# Beggars and Choosers (TV series)

Beggars and Choosers is an American comedy-drama television series broadcast by Showtime. Developed by Peter Lefcourt and Brandon Tartikoff, the series was a comedic, behind-the-scenes look at network television. Its 42 episodes aired between June 19, 1999, and February 6, 2001.

## Synopsis

The tongue-in-cheek series centered on Rob Malone, President of LGT, and his efforts to boost the network's sagging ratings with Lori Volpone, the scheming vice-president of Development, and Malcolm Laffley, a gay man who came out of the closet to clear himself of sexual harassment charges levied against him by a woman. Each episode provided amusing insight into how a network runs, from how its executives deal with temperamental stars to how they make big budget deals while trying to keep the network financially stable.

## Characters

* Rob Malone (Brian Kerwin)
* Lori Volpone (Charlotte Ross): The ambitious Vice President of Development for LGT
* Malcolm Laffley (Tuc Watkins)
* Kelly Kramer (Christina Hendricks)
* Cecile Malone (Isabella Hofmann): Rob's wife
* Brad Advail (William McNamara): An agent who is a thorn in Rob's side
* Parker Meridian (Paul Provenza): The egomaniacal star of the hit LGT show Parker's Pals who is romantically involved with Rob's daughter Audrey
* Audrey Malone (Keegan Connor Tracy): Rob and Cecile's slightly flaky 21-year-old daughter
* Emory "E.L." Luddin (Bill Morey): The frequently comatose founder and former CEO of LGT
* Lydia "L.L." Luddin (Carol Kane): E.L.'s wife, whose plans for an eponymous variety show are thwarted when Dan Falco buys the network
* Casey Lenox (Sherri Saum): A young ambitious new hire at LGT that Lori Volpone fears could threaten her career path
* Dan Falco (Beau Bridges): A Buddhist who acquires ownership of LGT after obtaining 53% of the company's stock during a power struggle between the Luddins
* Wayne (Alex Zahara)

## Episodes
### Season 1: 1999–2000

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | 1 | "The Mountainmen" | Michael Ritchie | Peter Lefcourt | June 19, 1999 (1999-06-19) |
| 2 | 2 | "The Mountainmen" | Michael Ritchie | Peter Lefcourt | June 19, 1999 (1999-06-19) |
| 3 | 3 | "Once More Unto the Breach" | George Bloomfield | Peter Lefcourt | June 26, 1999 (1999-06-26) |
| 4 | 4 | "Hat Trick" | Charles Winkler | Peter Lefcourt | July 3, 1999 (1999-07-03) |
| 5 | 5 | "The Ethel Merman Story" | Sandy Smolan | Peter Lefcourt | July 10, 1999 (1999-07-10) |
| 6 | 6 | "The Deal" | Stuart Margolin | David Shore | July 17, 1999 (1999-07-17) |
| 7 | 7 | "Sex, Drugs & Videotape" | Fred Gerber | Charlie Hauck | July 24, 1999 (1999-07-24) |
| 8 | 8 | "Unsafe Sex" | Stuart Margolin | Peter Lefcourt | July 31, 1999 (1999-07-31) |
| 9 | 9 | "The Velvet Curtain" | Unknown | David Shore | August 7, 1999 (1999-08-07) |
| 10 | 10 | "Touched by an Angel" | Rick Wallace | Story by : Lynn Siefert & David Shore & Charlie Hauck Teleplay by : David Shore & Charlie Hauck | August 14, 1999 (1999-08-14) |
| 11 | 11 | "Is It Good or Bad for the Jews?" | Sandy Smolan | Charlie Hauck | August 21, 1999 (1999-08-21) |
| 12 | 12 | "White Woman's Burden" | Charles Winkler | Julie Sayres and Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner | August 28, 1999 (1999-08-28) |
| 13 | 13 | "Shakedown in Puerto Vallarta" | Sandy Smolan | Peter Lefcourt | September 4, 1999 (1999-09-04) |
| 14 | 14 | "Don't Try This at Home" | Charles Winkler | David Shore | September 11, 1999 (1999-09-11) |
| 15 | 15 | "Star Whores" | Richard Martin | Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming | November 27, 1999 (1999-11-27) |
| 16 | 16 | "Always Leave 'Em Laughing" | Unknown | Peter Lefcourt | December 4, 1999 (1999-12-04) |
| 17 | 17 | "Faith, Hope & Chastity" | Unknown | Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner | December 11, 1999 (1999-12-11) |
| 18 | 18 | "Russian Roulette" | Fred Gerber | Unknown | February 19, 2000 (2000-02-19) |
| 19 | 19 | "Death in Malibu" | Unknown | Peter Lefcourt | February 26, 2000 (2000-02-26) |
| 20 | 20 | "Fasten Your Seatbelts" | Unknown | Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner | March 4, 2000 (2000-03-04) |
| 21 | 21 | "Disinformed Sources" | Joanna Kerns | Peter Lefcourt | March 11, 2000 (2000-03-11) |
| 22 | 22 | "The Cherry Orchard" | Unknown | Peter Lefcourt | March 18, 2000 (2000-03-18) |

