Complete Savages

Did You Know?

• The show was inspired by Mel Gibson's experience as a father of six sons.
• The theme song was composed and performed by Joseph Interlande, and appears at the beginning of each episode as a jam session amongst the whole Savage family.
• The show's production was announced in a press release on November 5, 2003.

Cast and characters

Keith Carradine is Nick Savage, the hot-tempered father of the Savage household. His wife left a decade before the show begins, and he has a short fuse. His sons often see his parenting as unfair, but Nick genuinely cares about their education and safety. Still, his go-to reaction is anger, a habit that his sons Chris and Kyle, and sometimes Jack, have picked up.

He works as a firefighter alongside his younger brother Jimmy. Despite being strict and irritable, he can be a "cool" dad, occasionally letting things slide when it comes to his sons' happiness, especially involving girls. Shaun Sipos plays Jack Savage, the oldest brother. He is the "cool" one, with many girlfriends and a passion for music—he sings and plays guitar.

Jack often acts as the leader of the boys, organizing their schemes and trying to keep the brothers united, usually against their father. Sam envies Jack a lot because Jack is popular and successful with girls, while Sam is more nerdy and struggles in that area. Though Jack tries to appear independent, he frequently shows deep care for his brothers, especially T.J.

Erik von Detten is Chris Savage, a varsity athlete labeled a dumb jock because he was failing five classes. Unlike Kyle, Chris has a strong conscience. He usually goes along with Jack because Jack is persuasive and Chris is easily swayed and not very bright. Chris tends to solve problems with violence since he is not good with words.

He asserts his authority over his younger brothers with the punishment "You're going in the pit," a tactic he learned from their father. Andrew Eiden portrays Sam Savage, the middle son and the family's "black sheep." He is responsible, does his schoolwork, and is an honor student who gets A's except in P.E. He enjoys studying and spending time with his girlfriend. Their father considers Sam the easiest of the boys to break when they are all putting up a united front.

Evan Ellingson is Kyle Savage, a rebellious teenager who is unruly and constantly causing chaos. He has little regard for safety—his own or others'. Unlike Chris, Kyle shows a lack of a conscience; he rarely feels bad or guilty about anything he does. He frequently hangs around with his younger brother T.J., whom he often convinces to do stupid things.

Despite his misbehavior, he appears more mischievous than malicious. He is reckless and proud. Jason Dolley plays T.J. Savage, the youngest son who basically does everything Kyle tells him to do. He constantly shows an obsession with farts.

T.J. is a typical little brother—considered cute but deceiving, with a reckless side. Vincent Ventresca is Jimmy Savage, Nick's brother who works as a firefighter alongside Nick. His personality is the opposite of his brother's, more in line with Nick's sons, and he seems to lead a careless life. He is single and has no kids, and is shown to be the fun uncle.

Minor cast includes Autumn Reeser as Angela Anderson, Sam's next-door neighbor and girlfriend, who is very studious and initially not interested in Sam. Kylie Sparks plays Brenda, the neighborhood bully who is in the glee club and is not liked by the Savage family. Mel Gibson appears as Officer Steve Cox in a series of cheesy safety videos. Candace Kita plays Misty, Officer Cox's girlfriend who usually dies from an accident in those videos.

Betty White is Mrs. Agnes Riley, the crotchety old neighbor who despises the boys. The family's nameless pet dog, Kelly, is not very fond of Sam but is practically part of the family. Mrs. Savage, the unseen matriarch, divorced Nick after a string of incidents that ended with glass in his meatloaf; she is said to be insane by several family members.