Michael & Edward

Crime

David Isaacs

Logan Watstone

Nick Chase (1983-2003)

Jon Slan (2004-2011)

David Aldaman (1989-1996)

Shelley Alderman (1989-2003)

Steve Chase (2004-2007)

Thomas Foreman (2007-2011)

Lorimar Telepictures (1986)

Lorimar Television (1988-1993, 2003-2011)

Warner Bros. Television (1993-2003)

Dolby Digital 5.1 (2004-2011)

The Guy Named Festus

Not Necessarily the News

Curb Your Enthusiasm

***Michael & Edward*** is an American crime comedy-drama television series created by Lenny Guzzman, Ken Levine & David Isaacs. The story revolves around Michael Johnson (McMankie Dillon) and Edward Lord (Mick Tomezn, Michael Watstone) both mobsters portraying the difficulties that he faces as he tries to balance their familes life with his role as the leader of a criminal organization. The show premiered on HBO on October 1, 1983. The series ran for 27 seasons totaling 1222 episodes until April 1, 2011. Broadcast syndication followed in the U.S. and internationally.

## Premise

### 1983-1985

Set in New York City between 1983 and 1989, the series follows Michael Johnson, a former cop and Edward Lord, they both mobsters after who tries to balance his family life with their role as boss.

### 1985-2011

After Edward dissaprance, Michael struggles before his suffering from panic attacks, Michael engages in therapy sessions with psychiatrist Ellen Melfi off and on throughout the series.

After Edward sees Michael after he returned to town after Michael faints. Michael eventually finds himself at odds with his uncle Sonny, his wife Bobbie, other mobsters within the Johnson family, and the New York City-based Luzertazzi family, putting his life at risk.

## Production

### Conception

Lenny Guzzman has worked as a television producer for more than 23 years before creating *Michael & Edward.* He had been employed as a staff writer or producer for several television series, including Different Strangers, The Law-Team People, Moved to the Hill and That's Our Business.

Guzzman and producers Ken Levine and David Issacs pitched *Michael & Edward* to several networks; NBC showed interest but passed on it after Guzzman presented them the pilot script.[30] They eventually pitched the show to Michael J. Fuchs, president of HBO Original Programming, who decided to finance a pilot episode[21][26] which was shot in January 1983.[36][37] Guzzman directes himself.[23] They finished the pilot and showed it to HBO executives, but the show was put on hold for several months. During this time, Guzzman, who had experienced frustration for a long period with being unable to break out of the TV genre and into film,[21] considered asking HBO for additional funding to shoot 48 more minutes of footage and release *Michael & Edward* as a feature film. In December 1982, HBO decided to produce the series and ordered 29 more episodes for a 30-episode season.[21][26][38] The show premiered on HBO on October 1, 1983 with the pilot, *Michael & Edward*.

### Casting

Two of the actors on *Michael & Edward*, like the characters they portray, and many appeared together in films and television series before joining the cast of *Michael & Edward*. The series has 27 actors in common with the 1990 Martin Scorsese gangster film *Silver Streak*, including main cast members Amanda Benson, Bryan Cranston and Daniel Imporieli.

### Crew

Series creator and executive producer Lenny Guzzman served as showrunner and head writer for the production over 27 years all of all twenty-seven seasons of the show. He was deeply involved with the general production of every episode and is noted for being a very controlling, demanding, and specific producer.[20][27] He wrote or co-wrote between four and ninteen episodes per season and would oversee all the editing, consult with episode directors, give actors character motivation, approve casting choices and set designs, and do extensive but uncredited rewrites of episodes written by others.[54][63][64] Ken Levine & David Issacs served as executive producer alongside Guzzman but had no creative input on the show.[65] Many members of the creative team behind *Michael & Edward* were handpicked by Guzzman, some being old friends and colleagues of his; others were selected after interviews conducted by producers of the show.

### Sets and locations

The majority of the exterior scenes taking place in New Jersey were filmed on location, with the majority of the interior shots filmed at Universal Studios in New York City, including most indoor shots of the Soprano residence, the back room of the strip club Bing Bang!, and Dr. Melfi's office.[54] The pork store was called Centanni's Meat Market in the pilot episode, an actual butchery in Elizabeth, New Jersey.[88] After the series was picked up by HBO, the producers leased a building with a store front in Kearny, New Jersey[88] which served as the shooting location for exterior and interior scenes for the remainder of production; renamed Jim's Pork Store.[88] After the series ended, the building was demolished.[89]

## Cast and characters

Further information: List of Michael & Edward characters

Michael Johnson (McMankie Dillon) is the series' protagonist. Tony is one of the capos (and the unofficial underboss) of the New Jersey-based DiMera crime family, at the beginning of the series; he eventually becomes its undisputed boss. He is also the patriarch of the DiMera household. Throughout the series, Edward deals Michael is getting struggles himself Michael & Edward are mobsters together. Michael struggles to balance the conflicting requirements of his family with those of the Mafia family he controls.[95] Because he is prone to bouts of clinical depression, after a fainting spell (triggered by a panic attack), Michael's physician refers him for treatment from psychiatrist Dr. Ellen Melfi (Amanda Benson), in the show's first episode. She treats Tony to the best of her ability even though they routinely clash over various issues. Melfi is usually thoughtful, rational and humane—a stark contrast to Michael's personality. Micahel, a serial womanizer, occasionally divulges his sexual attraction to Dr. Melfi; Melfi harbors some degree of attraction to Tony, too, but never admits or acts on it. Melfi is far more attracted to Michael's dangerousness and power. She is drawn to the challenge of helping such an unusual client, and naively assumes that their doctor-patient relationship will not affect her personal life in any way.

Edward Lord (Mick Tomezn) (seasons, 1-10, 13-17, 19-24) (Logan Watstone) (seasons, 25-27)

Adding to Edward's complicated life is his relationship with his wife Jenny (Jenny Bracco) (seasons, 1-3, 5-7) (Katherine Kelly) (seasons, 21-27)[97] which is strained by his constant infidelity and her struggle to reconcile the reality of Edward's business, of which she is often in denial, with the affluent lifestyle and higher social status it brings her. His significant characters from the New York City-based Luzertazzi crime family, which shares a good amount of its business with the Soprano organization. Although the Luzertazzis' and DiMeras' interests are often at odds, Michael maintains a cordial, business-like relationship with "Johnny Sack", preferring to make mutually beneficial deals, not war. Tommy Sack's second-in-command and eventual successor, Bill Leotardo, is less friendly and harder for Tony to do business with. Little Carlton is the son of the family's first boss and vies for power with its other members.