Imaginary Mary Explained

Voices:Rachel Dratch
Composer:Michael Wandmacher
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:1
Num Episodes:9
Camera:Single-camera
Runtime:22 minutes
Network:ABC

Imaginary Mary is an American live-action/animated fantasy sitcom television series created by Adam F. Goldberg, David Guarascio and Patrick Osborne that aired on ABC from March 29 to May 30, 2017.[1] The series is executive produced by the creators and was greenlighted to series order on May 12, 2016.[2] A first-look-trailer was released on the same day.[3] ABC reduced the number of episodes from thirteen to nine on September 28, 2016.[4]

On May 11, 2017, the series was cancelled after one season.[5]

Plot

The series follows Alice when an imaginary puppet being from her childhood, named Mary, reappears when she is now a single public relations executive falling in love with a single father of three children. Mary hopes to guide (or misguide) her.

Cast

Production

The series was first announced in 2015 as Imaginary Friend which was then changed to Imaginary Gary. In the original pilot, the main characters were both men and the love interest was a single mom.[6] When the series went into development, the genders of the characters were flipped. Elfman filmed her scenes first with a puppet in order for the animators to have a reference point, and then in a later take without anything to show what she was talking to. Dratch did her voice work separately in New York with the scenes already filmed. She said at the TCA press tour, "I have the freedom to go crazy."[7]

In September 2016, it was reported that the show's crew would make changes with the animation for the character, Mary, after it received a poor reception from ABC.[8] ABC then reduced the original thirteen-episode order for the first season to nine episodes in order to allow the show's crew to make changes with the animation.

Reception

Critical response

The series received a generally negative response from critics. On review aggregator site Metacritic, Imaginary Mary has a score of 39 out of 100 based on 13 critics indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[9] On Rotten Tomatoes, the show has a 27% approval rating, based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 3.9/10. The site's critical consensus: "Imaginary Mary appealing cast is canceled out by uninspired material and a ridiculous premise whose deficiencies are compounded by an unfunny, ill-advised CGI creature."[10]

Ratings

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ABC Midseason Schedule: 'Time After Time', 'American Crime', 'The Catch', 'Dirty Dancing', Others Get Premiere Dates. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline Hollywood. January 10, 2017. January 10, 2017.
  2. Web site: Drama 'Notorious', Comedy 'Imaginary Mary' Picked Up To Series At ABC. May 12, 2016. Nellie. Andreeva. Deadline.
  3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT5NOaoxdwk Trailer for "Imaginary Mary"
  4. Web site: 'Imaginary Mary' Episode Count Cut From 13 to 9. The Hollywood Reporter. 28 September 2016. September 28, 2016.
  5. Web site: Dr. Ken and two more comedies canceled by ABC. Snierson. Dan. Entertainment Weekly. May 11, 2017. May 11, 2017.
  6. Web site: 'Imaginary Friend' Live Action-CGI Comedy from 'The Goldbergs' Duo & Top Disney Animator Gets ABC Pilot Order. 6 October 2015.
  7. Web site: Beyond imagination: Jenna Elfman, Rachel Dratch star in new ABC comedy. Dresch. Cassie. TV Media. March 27, 2017.
  8. Web site: 'Imaginary Mary' Order Trimmed By ABC. Deadline. Andreeva. Nellie. September 28, 2016. November 7, 2017.
  9. Web site: Imaginary Mary Season 1 Reviews. Metacritic. March 29, 2017.
  10. Web site: Imaginary Mary: Season 1. Rotten Tomatoes. January 6, 2019.