Wonderfalls

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Wonderfalls
Wonderfalls.jpg
Promotional photo. Left to right: Neil Grayston, William Sadler, Diana Scarwid, Tracie Thoms, Tyron Leitso, Katie Finneran, Caroline Dhavernas, Lee Pace
Genre Comedy drama
Fantasy [1] [2]
Created by Todd Holland
Bryan Fuller
Starring Caroline Dhavernas
Katie Finneran
Tyron Leitso
Lee Pace
William Sadler
Diana Scarwid
Tracie Thoms
Opening theme"I Wonder Why the Wonderfalls" by Andy Partridge
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producers Bryan Fuller
Todd Holland
Tim Minear
Production locations Ontario, Canada
Running time42 minutes
Production companies Living Dead Guy Productions
Walking Bud Productions
Regency Television
20th Century Fox Television
Original release
Network Fox
ReleaseMarch 12 (2004-03-12) –
April 1, 2004 (2004-04-01)

Wonderfalls is an American fantasy comedy drama television series created by Todd Holland and Bryan Fuller. The series premiered on Fox on March 12, 2004, and only four episodes were aired before Fox canceled the show in April 2004 due to low ratings. The remaining nine episodes were later aired on Canadian network VisionTV beginning in November 2004 when it acquired all 13 episodes. The entire series was released on DVD in 2005.

Contents

The show centers on Jaye Tyler (Caroline Dhavernas), a recent Brown University graduate with a philosophy degree, who holds a dead-end job as a sales clerk at a Niagara Falls gift shop. Jaye is the reluctant participant in conversations with various animal figurines – a wax lion, brass monkey, stuffed bear, and mounted fish, among others – which direct her via oblique instructions to help people in need. [3] [4]

TV Guide included the series in their 2013 list of 60 shows that were "Cancelled Too Soon". [5]

Cast and characters

Main characters

Recurring characters

Production

The series was an American production, filmed in Niagara Falls, Ontario and Toronto, Ontario (standing in for Niagara Falls, New York and environs), [2] [6] with several Canadian actors cast in lead roles (including the show's star). It was created by Bryan Fuller and Todd Holland and executive produced in partnership with Tim Minear. Originally scheduled to debut in the fall of 2003, its premiere was delayed until early 2004. When it finally debuted in March 2004 on the FOX network, Wonderfalls received positive reviews from critics, [7] [8] [9] but had trouble attracting viewers. The pilot episode, "Wax Lion", received a higher Nielsen rating when it was repeated the Thursday after its premiere, and the show was moved from a Friday-night time slot to Thursday. [10] There was little notice or promotion of the time change, and FOX subsequently canceled the show after airing the fourth episode. A fifth episode was advertised but never aired. [11]

Despite its cancellation, Wonderfalls developed a loyal fan base. A campaign spearheaded by fans, with an accompanying website, was launched, and several members of the cast and crew visited the site and encouraged the grassroots support. [12] [13]

Immediately after the show's cancellation, its producers attempted to interest other networks, including The WB, in picking up the series and some episodes were shown in theatres in Los Angeles during the summer of 2004 in order to raise support for the series.

Planned episodes

Although the show's creators had intended for the 13 episodes of Wonderfalls to tell a standalone story, they discussed plans for second and third seasons in an interview and episode commentaries featured on the 2005 DVD release of the series. Among the projected storylines mentioned on the DVD:

Episodes

Fox aired the first four episodes out of sequence, although the episodes were produced in a different order than was intended for broadcast. The order below is how they are presented on the DVD release. [14] [15] The air dates for episodes 5–13 are when they first aired on television on VisionTV. [16]

