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.

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.

• 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 eponymousvariety 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)

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.^[1]

Filmed in Vancouver, Beggars and Choosers was produced for Showtime by Granada Entertainment USA and distributed by Buena Vista Television.^[2]

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,^[1] but ratings for the series remained low. Showtime canceled the series after two seasons in December 2000.^[2]

• Beggars and Choosers at IMDb
• Beggars and Choosers at epguides.com