### Season 2: 2000–01

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 23 | 1 | "PMS.com" | Joanna Kerns | Peter Lefcourt | June 27, 2000 (2000-06-27) |
| 24 | 2 | "Fifty Three Percent Solution" | Anne Wheeler | Scott Kaufer | July 4, 2000 (2000-07-04) |
| 25 | 3 | "Sex and Violence" | Richard J. Lewis | Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming | July 11, 2000 (2000-07-11) |
| 26 | 4 | "Dog Day Afternoon" | Sheldon Larry | Peter Lefcourt | July 18, 2000 (2000-07-18) |
| 27 | 5 | "The Naked Truth" | Richard J. Lewis | Scott Kaufer | July 25, 2000 (2000-07-25) |
| 28 | 6 | "An Asian in the Sun" | Ron Oliver | Chris Cluess | August 1, 2000 (2000-08-01) |
| 29 | 7 | "The Leak" | Fred Gerber | Wendy Goldman | August 8, 2000 (2000-08-08) |
| 30 | 8 | "Hello Dalai" | Stuart Margolin | Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner | August 15, 2000 (2000-08-15) |
| 31 | 9 | "Zero Tolerance" | George Mendeluk | Peter Lefcourt | August 22, 2000 (2000-08-22) |
| 32 | 10 | "The Wartime Consigliere" | Stuart Margolin | Scott Kaufer | August 29, 2000 (2000-08-29) |
| 33 | 11 | "Be Careful What You Wish For" | Helen Shaver | Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming | September 5, 2000 (2000-09-05) |
| 34 | 12 | "Killer Sushi" | George Bloomfield | Peter Lefcourt | September 12, 2000 (2000-09-12) |
| 35 | 13 | "The Woodhouse Conundrum" | Ron Oliver | Scott Kaufer | December 5, 2000 (2000-12-05) |
| 36 | 14 | "Moles, Meatloaf & Myrna Loy" | David Warry-Smith | Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner | December 12, 2000 (2000-12-12) |
| 37 | 15 | "Fathers & Sons" | Helen Shaver | Peter Lefcourt | January 2, 2001 (2001-01-02) |
| 38 | 16 | "Hitting the Bottle" | Charles Winkler | Scott Kaufer | January 9, 2001 (2001-01-09) |
| 39 | 17 | "Golf War Syndrome" | Cal Shumiatcher | Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming | January 16, 2001 (2001-01-16) |
| 40 | 18 | "We'll Always Have Burbank" | Charles Winkler | Scott Kaufer | January 23, 2001 (2001-01-23) |
| 41 | 19 | "From Russia with Love" | Stuart Margolin | Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner | January 30, 2001 (2001-01-30) |
| 42 | 20 | "The Long Goodbye" | Richard J. Lewis | Peter Lefcourt | February 6, 2001 (2001-02-06) |

## Production notes

The series was created by former NBC television executive Brandon Tartikoff who based the series on his own experiences. Tartikoff, whose wife Lily served as a producer on the series, died of Hodgkin's Disease two years before the series debuted.
Filmed in Vancouver, Beggars and Choosers was produced for Showtime by Granada Entertainment USA and distributed by Buena Vista Television.

## Reception and cancellation

Beggars and Choosers garnered very positive reviews from critics and, according to Showtime executive vice president of original programming Gary Levine, had a loyal audience, but ratings for the series remained low. Showtime canceled the series after two seasons in December 2000.

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 2000 | Casting Society of America | Best Casting for TV, Comedy Pilot | Marc Hirschfeld, Meg Liberman, and Joel Thurm | Nominated |
| 2000 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series | Carl Reiner | Nominated |
| 2001 | Canadian Comedy Awards | Television – Pretty Funny Direction – Series | Charles Winkler | Nominated |
| 2001 | GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding TV Comedy Series | Beggars and Choosers | Nominated |