DVD order  [14] [15] TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Wax Lion" Todd Holland Story by : Todd Holland & Bryan Fuller
Teleplay by : Bryan Fuller		March 12, 2004 (2004-03-12)1AHM794.31 [17]
Jaye, an Ivy-league educated, underachieving retail employee, begins hearing voices from toy animals, who tell her to do things.
2"Pink Flamingos"Todd Holland Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts April 1, 2004 (2004-04-01)1AHM012.93 [18]
The voices tell Jaye to help a disliked high school classmate organize their high school reunion.
3"Karma Chameleon" Marita Grabiak Tim Minear March 19, 2004 (2004-03-19)1AHM103.68 [19]
Jaye helps a young woman who is down on her luck until she begins assuming Jaye's identity.
4"Wound-Up Penguin"Todd Holland Liz W. Garcia March 26, 2004 (2004-03-26)1AHM123.25 [20]
When Jaye encounters a nun (Carrie Preston) who has lost her faith, she shares her experiences with the talking animals with the nun who tries to perform an exorcism on her.
5"Crime Dog" Allan Kroeker Krista Vernoff November 1, 2004 (2004-11-01)1AHM02N/A
When their illegal housekeeper is deported, a cow creamer's urging sends Jaye and Aaron to Canada to bring her back.
6"Muffin Buffalo" Craig Zisk Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron HarbertsNovember 22, 2004 (2004-11-22)1AHM05N/A
Jaye hates that her actions when listening to the voices are causing people to see her as a hero. Without any prodding from the animals, Jaye befriends a shut-in from the trailer park after she inadvertently hurts his feelings.
7"Barrel Bear" Jamie Babbit Tim Minear & Bryan FullerNovember 8, 2004 (2004-11-08)1AHM03N/A
Jaye helps a woman (Rue McClanahan) that people believe is the first woman to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel regain some of her celebrity, until another woman (Louise Fletcher) shows up saying that she actually went over the Falls in that barrel.
8"Lovesick Ass"Todd Holland Dan E. Fesman & Harry VictorNovember 15, 2004 (2004-11-15)1AHM04N/A
Worried that she is not sane enough to enter a relationship, Jaye deflects Eric's advances while they work together to help a Russian mail-order bride whose prospective husband turns out to be a 13-year-old boy. The boy soon turns his romantic attention towards Jaye.
9"Safety Canary" Peter Lauer Liz W. Garcia & Alexander Woo November 29, 2004 (2004-11-29)1AHM06N/A
Jaye is determined to turn her and Eric's first date into their last when she begins to realize that she is a maneater like both Mahandra and Aaron say. Kellie Waymire guest starred in this episode; she died shortly after filming, and the closing credits begin with the dedication "In memory of Kellie Waymire." [21]
10"Lying Pig" Peter O'Fallon Krista Vernoff & Abby GewanterDecember 6, 2004 (2004-12-06)1AHM07N/A
While Eric's wife Heidi tries to win him back, Jaye tries to listen to the voice and stay out of the situation, even though it is difficult for her.
11"Cocktail Bunny"Todd HollandBryan FullerDecember 13, 2004 (2004-12-13)1AHM08N/A
Upset that the voices told her to let Eric go back to Heidi, Jaye is looking for a reason to suspect Heidi of wrongdoing. She misreads the signs that the voices give her, which leads to her alienating Eric but saving the life of her psychologist.
12"Totem Mole" Jeremy Podeswa Harry Victor & Dan E. FesmanDecember 20, 2004 (2004-12-20)1AHM09N/A
While visiting an Indian reservation, Jaye encounters the spirit of a holy woman, who she thinks can help silence the animal voices forever.
13"Caged Bird" Michael Lehmann Krista VernoffDecember 27, 2004 (2004-12-27)1AHM11N/A
A bank robber takes Jaye, Sharon, and some of the gift shop employees hostage just as Jaye and Eric are supposed to meet to say a final goodbye. Circumstances of the crime provide life-saving treatment for the security guard. As the episode and series ends Eric has moved back to Niagara Falls and Jaye and Eric kiss.

There is an alternate version of the first episode "Wax Lion". It features Kerry Washington playing Mahandra and Adam Scott playing Aaron. On the DVD commentary, the creators state that both actors had to be replaced because they could not commit to future episodes. The alternate version omits Thomas telling Jaye at the end that he is going to marry the nurse. The scene was added because the network wanted the Thomas subplot resolved, even though the creators disliked the scene. It also omits a scene where Jaye throws a quarter into the fountain before any muses start talking to her. The network supposedly wanted an impetus for why the muses started talking.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 76% with an average score of 8.3 out of 10 based on 17 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Although the premise couldn't sustain the show beyond a single season, Wonderfalls' deadpan protagonist and witty dialogue offer a distinctive take on twentysomething angst." [22]

Broadcast and syndication

Select unaired episodes were screened in July 2004 at San Diego Comic-Con and at the Knitting Factory in Los Angeles. [12] All 13 episodes of Wonderfalls were aired to completion for the first time on Canada's VisionTV beginning in October 2004. [23] [16]

