Whoopi (TV series)
A sitcom about a one-hit wonder hotelier in New York.
Set at the fictional Lamont Hotel in New York City, the NBC sitcom Whoopi starred Whoopi Goldberg and ran for a single season. Created by Bonnie and Terry Turner, it premiered on September 9, 2003, and concluded on April 20, 2004. NBC canceled the series in May 2004.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Sitcom
- Creator
- Bonnie and Terry Turner
- Developer
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Director
- Terry Hughes
- Starring
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Wren T. Brown
- Elizabeth Regen
- Omid Djalili
- Opening theme
- "Whoopi" by Whoopi Goldberg
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Premise
After realizing her success was a fluke, she used her earnings to buy the Lamont Hotel in Manhattan, which she runs with charm and wit. The hotel staff includes Persian handyman Nasim, played by Omid Djalili, and Eastern European housekeeper Jadwiga, played by Gordana Rashovich, who have a love-hate relationship. Mavis's younger brother Courtney, a moderate Republican attorney played by Wren T. Brown, stays at the hotel after being laid off from Enron during its bankruptcy scandal. Courtney dates Rita Nash, a white medical imager portrayed with an exaggerated urban black stereotype who speaks jive; Rita and Mavis frequently clash, driving many episode plots. Other storylines involve political disagreements between conservative Courtney and liberal Mavis, post-9/11 Islamophobia faced by Nasim (often mistaken for Arab), and an all-female poker group introduced later.
Reception and cancellation
The debut episode drew 15.1 million viewers and ranked fourth for the week, leading NBC to order a full 22-episode season on October 31. However, the series received mixed-to-negative reviews and its ratings became unsteady. Competition from the third season of American Idol caused further decline, and NBC canceled the series in May 2004.
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