Summary
Queens Supreme is an American courtroom dramedy television series created by Dan and Peter Thomas, which aired on CBS from January 10 to January 24, 2003. The series had a strong cast and considerable financial backing, especially from Julia Roberts's Shoelace Productions, Spelling Television and Revolution Studios; however, poor ratings forced its cancellation after three episodes.
| Queens Supreme | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Genre | Dramedy |
| Created by | Kevin Fox |
| Written by | Keith Samples Christopher Ambrose Marjorie David Kevin Fox Stephen Godchaux Mona Mansour Linda McGibney James D. Solomon |
| Directed by | Keith Samples Jace Alexander Adam Bernstein Bill D'Elia Michael Fields Stuart Gillard Jefery Levy John Patterson Matthew Penn David Platt Tim Robbins Paul Shapiro Rick Wallace |
| Starring | Oliver Platt Robert Loggia Annabella Sciorra L. Scott Caldwell Marcy Harriell James Madio |
| Composers | Douglas J. Cuomo Chris Hajian |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (10 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Julia Roberts Kevin Fox Deborah Schindler Aaron Spelling Erwin Stoff E. Duke Vincent Marjorie David Keith Samples Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas |
| Producers | Stephen Godchaux Steve Rose Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas Linda McGibney Daniel and Peter Thomas |
| Production locations | Flushing, Queens, New York Long Island City, Queens, New York |
| Cinematography | Ron Fortunato Tony C. Jannelli |
| Editors | James Y. Kwei Vanessa Procopio Tom Swartwout |
| Camera setup | Chaim Kantor Peter Nolan |
| Running time | 60 minutes (with commercials) |
| Production companies | Shadowland Productions Revolution Television Red Om Films Spelling Television Eye Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | January 10 – January 24, 2003 |
Premise edit
The series starred Oliver Platt as New York judge Jack Moran who, with his equally eccentric and colorful colleagues, presides over court cases at the real-life Queens Supreme Court in Long Island City, Queens.
Characters edit
- Jack Moran (Oliver Platt) – a brilliant, cynical judge whose integrity and wisdom are often overshadowed by his non-conformist and occasionally bizarre courtroom behavior.
- Judge Thomas O'Neill (Robert Loggia) – the highest-ranking judge at the courthouse, O'Neill serves as the voice of reason and it often falls upon him to keep the peace among his colleagues.
- Kim Vicidomini (Annabella Sciorra) – newly appointed to the courthouse, she is a young and ambitious judge who is both highly skilled and has political connections.
- Rose Barnea (L. Scott Caldwell) – another senior judge, Barnea is hardworking and often brutally frank. She is particularly critical of Kim Vicidomini soon after her arrival.
- Carmen Hui (Marcy Harriell) and Mike Powell (James Madio) – two helpful law clerks who assist the judges.
Production edit
The idea for the series came about when two New York attorneys, twin brothers Dan and Peter Thomas, were discussing courtroom stories based on their shared experiences in Queens while on a plane flight to California in 2001. One of the passengers, a Hollywood producer, was sitting next to them and mentioned that they could be the basis for a television series. Indeed, the producer brought the idea to screenwriter Kevin Fox who later successfully pitched it to CBS. Fox was initially hesitant in becoming involved, feeling there were too many courtroom dramas already, but agreed after spending time at the New York Supreme Court himself.
The project was helped along by Dan's wife Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, head of Red Om Films (a subsidiary of Julia Roberts' production company Shoelace Productions) and a partner in Joe Roth's Revolution Studios, who was then looking for film and television products to develop. Her involvement was partially responsible in bringing such a high-profile cast and crew to the series.
The television pilot was filmed at both the Long Island City and New York State Supreme Courthouses by actor Tim Robbins in mid-August 2002 and 12 episodes were eventually ordered by the network. A midseason replacement for Robbery Homicide Division, Queens Supreme premiered on January 10, 2003, alongside Presidio Med in the prime-time Friday night timeslot.
