The Michael Richards Show


The Michael Richards Show is an American television sitcom created by Spike Feresten, Gregg Kavet, Andy Robin and Michael Richards that was produced by Castle Rock Entertainment and Warner [Bros. Television] and aired on NBC from October 24 to December 19, 2000, for eight episodes. The show stars Richards as socially awkward but talented private detective Vic Nardozza, who gets the job done despite his unusual methods.

Synopsis

The show revolved around Vic Nardozza, an inept and clumsy private investigator working for McKay Investigative Services. Throughout the show, misunderstandings and poor decisions get in the way of the cases, but Nardozza always ends up getting the job done.

Cast

Production

Following the conclusion of his previous show, Seinfeld, Michael Richards re-teamed with Andy Robin, Gregg Kavet, and Spike Feresten, three former Seinfeld writers/producers, in a comedy caper about a private eye in Los Angeles. When originally conceived, Richards wanted to differentiate his character from Kramer, the role he immortalized on Seinfeld. When test audiences' expectations for Richards were not met, NBC decided that the character would share characteristics with his previous role. The character Nardozza was named after Richards' own mother, Phyllis Nardozzi. By June 13, 2000, Ron Zimmerman had been named as a co-executive producer for the series.
The Michael Richards Show premiered on NBC on October 24, 2000, to 13.19 million viewers according to Nielsen Media Research. On November 8, following the second episode's broadcast, co-creator Spike Feresten departed the series over "creative differences" with the series' crew. A decline in ratings following the first episode's broadcast led NBC to cancel the series after eight episodes.
In a 2015 interview, co-star William Devane recalled that making the show was "a nightmare", blaming both Richards' actions as the star of the show and the lack of a capable showrunner for its failure.

Reception

The show received generally negative reviews from critics. Variety reviewer Phil Gallo described the premiere episode as "thoroughly unfunny" and that "the humor is lacking at every turn in this series, and the wit is practically nonexistent." People reviewer Tom Gliatto compared the difficulty in Seinfeld stars moving onto solo projects to "stepping onto a toboggan loaded with tubes of nitroglycerine and then hurtling down a sheet of rock." Gliatto stated that the comedy the series incorporated "isn't enough to fill out a show" and said that the series "is off to a flat-footed start." Entertainment Weekly reviewer Ken Tucker wrote, "The Michael Richards Show isn't merely unamusing; it's shockingly incompetent."