- Memphis Beat
-
Memphis Beat 
Genre Drama
ComedyCreated by Joshua Harto
Liz GarciaStarring Jason Lee
Alfre Woodard
Sam Hennings
DJ Qualls
Celia Weston
Leonard Earl Howze
Abraham BenrubiOpening theme "Memphis Beat" by Keb' Mo' Country of origin United States Language(s) English No. of seasons 2 No. of episodes 20 (List of episodes) Production Executive producer(s) Liz Garcia
Clark Johnson
George Clooney
Grant HeslovLocation(s) New Orleans Running time 43 minutes Production company(s) Warner Horizon Television
Smokehouse ProductionsBroadcast Original channel TNT Original run June 22, 2010 – August 16, 2011 External links Website Memphis Beat is an American drama series that debuted on TNT on June 22, 2010 and ended on August 16, 2011. Memphis Beat was officially canceled on October 14, 2011.[1]
Contents
Overview
Main article: List of Memphis Beat episodesThe show follows Dwight Hendricks (Jason Lee), a police detective assigned to the General Assignment division of the MPD, who loves his mother, the blues, his city, and Elvis Presley and calls himself "the keeper of Memphis". His fierce dedication to his home town is offset by his easygoing approach to his job, an attitude that irks by-the-book Lt. Tanya Rice (Alfre Woodard), his new boss.
Cast
- Jason Lee as Detective Dwight Hendricks
- Alfre Woodard as Lieutenant Tanya Rice
- Sam Hennings as Detective Charles “Whitehead” White
- DJ Qualls as Police Officer Davey Sutton
- Celia Weston as Paula Ann Hendricks
- Leonard Earl Howze as Detective Reginald Greenback
- Abraham Benrubi as Sgt. JC Lightfoot
Production
Jason Lee said he was drawn to the show because the concept was original and the protagonist was fun to play. Lee said, "The whole package was unique and once I came to found the character and the material and the scenarios and his relationships and he’s such a great guy and is so multi-layered and cares such a great deal for his city and his family and the people that he’s protecting." Lee listened to hundreds of Presley songs in preparation for the role, and said his respect for the artist grew as a result.[2] The vocals for Lee's character are sung by Mark Arnell.[3]
The title Delta Blues was originally considered, but it was eventually changed to Memphis Beat.[4] The show was created by married couple Josh Harto and Liz Garcia, with actor George Clooney and his production partner writer/actor/director Grant Heslov serving as executive producers. Harto and Garcia wrote the first two episodes of the series.[5] Liz Garcia said of the show, "Broadcast TV is being influenced by cable in so many ways in terms of reinventing genres and taking chances, and this is part of it. [...] The forefront of creativity is on cable TV."[6]
Despite the show's setting, the first season was primarily filmed in Laplace, LA and New Orleans, LA with only some key locations and exteriors filmed in Memphis.[7] This has largely been attributed to the better tax incentives by filming in a state other than Tennessee.
On September 16, 2010, TNT announced that Memphis Beat was renewed for a second season, the first episode of which was broadcast June 14, 2011.
On October 17, 2011, TNT decided not to pick up a third season of Memphis Beat.
