May 29, 2014 (2014-05-29) – January 29, 2016 (2016-01-29)
Undateable is an Americansitcom television series that aired onNBC from May 29, 2014, to January 29, 2016, and originally premiered as amid-season replacement.[1][2] The series was created byAdam Sztykiel, based on the bookUndateable: 311 Things Guys Do That Guarantee They Won't Be Dating or Having Sex by Ellen Rakieten and Anne Coyle.[3][4][5] In the show, bachelor Danny Burton has trouble getting into a relationship with various women he meets. On May 8, 2015, NBC renewedUndateable for a third season that consisted entirely of live episodes,[6][7] which premiered on October 9, 2015.[8] On May 13, 2016, NBC canceled the series after three seasons.[9]
Danny Burton is a 34-year-old carefree single guy who has watched most of his friends move on to serious relationships. When his last remaining single friend, Shannon, moves out to marry, Danny searches for a new roommate. A promising candidate is Justin, the owner of Black Eyes Bar (frequently mispronounced "Black Guys Bar") in theDetroit suburb ofFerndale. Justin and his friends—the creepy Burski, oddball Shelly, and recentlyout-of-the-closet Brett—all have certain qualities that make them appear "undateable". While Danny himself has good luck getting women into bed, he is unable or unwilling to form a lasting commitment with any of them. Danny's older sister, Leslie, has similar fears about being undateable, having the "baggage" of being a mid-30s divorcee.
David Fynn as Brett, Justin's gay co-worker and friend
Rick Glassman as Adam Burski, Justin's nerdy friend who has a crush on Leslie and often goes by his surname
Ron Funches as Shelly, Justin's oddball friend who moves into the upstairs loft at the bar
Bridgit Mendler as Candace (Season 2–3), Justin's eccentric new bartender and later fiancée; she often scares the gang with bizarre stories from her childhood, living in cars and eating paper – but always delivers these tales with a strange optimism[10]
NBC purchased the script from Bill Lawrence in October 2012.[5][14] Casting for the pilot began in early 2013, withBrent Morin andRick Glassman being cast in February andBianca Kajlich andChris D'Elia being cast in March.[15][16][17][18]Matthew Wilkas was also cast in March as Brett, Justin's gay friend.[19]Aly Michalka was originally cast as Maddie, a waitress in Justin's bar and Justin's love interest, but she left the show in April 2013 and was replaced withBriga Heelan in a guest star role as the similar character Nicki.[20][21]
In May 2013, NBC placed a series order forUndateable.[22] After the series was ordered, Wilkas left and was replaced with David Fynn in the role of Brett.[23] When bothUndateable andGround Floor, which stars Heelan, were picked up as series,Megan Park was cast to replace Heelan in the Nicki role.[24] However, by September of that year, the producers were able to arrange the schedules of the two shows so that Heelan could appear onUndateable as Nicki on a recurring basis, and she replaced Park.[25]
In March 2014, Lawrence, Morin, Glassman, Funches, and D'Elia launched an 8-city comedy tour to promote the show.[26][27][28]
On May 5, 2015, the show was presented live in a one-hour episode that featured numerous guest stars.[11] Based on the reception to that episode, NBC made the decision to feature all live episodes for Season 3, with each episode featuring a musical guest.[8] Starting with season 3,Undateable aired two feeds, one from theEast Coast and one from theWest Coast, both of which were available online after the show aired on its linear broadcast.[29][30]
On November 13, 2015, 30 minutes before air time, a decision was made to pre-empt the then-upcoming live program due to theNovember 2015 Paris attacks.[31] The next week, during the November 20 live episode, references were made about the attack.[32]
The Sixth Lead is a five-part webseries starring Rick Glassman.[33] Each part runs for 4–7 minutes. It is described as "A web-series about an NBC Sitcom actor who doesn't really talk much." It is about Glassman wanting to contribute more toUndateable and become a more important cast member on the series. The first episode is titled "Meeting With the Showrunner".[34]
Undateable initially received mixed reviews from critics. OnRotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 38% rating, based on 16 reviews, with the consensus reading: "Largely bereft of originality or humor,Undateable is underwhelming."[35] OnMetacritic, the first season has a score of 49 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[36]
The third season finale "averaged a 0.8/3 in 18–49 and 2.7 million viewers overall, placing fourth among the Big Four but matching the show's top score since mid-October."[37] Due to the success of the Season 2 finale going live, the decision was made to renewUndateable for an all-live Season 3, broadcasting live for both the East and West Coast feeds.[38][39]
