Isabelle Hammond
- Helen Slayton-Hughes as Lilly Sinclair
- Aidy Bryant as Amy Cassidy
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Simon & Simon" | October 12, 2012 | 1.673[4] | |
| 2 | "Hart to Hart" | June 6, 2013 | 1.43[6] | |
| 3 | "Too Close for Comfort" | November 7, 2013 | 1.420[8] | |
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Adam Scott, Catherine O'Hara, Chelsea Peretti, Kathryn Hahn, Jon Glaser and Jason Mantzoukas reenact the opening sequence from Too Close for Comfort.[7] | ||||
| 4 | "Bosom Buddies" | January 23, 2014 | 1.546[10] | |
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Adam Scott, Paul Rudd, Gillian Jacobs, Mo Collins, Aisha Muharrar, Helen Slayton-Hughes, and Aidy Bryant reenact the opening sequence from Bosom Buddies. Cameos by Peter Scolari, Tom Hanks, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Billy Joel, who actually performed "My Life", which he wrote and originally recorded but was covered by another artist for the original series. June Diane Raphael plays Adam's fictional wife Emily Scott.[9] | ||||
References
edit- ^ Evans, Bradford. "Talking to Adam Scott About 'The Greatest Event in Television History' and Other Stuff". Splitsider. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
- ^ Evans, Bradford. "Talking to Adam Scott About 'A.C.O.D.', 'Parks and Rec', and 'The Greatest Event in TV History'". Splitsider. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
- ^ Zakarin, Jordan (October 11, 2012). "'The Greatest Event in Television History': Adam Scott and Jon Hamm are 'Simon & Simon' (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- ^ "Adult Swim ratings (October 8-14, 2012)". South of the Bronx. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
- ^ Sellers, John; Sarah Frank (June 6, 2013). "Watch Adam Scott and Amy Poehler's Hart to Hart Remake Side by Side With the Original Opening Credits". Vulture. New York Media, LLC. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (2013-06-07). "Thursday Cable Ratings: 'Pawn Stars' Wins Night + 'Burn Notice', 'Swamp People', 'Graceland', 'Men at Work', NHL Hockey & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 2013-06-09. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
- ^ Friedlander, Whitney (November 8, 2013). "Adam Scott's 'Greatest Event in Television History' Takes on 'Too Close for Comfort'". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda. "Thursday Cable Ratings: Thursday Night Football Tops Night + NBA Basketball, 'Pawn Stars', 'Beyond Scared Straight' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 8 November 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
- ^ Busis, Hillary (January 24, 2014). "The latest 'Greatest Event in Television History': Adam Scott and Paul Rudd in 'Bosom Buddies' -- VIDEO". Entertainment Weekly. CNN. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (2014-01-24). "Thursday Cable Ratings: 'Pawn Stars' Wins Night, 'Appalachian Outlaws', 'White Collar', 'Mob Wives' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 2014-01-27. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