Reception
Critical Reception
Memphis Beat has received mixed to average reviews, earning a score of 56 on Metacritic.[8] The New York Times said of the pilot episode "This series is to Memphis what the HBO series “Treme” is to New Orleans and “Justified” on FX is to Harlan County in Kentucky — timeless indigenous music is set against the exoticism of temporal subcultures.[9] The New York Daily News gave another positive review saying that "TNT's new "Memphis Beat" has a great soundtrack and a pretty good cop drama in between.".[10] The Hollywood Reporter also gave the pilot a positive review:
But even as the cop genre seems beyond saturation, along comes TNT's Memphis Beat, a series with a fresh character in a fresh environment with a fresh look and sound that proves, against all odds, that good actors and agile execution trump format every time.[11]
Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Actor Result 2011 NAACP Image Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Alfre Woodard Nominated 2011 NAMIC Vision Awards Best Performance - Drama Alfre Woodard Nominated 2011 Gracie Allen Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress - Drama Series Alfre Woodard Won International broadcasting
Country Network Series Premiere 
CanadaSuper Channel[12] September 9, 2010 
TurkeyCNBC-e September 23, 2010 
PortugalAXN November 25, 2010 
NorwayViasat 4 April 11, 2011 
South AfricaMnet Series April 27, 2011 
SpainAXN June 23, 2011 
PolandTV Puls September 5, 2011 
LatviaLTV 7 September 30, 2011 
IsraelHOT3 2011 
FinlandMTV3 October 6, 2011 References
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 14, 2011). "TNT Cancels 'Memphis Beat' After 2 Seasons". Deadline Hollywood. http://www.deadline.com/2011/10/tnt-cancels-memphis-beat-after-2-seasons. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
- ^ Raub, Matt (June 4, 2010). "Exclusive: Jason Lee Talks 'Memphis Beat', 'My Name is Earl'". The Flick Cast. http://theflickcast.com/2010/06/04/exclusive-jason-lee-talks-memphis-beat-my-name-is-earl/. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
- ^ Keveney, Bill (June 20, 2010). "Jason Lee moves to 'Memphis Beat' as a singing detective". USAToday.com.
- ^ Villarreal, Yvonne (April 5, 2010). "Jason Lee is keeping busy with TNT's 'Memphis Beat' [Updated]". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2010/04/jason-lee-is-keeping-busy-with-tnts-delta-blues.html. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
- ^ "About the Show". Memphis Beat (Official site). http://www.tnt.tv/series/memphisbeat/display/?contentId=58465. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
- ^ Kronke, David (June 6, 2010). "Summer is now the time for broadcast networks to get serious". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-ca-0606-summer-runoff-20100606,0,6468508.story. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
- ^ Donahue, Michael (August 24, 2010). "Schilling plays 'spiritual' role in season finale of 'Memphis Beat'". The Commercial Appeal. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/aug/24/schilling-plays-spiritual-role-season-finale-memph/. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
- ^ "Memphis Beat : Season 1". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/tv/memphis-beat/season-1. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
- ^ Stanley, Allesandra (21 June 2010). "Memphis Beat. Take Your Time, Crime Will Wait". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/arts/television/22memphis.html. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
- ^ Hinckley, David (22 June 2010). "TNT cop drama 'Memphis Beat', starring Jason Lee, wins with Southern flavor and great soundtrack". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2010/06/22/2010-06-22_memphis_has_fun_with_offbeat_cops.html. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
- ^ Garron, Barry. "Memphis Beat: TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/memphis-beat-tv-review-29744. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
- ^ "Memphis Beat on Super Channel". superchannel.ca. http://www.superchannel.ca/series/view/44653253/Memphis-Beat/. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
External links
- Official website
- Memphis Beat at the Internet Movie Database
- Memphis Beat at TV.com
- Memphis Beat at Yahoo! TV
TNT programming 1981–1990 1991–2000 2001–2010 The Company · Dark Blue · Hawthorne · Heartland · Into the West · Memphis Beat · Men of a Certain Age · Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King · Raising the Bar · Saving Grace · Salem's Lot · Saved · Trust Me · Wanted · Wedding Day · WitchbladeCurrent The Closer (since 2005) · Falling Skies (since 2011) · Franklin & Bash (since 2011) · Leverage (since 2008) · NASCAR on TNT (since 2001) · NBA on TNT (since 1988) · Rizzoli & Isles (since 2010) · Southland (since 2010)Upcoming ABC (current) · AMC · CBS (current) · CW · E! · Fox · FX · HBO · OWN · NBC (current) · Showtime · Starz · TBS · TNT · USACategories:- 2010s American television series
- 2010 American television series debuts
- 2011 American television series endings
- American comedy-drama television series
- English-language television series
- Films shot in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Police procedural television series
- Television shows set in Tennessee
- TNT (TV channel) shows
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