9JKL

9JKL is an American sitcom television series that was created and executive produced by Dana Klein and Mark Feuerstein, loosely based on the life of the couple, who are married in real life. The series aired from October 2, 2017, to February 5, 2018 on CBS. It stars Feuerstein, Linda Lavin, David Walton, Elliott Gould, and Liza Lapira. On May 12, 2018, CBS cancelled the series after one season.

Premise

Josh Roberts, a divorced actor whose fictional TV series Blind Cop was recently cancelled, moves back to New York City and lives in apartment 9K. His family lives in adjacent apartments: his parents live in 9J, while his brother, sister-in-law, and their newborn baby live in 9L. This unique situation prompts Josh to try and set boundaries while reconnecting with his family members.
The show is loosely based on Feuerstein's experiences while shooting the USA Network series Royal Pains; in real life, however, Feuerstein lived with his wife, 9JKL executive producer Dana Klein, while living next to his own family.

Cast

Main

Mark Feuerstein as Josh Roberts, a divorced TV actor
Elliott Gould as Harry Roberts, the patriarch of the Roberts family and Josh and Andrew's father
Linda Lavin as Judy Roberts, the matriarch of the family and Josh and Andrew's mother
Liza Lapira as Eve Roberts, Andrew's girlfriend and Josh's sister-in-law
David Walton as Andrew Roberts, Josh's younger brother
Albert Tsai as Ian
Matt Murray as Nick
Recurring
Tone Bell as Luke
Guest stars
Robert Costanzo as Massimo
Brooke D'Orsay as Natalie
Paul Feig as himself
Phil Morris as Dr. Starnes
Christina Pickles as Lenore
Michael Showalter as Walter Michaelson
Lois Smith as Wrong Nana
Fred Willard as Dick
Cheri Oteri as Patty Partridge
Andrea Anders as Lauren
Episodes

Production

Development

On January 17, 2017, it was announced that CBS had given the production a pilot order as 9J, 9K and 9L. The episode was written and authored by Mark Feuerstein who was expected to executive produce along with Dana Klein, Aaron Kaplan, Wendi Trilling and Dana Honor. Production companies involved with the pilot include Liscolaide Productions, Trill TV, Kapital Entertainment, and CBS Television Studios. On May 12, 2017, CBS officially ordered the pilot to series. A few days later, it was announced that the series, now titled 9JKL, would premiere on October 2, 2017 and airs on Mondays at 9:30 P.M. On November 17, 2017, CBS picked up the series for a full season of 16 episodes.

Casting

In February 2017, it was announced that David Walton, Matt Murray and Liza Lapira had been cast in the pilot's lead roles. On March 6, 2017, it was reported that both Linda Lavin and Elliott Gould had also joined the pilot's main cast. On June 19, 2017, it was announced that Albert Tsai had been cast to the regular series.

Cancellation

On May 12, 2018, it was announced that CBS officially cancelled 9JKL, along with Kevin Can Wait, Superior Donuts, Living Biblically, and Me, Myself & I. A combination of factors, including declining ratings, CBS's desire to have an ownership stake, and the network needing to clear space for three new sitcoms in the fall 2018 schedule, led to the show's demise.

Home media

The full complete series was released on DVD as for CBS Home Entertainment on November 26, 2019.

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 19% based on 16 reviews. The website’s consensus reads: " Irritatingly uninspired, 9jkl leaves its talented cast out in the cold." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 37 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".