Men of a Certain Age explained

Genre:Comedy drama
Opentheme:"When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" by The Beach Boys
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:2
Num Episodes:22
Editor:Kevin D. Ross
Runtime:43 minutes
Network:TNT

Men of a Certain Age is an American comedy-drama television series created by Ray Romano and Mike Royce, that ran on TNT from December 7, 2009, to July 6, 2011. The hour-long program stars Romano, Andre Braugher, and Scott Bakula as three best friends in their late forties dealing with the realities of being middle aged. It won a Peabody Award in 2010.[1] On July 15, 2011, TNT cancelled the series after two seasons spanning 22 episodes.

Plot

The series follows the adventures of Joe, Owen, and Terry, three men in their late 40s who have been friends since college. Joe (Ray Romano) is a timid, separated (later divorced) father of two (Brittany Curran as Lucy, and Braeden Lemasters as Albert) who had dreamed of becoming a pro golfer but now owns a party supply store, and has a gambling addiction. Owen (Andre Braugher) is an anxiety-stricken, diabetic husband and father, who works at a job he hates, selling cars at a dealership owned and managed by his father, former NBA player Owen Thoreau, Sr. (Richard Gant). Terry (Scott Bakula) is an apartment building manager and semi-retired actor desperate to relive his past glory. He has never married, and usually dates much younger women.

In the second season, Owen's father has retired and left Owen in charge of the dealership, where Owen hires Terry as a salesman. Joe, now officially divorced, turns 50 and attempts to qualify for the PGA Senior Tour.

Cast and characters

Main cast

Recurring cast

Development

In March 2008, TNT announced that it had ordered a pilot based on a script written by Ray Romano and Mike Royce.[2] [3] Both men had previously worked together on Everybody Loves Raymond. Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula were announced in June and July, respectively, to also star in the series with Romano.[4] [5] In January 2009, TNT ordered 10 episodes of Men of a Certain Age.[6] [7] It is Bakula's first series as a regular cast member since , Braugher's first regular role since Thief ended in 2006, and Romano's first series since Everybody Loves Raymond wrapped in May 2005. Men of a Certain Age premiered on TNT on December 7, 2009.[8] It was given a TV-MA-L rating because of strong language.On January 14, 2010 TNT renewed the show for a second season, which premiered on December 6, 2010. The second season was aired in two batches of six episodes each.

On July 15, 2011, TNT announced that they would not be renewing Men of a Certain Age for a third season.[9]

Episodes

Season 2 (2010–11)

Critical reception

Season one was met with positive reviews. According to aggregate review site Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an 89% approval rating based on 18 reviews. The sites consensus reads: "Witty, insightful, and poignant, Men of a Certain Age is a second-act triumph for stars Scott Bakula, Andre Braugher, and Ray Romano."[10] It holds a Metacritic score of 78 out of 100, based on 24 collected reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11]

Season two was met with equally positive reviews. It holds a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 14 reviews. The sites consensus reads: "Sharply written and deftly acted, Men of a Certain Age continues to be an observational sitcom of rare insight and depth."[12] It holds a Metacritic score of 86 out of 100, based on 15 collected reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[13]

Home media

NameRegion 1Region 2Region 4Discs
Men of a Certain Age: The Complete First SeasonNovember 9, 20102
Men of a Certain Age: The Complete Second and Final SeasonDecember 4, 20123

Awards and nominations

YearAssociationCategory / RecipientResultsRef
2010Humanitas Prize Awards60 Minute Category (for episode "Father's Fraternity")
(writer) Hutcherson
Peabody AwardsMen of a Certain Age
Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (for episode "Powerless") / Andre Braugher[14]
2011Guild of Music Supervisors AwardsBest Music Supervisor for Television / Gary Calamar
NAACP Image AwardsOutstanding Directing in a Drama Series / Millicent Shelton
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series / Andre Braugher
Online Film & Television AssociationBest Supporting Actor in a Drama Series / Andre Braugher[15]
Peabody AwardsMen of a Certain Age / TNT (production company)
Braeden Lemasters
Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (for episode "Let the Sunshine In") / Andre Braugher
Writers Guild of AmericaNew Series / Men of a Certain Age
(writer) Bridget Bedard
(writer) Tucker Cawley
(writer) Warren Hutcherson
(writer) Rick Muirragui
(writer) Jack Orman
(writer) Ray Romano
(writer) Mike Royce
(writer) Lew Schneider
(writer) Mark Stegemann
Young Artists AwardsBest Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) — Supporting Young Actor / Braedon Lemasters
Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) — Supporting Young Actress / Brittany Curran
2012Guild of Music Supervisors AwardsBest Music Supervision for Television / Gary Calamar
NAACP Image AwardsOutstanding Actor in a Drama Series / Andre Braugher
NAMIC Vision AwardsBest Performance — Drama / Andre Braugher
Best Performance — Drama / LisaGay Hamilton

Broadcasting

International

In Canada, Men of a Certain Age can be seen on Super Channel. In Latin America, Men of a Certain Age premiered on July 13, 2010 on the prime time block of Warner Channel.

Streaming

Men of a Certain Age is available to stream for two seasons on WarnerMedia's HBO Max, which launched on May 27, 2020.

Notes and References

  1. http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/men-of-a-certain-age 70th Annual Peabody Awards
  2. News: TNT Orders Ray Romano Pilot Men of a Certain Age. Becker. Anne. March 31, 2008 . Broadcasting & Cable. 2009-03-29.
  3. News: TNT Orders Pilot for Drama Series Men of a Certain Age, Starring Emmy Winner Ray Romano. April 1, 2008. 2009-03-29. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090221065216/http://rayromano.com/news/article.asp?id=95. February 21, 2009. mdy-all.
  4. Web site: Andre Braugher joins TNT pilot . June 4, 2008 . The Hollywood Reporter . 2009-01-20 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080607050808/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i58f212ecd7895426474b4cd6940cc7da . June 7, 2008 .
  5. News: Scott Bakula joins TNT's 'Men'. Schneider. Michael. July 10, 2008. . 2009-03-29.
  6. News: TNT greenlights Ray Romano series. Frankel. Daniel. January 12, 2009. Variety. 2009-03-29.
  7. Web site: TNT orders Ray Romano's 'Men' to series . The Hollywood Reporter . January 12, 2009 . 2009-01-18 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090116033225/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i64ab5b30222e725f5d9a7d39b49381d8 . January 16, 2009 .
  8. News: Men of a Certain Age. Lowry. Brian. December 4, 2009. Variety. December 8, 2009.
  9. Web site: Seidman. Robert. TNT Cancels 'Men of a Certain Age'. https://web.archive.org/web/20110717124043/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/07/15/tnt-cancels-men-of-a-certain-age/98148/. dead. July 17, 2011. TV by the Numbers. July 15, 2011. July 15, 2011.
  10. Web site: Men of a Certain Age: Season 1 . Rotten Tomatoes . 2014-02-21.
  11. Web site: Men of a Certain Age - Season 1 Reviews . Metacritic . 2014-02-21.
  12. Web site: Men of a Certain Age: Season 2 . Rotten Tomatoes . 2014-02-21.
  13. Web site: Men of a Certain Age - Season 2 Reviews . Metacritic . 2014-02-21.
  14. Web site: Men Of A Certain Age. 2021-06-30. Television Academy. en.
  15. Web site: 15th Annual TV Awards (2010-11) - Online Film & Television Association. 2021-06-30. en-US.