Episodes edit
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code [1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "One Angry Man" | David Platt | Stephen Godchaux | January 10, 2003 | 108 |
| 2 | "Pilot" | Tim Robbins | Kevin Fox | January 17, 2003 | 100 |
| 3 | "Flawed Heroes" | Matthew Penn | Linda McGibney | January 24, 2003 | 109 |
| 4 | "Supreme Heat" | John Patterson | James Solomon | Unaired | 101 |
| 5 | "Mad About You" | TBD | Christopher Ambrose | Unaired | 104 |
| 6 | "Permanent Markers" | TBD | Mona Mansour | Unaired | 105 |
| 7 | "Let's Make a Deal" | TBD | Stephen Godchaux & Christopher Ambrose | Unaired | 106 |
| 8 | "Things Change" | TBD | Marjorie David | Unaired | TBA |
| 9 | "Case by Case" | TBD | Kevin Fox & Stephen Godchaux | Unaired | 108 |
| 10 | "The House Next Door" | TBD | Stephen Godchaux | Unaired | 107 |
| 11 | "Words That Wound" | TBD | Kevin Fox | Unaired | 110 |
| 12 | "That Voodoo That You Do" | TBD | Marjorie David | Unaired | 111 |
| 13 | "The Eyes Have It" | Keith Samples | Keith Samples | Unaired | 112 |
References edit
- ^ From the United States Copyright Office catalog: "Public Catalog - Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) - Basic Search". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
Sources edit
- Grace, Melissa (2002-03-25). "TV Tale Born At 10,000 Ft". New York Daily News.
- Rice, Lynette (2002-04-09). "Executive Decision: Julia Roberts to exec-produce Queens Supreme -- The Pretty Woman is backing the courtroom drama; Tim Robbins directs". Entertainment Weekly.
- "New TV Show 'QueensSupreme' Begins Shooting At Silvercup Studios". Queens Tribune. Long Island City Business Development Corporation. 2002-08-06. Archived from the original on 2011-06-08.
- Andreeva, Nellie (13 August 2002). "CBS courting Sedgwick for 'Queens' role". Hollywood Reporter. 374 (37).[page needed]
- O'Grady, Jim (2002-10-20). "New York Observed; Truth. Justice. Long Island City?". The New York Times.
- "CBS airs 'Queens'". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. 2002-12-14. Archived from the original on 2012-04-01.
- Battaglio, Stephen (2003-01-02). "Holding Court In Queens A New TV Series Set In The Borough Features Some Imprudent Jurists". New York Daily News.
- Frutkin, A.J. (2003-06-01). "CBS Places Bets on Queens". Mediaweek. Archived from the original on 2016-04-26.
- Jicha, Tom (2003-01-08). "'Queens Supreme,' premiering Friday on CBS". South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
- Bianco, Robert (2003-01-09). "'Queens' far less than supreme". USA Today.
- Holston, Noel (2003-01-09). "'Queens' Is Not Supreme: CBS' new courthouse show misses its mark". Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 2011-06-03.
- Levesque, John (2003-01-10). "Credibility gap leaves 'Queens' supremely compromised". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- Bianculli, David (2003-01-10). "CBS' 'Supreme' Oughta Be Benched". New York Daily News.
- Tucker, Ken (2003-01-10). "TV Review: Queens Supreme". Entertainment Weekly.
- "Tufts E-News: All Rise!". Tufts University. 2003-01-10. Archived from the original on 2010-06-14.
- Gates, Katie Marie (2003-01-24). "CBS show devalues the word 'Supreme'". Michigan Daily.
- Battaglio, Stephen; Donna Petrozzello (2003-01-28). "Inner Tube". New York Daily News.
- "CBS cans 'Queens Supreme,' 'Presidio Med'". San Francisco Chronicle. 2003-01-29.
- McKenzie, Shawn (2003-01-29). ""Queens Supreme" Review". EntertainYourBrain.com.
- Asimow, Michael (2003-02-06). "Feature Article: Queens Supreme - Who Cares About Judges?". Picturing Justice: The On-Line Journal of Law & Popular Culture. Archived from the original on 2003-04-21.
- Corcos, Christine (2003-02-07). "Feature Article: Queens Supreme". Picturing Justice: The On-Line Journal of Law & Popular Culture. Archived from the original on 2003-04-21.
- Blair, Cynthia (2009). "2002: "Queens Supreme" Filmed in Long Island City". Newsday.
