It's All Relative

infobox television
show_name = It's All Relative


caption =
format = Sitcom
runtime = approx. 7:48 (per episode)
creator = Anne Flett-Giordano and Chuck Ranberg
starring = Lenny Clarke
Harriet Sansom Harris
John Benjamin Hickey
Maggie Lawson
Paige Moss
Reid Scott
Christopher Sieber

country = USA
network = ABC
first_aired = October 1, 2003
last_aired = April 6, 2004
num_seasons = 1
num_episodes = 22
imdb_id = 0366034

"It's All Relative" is an ABC sitcom about a man who dates the adoptive daughter of a gay couple, which forces their very different families to learn to coexist.

Overview

The show, created by Chuck Ranberg and Anne Flett-Giordano, premiered on ABC on October 1, 2003 and aired to solid ratings until it was cancelled, with two episodes unaired, on April 6, 2004. While the final two episodes produced were never aired in the US during the show's original run, they have been broadcast in the original run of the show abroad (such as in the United Kingdom and Ireland, where the channel Trouble, aimed at teenagers, showed the episodes), as well as in reruns.

Although the show had a loyal audience, ABC pulled it two episodes short of completing its first and only season under the allegation of poor ratings. (In fact, no show scheduled opposite it had ever beaten it in the ratings until the arrival of "The Simple Life" and "American Idol", and no show which followed it on ABC matched its ratings until "Lost" a few months later)fact|date= April 2008

Many argued that what killed the show was its bad time slot, on Wednesday nights, but fans were rather suspicious that what actually would have caused cancellation was an alleged conservatism as well as censorship on the part of ABC and possibly some of the channel's audience. According to this theory, the presence of a homosexual couple, played by real-life homosexual actors (Christopher Sieber and John Benjamin Hickey) that had adopted and raised a child was too much of a shock and considered inappropriate for the time slot, which would be a more "familiar" one. ABC has vehemently denied that thesis,fact|date= April 2008 but fans were not convinced, and were particularly irritated by the fact that the creators and writers of the show were fired from ABC following the show's cancellation.

tory

The story revolved around two rather different realities, in Boston, Massachusetts. In one corner, there was the rather stereotyped character played by Lenny Clarke, a Boston Irish bar owner close to retirement who watches with dismay as his son falls for a girl with a rather unorthodox family history: she is the adoptive, and somewhat spoiled, daughter of an upper-middle class gay couple. The situation forces the character to come to terms with his homophobia although this aspect of Clarke's character was substantially toned down, since the atmosphere of a sitcom would not be suitable to explore such a conflict appropriately (the producers did not intend to recreate another "All in the Family" Archie Bunker character). In addition, the audience is introduced to the also stereotypical Irish American wife (Harriet Sansom Harris), who helps in the pub but is generally a traditional middle-aged housewife (but oddly has little problems accepting her soon-to-be daughter-in-law's parents), as well as the couple's tough-but-kind daughter (Paige Moss), who waitresses in the family's bar.

On the other side, there were Simon (Christopher Sieber) and Philip (John Benjamin Hickey), a same-sex couple who takes pride in how well they were able to raise their adoptive daughter. Here, the comedy came from the couple's difficulties in adjusting to their daughter's boyfriend's family, especially his father (Lenny Clarke), and most notably from Philip's notion that his daughter was dating someone "beneath her", both socially and culturally.

The first (and as it turned out, the only) season followed Maggie Lawson's and Reid Scott's characters romance as it evolved from a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship into engagement and, eventually, marriage. During this process, the two families strived to come to terms with the inevitability of being "joined" by their children's union, which would force both sides to revisit their preconceptions and prejudices.

Cast and Characters

* Lenny Clarke as Mace O'Neill
* Harriet Sansom Harris as Audrey O'Neill
* John Benjamin Hickey as Philip Stoddard
* Maggie Lawson as Liz Stoddard-Banks
* Paige Moss as Maddy O'Neill
* Reid Scott as Bobby O'Neill
* Christopher Sieber as Simon Banks

Episode guide

Title	Writers	Director	First Aired	Obs.
Pilot	Chuck Ranberg, Anne Flett-Giordano	Andy Cadiff	1 October 2003	Taped on July 14, 2003
Truth and Consequences	Barton Dean	Steve Zuckerman	8 October 2003
Hell's Kitchen	Ken Levine, David Isaacs	Steve Zuckerman	15 October 2003
Take Me Out	Jon Fener, Josh Bycel	Steve Zuckerman	22 October 2003
The Doctor Is Out	Ellen Byron	Lissa Kapstrom	29 October 2003
Waking Uncle Paddy	Barton Dean	Barnet Kellman	5 November 2003
Swangate	Josh Bycel, Jonathan Fener	Barnet Kellman	12 November 2003
Road Trippin'	Lissa Kapstrom, Ellen Byron	Barnet Kellman	19 November 2003
Thanks, But No Thanks	Anne Flett-Giordano, Chuck Ranberg	Andy Cadiff	26 November 2003
Artistic Differences	Jordan Hawley, Wil Schifrin	Andy Cadiff	10 December 2003
The Santa That Came to Dinner	Ken Levine, David Isaacs	Ken Levine	17 December 2003
What's Up	Anne Flett-Giordano	Philip CharlesMacKenzie	7 January 2004
And Our Sauce, It Is a Beauty	Michael Markowitz	Bob Koherr	14 January 2004
Ready, Aim, Sing!	Michael Markowitz	Barnet Kellman	21 January 2004
Tackleboxxx / The Love Below	Michael Markowitz		28 January 2004	Title name after an Outkast album
Cross My Heart	Jayme Petrille	Ken Levine	11 February 2004
A Long Day's Journey Into Leonard's	Charlie Hauck	Barnet Kellman	18 February 2004
Oscar Interruptus			25 February 2004
Who's Camping Now			30 March 2004
Philip in a China Shop	Barton Dean, Josh Bycel	Barnet Kellman	6 April 2004	The show was cancelled after this episode.
Doggy-Style	Barton Dean	Leonard R. Garner Jr.	UNAIRED
Fight For Your Invite to Party	Lissa Kapstrom, Ellen Byron	Barton Dean	UNAIRED	Last episode produced.

Total number of episodes: 22

External links

*imdb title|id=0366034|title=It's All Relative
* [http://www.tv.com/its-all-relative/show/17542/summary.html It's All Relative at TV.com]