The TV Set

The TV Set
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jake Kasdan
Written by	Jake Kasdan
Produced by	Jake Kasdan Aaron Ryder
Starring	David Duchovny Sigourney Weaver Ioan Gruffudd Judy Greer Fran Kranz Lindsay Sloane Lucy Davis
Cinematography	Uta Briesewitz
Edited by	Tara Timpone
Music by	Michael Andrews
Distributed by	THINKFilm
Release dates	April 28, 2006 (2006-04-28) (Tribeca) April 6, 2007 (2007-04-06) (United States)
Running time	88 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$2 million
Box office	$265,198

The TV Set is a 2006 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Jake Kasdan and starring David Duchovny, Sigourney Weaver, Ioan Gruffudd, and Judy Greer. The film follows an idealistic writer attempting to bring his vision for a TV show to fruition on the small screen.

Synopsis

Idealistic screenwriter Mike Klein (Duchovny) tries to navigate his TV pilot through the mine-laden path of casting, production, and the madness of prime-time scheduling—all while trying to stay true to his vision. Along the way, he has to juggle the agendas of headstrong network president Lenny (Weaver), volatile young stars, his pregnant wife Natalie (Bateman), and an ever-optimistic personal manager Alice (Greer), while suffering serious back pain.

Cast

• David Duchovny as Mike Klein
• Sigourney Weaver as Lenny
• Ioan Gruffudd as Richard McCallister
• Judy Greer as Alice
• Fran Kranz as Zach Harper
• Lindsay Sloane as Laurel Simon
• Justine Bateman as Natalie Klein
• Lucy Davis as Chloe McCallister
• Philip Rosenthal as Cooper
• Matt Price as Berg
• Willie Garson as Brian
• M. C. Gainey as Hutch
• Simon Helberg as TJ Goldman
• Kaitlin Doubleday as Jesse Filmore
• Philip Baker Hall as Vernon Maxwell
• Allison Scagliotti as Bethany
• Jonathan Silverman as himself (cameo)
• Seth Green as himself, Slut Wars Host (uncredited)
• Don Hany

Production and vision

The film's writer/director Jake Kasdan had originally intended Ben Stiller for the role of Lenny, however, Kasdan cast Weaver for the role, which changed his idea of what the character should be. Kasdan does not regard the film as satire, as he sees nothing exaggerated in its depiction of bringing a pilot to production.

Releases

The film was first screened on the Tribeca Film Festival on April 28, 2006. Following almost a year of festival screenings, it was released in cinemas on April 6, 2007. A DVD edition was released through 20th Century Fox on September 25, 2007. It features commentary tracks, a "making of" featurette, and a deleted scene.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 64% based on reviews from 76 critics, with an average score of 6.28/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Offering both broad and insider jokes, The TV Set is a sharp satire that will please both the average moviegoers and pop culture aficionados."

See also

• The Big Picture, a film following a similar theme
• Episodes, a TV series following a similar theme
• State and Main, an award-winning comedy film about an obstacle-fraught film production

External links

• The TV Set at IMDb
• The TV Set at Box Office Mojo
• The TV Set at Rotten Tomatoes