Wonderfalls was aired by the digital cable network Logo TV beginning in July 2005. [24] [25] Also in July 2005, the British network Sky1 aired the series to completion, though not in the original intended episode order. [26]

The Museum of Television and Radio held a two-day screening of the entire series on January 29 and 30, 2005. [27]

Home media release

20th Century Fox released the complete series DVD set on February 1, 2005. The DVD set includes all 13 episodes; six commentary tracks by creators Todd Holland and Bryan Fuller, and actors Caroline Dhavernas and Katie Finneran on "Wax Lion", "Crime Dog", "Lovesick Ass", "Safety Canary", "Cocktail Bunny" (with Scotch Ellis Loring) and "Caged Bird"; a behind-the-scenes documentary, an examination of the show's visual effects, and one of two music videos produced for the theme song, "I Wonder Why the Wonderfalls" by Andy Partridge. [14] [15]

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References

  1. ↑ Dillard, Brian J. "Wonderfalls [TV Series]". Allmovie. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Wonderfalls". British Film Institute . London. Archived from the original on August 24, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  3. ↑ Hofstede, David (2006). Hofstede, David (2006). 5000 Episodes And No Commercials: The Ultimate Guide to TV Shows on DVD 2007, Back Stage Books, ISBN 0-8230-8456-6, p. 331. Watson-Guptill Publications, Incorporated. ISBN   9780823084562 . Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  4. ↑ Datlow, Ellen; Link, Kelly; Grant, Gavin (August 2005). Datlow, Ellen, et al. (2005). The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Eighteenth Annual Collection, Macmillan, ISBN 0-312-34194-6, p. xxxix – xl. St. Martin's Press. ISBN   9780312341930 . Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  5. ↑ Roush, Matt (June 3, 2013). "Cancelled Too Soon". TV Guide . pp. 20 and 21
  6. ↑ Wonderfalls Tour — Guide to filming locations seen on the show
  7. ↑ Tim Goodman (March 12, 2004). "Trinkets are Spirit Guides in Fox's Brilliant 'Wonderfalls', San Francisco Chronicle, March 12, 2004". Sfgate.com. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  8. ↑ Heffernan, Virginia (March 12, 2004). "Orders Come From a Talking Lion (Made of Wax), New York Times, March 12, 2004". The New York Times . Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  9. ↑ Joy Press (February 24, 2004). "Press, Joy. "Guided by Voices", Village Voice, February 24, 2004". Villagevoice.com. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  10. ↑ Perebinossoff, Philippe; Gross, Brian; Gross, Lynne S. (2005). Perebinossoff, Philippe, et al. (2005) Programming for TV, Radio, and the Internet: Strategy, Development, and Evaluation, Elsevier, ISBN 0-240-80682-4, p. 277. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   9780240806822 . Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Cancellation notice from". Tim Minear. April 3, 2004. Retrieved June 16, 2010.[ dead link ]
  12. 1 2 "Save Wonderfalls". Save Wonderfalls. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Save Wonderfalls – Thanks from Bryan Fuller". Archived from the original on June 3, 2004.
  14. 1 2 3 "Wonderfalls: Complete Series". DVD Talk. January 23, 2005. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  15. 1 2 3 Schorn, Peter (February 3, 2005). "Wonderfalls: The Complete Viewer Collection". IGN. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
  16. 1 2 "Wonderfalls". Vision TV. Archived from the original on October 12, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 8-14)". ABC Medianet . March 16, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 29-Apr. 4)". ABC Medianet . April 6, 2004. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 15-21)". ABC Medianet . March 23, 2004. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 22-28)". ABC Medianet . March 30, 2004. Archived from the original on December 21, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Safety Canary". Wonderfalls. Event occurs at 43:12.
  22. ↑ "Wondefalls: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  23. ↑ Brioux, Bill (October 4, 2004). "Vision TV rescues 'Wonderfalls'". Canoe.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Development Update: June 30-July 1". The Futon Critic. July 1, 2005. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  25. ↑ "Shows A-Z - Wonderfalls on Fox". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Wonderfalls to Sky". BBC. June 6, 2005. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Marathon Screening of Wonderfalls!". Paley Center for Media. January 11, 2005. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
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