Mr. Sunshine (2011 TV series)

Premise

Ben Donovan (Perry) is the operations manager for the Sunshine Center, a second-tier arena in San Diego, who has to deal with the unusual demands of his job and his unpredictable boss (Allison Janney).

Cast and characters

Main cast

• Matthew Perry as Ben Donovan – manager of the Sunshine Center
• Allison Janney as Crystal Cohen – Ben's unpredictable boss
• Andrea Anders as Alice – Ben's former "friend with benefits" now dating Alonzo
• James Lesure as Alonzo Pope – former NBA star, Ben's happy-go-lucky co-worker and Alice's boyfriend
• Nate Torrence as Roman Cohen – Crystal's lovable but weird son. He has a crush on Heather

Recurring cast

• Portia Doubleday as Heather – Ben's assistant, whom everyone believes is crazy

Development and production

Mr. Sunshine is based on a concept by Matthew Perry, who planned to co-write, star in, and executive produce. The project sparked a bidding war among the networks, with ABC landing the comedy in October 2009. The deal came with hefty penalties for ABC if the pilot hadn't made it to series. Perry teamed with Sony writers Alex Barnow and Marc Firek to pen the script.

A green light to produce the pilot came from ABC in early January 2010. Thomas Schlamme, of Shoe Money Productions, was chosen to direct the half-hour pilot. Perry, Schlamme, and co-writers Barnow and Firek were all listed as executive producers for the pilot, along with Jamie Tarses of FanFare Productions.

Casting began in late January, with Allison Janney as the first actor added to the cast as Ben's boss. In February, Andrea Anders was tapped as Ben's "friend with benefits", and Nate Torrence brought on board to play Roman, the son of Ben's boss. The casting of Portia Doubleday as Ben's assistant, and James Lesure as an ex-basketball star, was announced at the end of April.

In May 2010, ABC picked up the pilot for the 2010–2011 television season.

On May 13, 2011, ABC announced that it had canceled Mr. Sunshine.

Episodes

When the self-help guru scheduled for a seminar at the arena is arrested for fraud, the staff struggles to find a replacement act. Heather's obsession with Ben grows, which inflames Roman's jealousy. Alice's fear of public speaking returns.|LineColor = 3198FF Ben's hockey idol is coming to visit the arena and Ben must convince him of their organization's family values in order to land him as coach of their hockey team. Crystal is distraught when her pet dog dies and everyone is walking on eggshells. Alonzo gets a chance to film a commercial but Alice is more excited than he is.|LineColor = 3198FF The arena hosts a leadership conference with 3 charismatic leaders that turn out to be self-absorbed jerks. Crystal decides she needs to contribute to the arena's operation, much to Ben's dismay.|LineColor = 3198FF The arena puts on a wedding for two valued employees. Roman and Heather have their first fight. Ben struggles with the age difference with his girlfriend.|LineColor = 3198FF

Home media

The series was released on DVD on November 1, 2011, featuring the 4 unaired episodes.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an aggregate score of 52% based on 14 positive and 13 negative critic reviews. The website’s consensus reads: "Thanks to the willing slapstick antics of a solid ensemble cast, Mr. Sunshine has potential -- although for what, it's difficult to tell." The show scored a 54% rating on Metacritic.

References

References

1. Gorman, Bill. (December 6, 2010). "ABC's 'Mr. Sunshine' Will Bump 'Cougar Town'; Plus Dates For 'Happy Endings' & 'Off The Map'". TV by the Numbers.
2. Andreeva, Nellie. (January 12, 2010). "Matthew Perry project a go at ABC". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
3. Gorman, Bill. (2011-05-13). "ABC: 'V' Cancelled, 'Brothers & Sisters,' 'Mr. Sunshine,' 'Detroit 187,' 'Off The Map,' 'No Ordinary Family,' 'Better With You' Cancelled Too".
4. (March 25, 2010). "2010 ABC Program Development Guide - Comedy Series". The Futon Critic.
5. Andreeva, Nellie. (October 12, 2009). "Matthew Perry develops single-camera project". The Hollywood Reporter.
6. Andreeva, Nellie. (October 14, 2009). "Matthew Perry project goes to ABC". The Hollywood Reporter.
7. (October 14, 2009). "Development Update: Wednesday October 14". The Futon Critic.
8. Andreeva, Nellie. (October 14, 2009). "ABC lands Matthew Perry project". The Hollywood Reporter.
9. (January 12, 2010). "Development Update: Tuesday, January 12". The Futon Critic.
10. Schneider, Michael. (January 12, 2010). "ABC looks to Matthew Perry for 'Sunshine'". [[Variety (magazine).
11. (January 29, 2010). "Development Update: Friday, January 29". The Futon Critic.
12. Andreeva, Nellie. (February 9, 2010). "Andrea Anders, Jesse Metcalfe join pilots". The Hollywood Reporter.
13. (February 10, 2010). "Development Update: Monday, February 10". The Futon Critic.
14. (March 26, 2010). "Development Update: Friday, March 26". The Futon Critic.
15. Fernandez, Maria Elena. (May 13, 2010). "ABC picks up two comedies, 'Happy Endings' and 'Mr. Sunshine,' for fall". [[Los Angeles Times]].
16. Seidman, Robert. (February 10, 2011). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Blue Bloods,' 'Human Target' Adjusted Down, 'Modern Family,' 'Better with You' Up". TV by the Numbers.
17. Gorman, Bill. (February 17, 2011). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'American Idol' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers.
18. Seidman, Robert. (February 24, 2011). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Mr. Sunshine,' 'Survivor,' 'Criminal Minds,' 'CM: Suspect Behavior' All Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers.
19. Gorman, Bill. (March 3, 2011). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'American Idol' Adjusted Up; 'Better With You' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers.
20. Seidman, Robert. (March 10, 2011). "Wednesday Final Ratings: "American Idol" Adjusted Up; "Shedding for the Wedding" Down". TV by the Numbers.
21. Gorman, Bill. (March 17, 2011). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'American Idol,' 'Survivor,' 'Minute,' 'Top Model' Adjusted Up; 'Off The Map,' 'Criminal Minds: SB' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers.
22. Seidman, Robert. (March 24, 2011). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'American Idol,' 'Modern Family,' 'Survivor,' 'ANTM' Adjusted Up; 'Mr. Sunshine' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers.
23. Gorman, Bill. (March 31, 2011). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'American Idol,' 'Survivor,' 'Criminal Minds,' 'Law & Order:SVU,' 'Minute' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers.
24. Seidman, Robert. (April 7, 2011). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Law & Order: SVU,' 'Survivor,' 'American Idol' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers.
25. (September 30, 2011). "Mr. Sunshine - Updated DVD Info for the Matthew Perry Series Corrects Date, Cost, Count of Discs and Episodes". TV Shows on DVD.
26. "Mr. Sunshine".