# Platypus Man

Platypus Man is an American sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23 to May 15, 1995, during the network's first season. Starring comedian Richard Jeni, the television series was based on an hour-long HBO special of Jeni's filmed in 1992. The series lasted one season, with a total of thirteen episodes.
Platypus Man premiered January 23, 1995. The concept of a "Platypus Man" (a solitary male, like the male platypus), the concept of a "cooking show for guys" and the scenes involving the main character's social life were drawn from Jeni's stand-up routines.
The show, paired with Pig Sty, followed Star Trek: Voyager on UPN's Monday schedule. Both Pig Sty and Platypus Man were canceled in July 1995.

## Origin

In the early 1990s, Jeni developed a comedy routine where he watched a National Geographic special on the platypus. In the routine, Jeni went on to describe how he found himself relating to the TV show, and the concept of a "platypus man" was expanded to become the theme behind Jeni's 1992 HBO comedy special.
The HBO special was taped in 1992 at the Park West Theater in Chicago, Illinois and covered topics such as news ("the bad news"), sports (including Jeni's "NFL Football Referee" routine), politics, music and sex. Executive producers on the project were Richard Jeni and Michael Rotenberg, it was produced by Tom Bull and Sandy Chandley, and post-production was handled by Steve Sharp and Juniper Recording Studios.
The set design for the special was created by Norm Dodge and included a checkered tile floor, a backdrop with painted-on palm trees, a refrigerator and microwave at one end of the stage (provided by Aronson Furniture, for a comedic bit entitled "Bill the Belching Gourmet"), and a black sofa at the other end of the stage. This design was reproduced in clay for the opening sequence of Platypus Man, in which art director Rick Toone of D&K Group/Claymagic used the process of claymation to introduce the show with the help of a duck-billed clay version of Richard Jeni and footage from the platypus exhibit at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.
The live-action portions of the opening sequence were shot inside and outside of Jeni's house in the Hollywood Hills (in the bedroom, bathroom, hallway, driveway, balcony and pool area) and on the streets of West Hollywood, California. The song "Platypus Man" that opened and closed the special was created with the combined efforts of Scott May, Richard Jeni, and fellow comedian Rondell Sheridan and sung in a blues-like voice by Jeni.

## Synopsis

In the series, Jeni played a fictitious version of himself and was host of a cooking show called Cooking with the Platypus Man. Ron Orbach played Lou, executive producer of his cooking show and his best friend since childhood. Denise Miller played Paige, his sportswriter neighbor. David Dundara played Tommy, his bartending younger brother.

## Cast

* Richard Jeni as himself
* David Dundara as Tommy Jeni
* Denise Miller as Paige McAllister
* Ron Orbach as Lou Golembiewski

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Pilot" | Andy Cadiff | Barry Fanaro & Mort Nathan | January 23, 1995 (1995-01-23) |
| 2 | "9½ Days" | Gary Brown | Michael Davidoff & Bill Rosenthal | January 30, 1995 (1995-01-30) |
| 3 | "The Apartment Show" | Gary Brown | Marc Sotkin | February 6, 1995 (1995-02-06) |
| 4 | "NYPD Nude" | Andy Cadiff | Barry Fanaro & Mort Nathan | February 13, 1995 (1995-02-13) |
| 5 | "Sweet Denial" | Gary Brown | Gail Parent | February 20, 1995 (1995-02-20) |
| 6 | "New York on $2,000 a Day" | Gary Brown | Michael Davidoff & Bill Rosenthal | February 27, 1995 (1995-02-27) |
| 7 | "Lou's the Boss" | Gary Brown | Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger | March 6, 1995 (1995-03-06) |
| 8 | "The Crush" | Gary Brown | Mary Ann Barnes & Sheila Barnes | March 13, 1995 (1995-03-13) |
| 9 | "Both Sides Now" | Gary Brown | Danny Smith | March 20, 1995 (1995-03-20) |
| 10 | "Without a Hitch" | Gary Brown | Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger | April 10, 1995 (1995-04-10) |
| 11 | "Lower East Side Story" | Gary Brown | Bill Prady | May 1, 1995 (1995-05-01) |
| 12 | "Out of the Mouths of Babes" | Gary Brown | Billiam Coronel & Robert Bruce | May 8, 1995 (1995-05-08) |
| 13 | "Dying to Live" | Gary Brown | Marc Sotkin & Gail Parent | May 15, 1995 (1995-05-15) |