Cold Feet (American TV series)
Cold Feet is an American comedy-drama television series produced by Kerry Ehrin Productions and Granada Entertainment USA for NBC. Based on the British TV series of the same name, the series follows three Seattle couples, each at different stages of their romantic relationships. It premiered on September 24, 1999 to mixed reviews and was canceled on October 29, 1999, after one month later because of falling ratings. Eight episodes were produced, of which four aired.
Production
The British production of Cold Feet first aired as a one-off television pilot in 1997. Despite low ratings and few critical reviews, it won the prestigious Rose d'Or at that year's Montreux Television Festival, and British broadcaster ITV commissioned a six-episode series of the show. Granada Entertainment USA, the American arm of the series producer Granada, tendered the series to U.S. networks and cable channels from late 1997, with the format eventually being sold to NBC, which commissioned thirteen 60-minute episodes in May 1999 for the Fall season. The series was broadcast at 10 p.m. on Friday nights, in the timeslot occupied by in previous seasons. Most episodes were written by Kerry Ehrin, who strived to make the series similar to the original. The series was shot at NBC's studios in Vancouver, British Columbia.Characters
- Adam Williams
- Shelley Sullivan
- Pete Lombardi
- Jenny Lombardi
- David Chandler
- Karen Chandler
- Ramona
Episodes
Reception
Critics
Writing in Variety, Ray Richmond described the pilot as "more or less a primer on selfishness" and "breezy and entertaining", predicting the series would retain viewers in the following weeks. Entertainment Weekly called the scene in which Adam stands with a rose clenched in his buttocks the peak of the episode, but was not impressed by the series replacing Homicide. Humor website TeeVee.org echoed this sentiment, but the rose scene had the opposite effect on the reviewer, who described it as giving her "mental hypothermia". Fay Ripley, who played Jenny Gifford in the original British series, did not enjoy it, calling it "utterly shit" and criticizing the characterization of her character's American counterpart. Months after the cancellation, David Bondelvitch was nominated for a Golden Reel Award at the MPSE awards for his music from the pilot.Ratings
The ratings for the first four episodes are:| # | Episode | Airdate | Rating | Share | 18–49 | Viewers | Rank |
| 1 | "Pilot" | September 24, 1999 | – | – | – | 8.8 | 68 |
| 2 | "A Thong, a Potty and a Napoleon" | October 1, 1999 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 3 | "How Much is that Sex Act in the Window" | October 22, 1999 | 2.5 | 8 | – | 5.69 | – |
| 4 | "The Strange Loves of Shelley Bumstead" | October 29, 1999 | 3.4 | 6 | – | – | – |
The series averaged 4.9/9 for the four weeks it was on air, with "How Much is that Sex Act in the Window" bringing NBC its worst-ever homes rating for an original Friday night show. Following the broadcast of "The Strange Loves of Shelley Bumstead", NBC announced the series was cancelled. Granada cited the two-week hiatus between episodes two and three as the main reason for the loss of viewers.