Pepper Dennis
Pepper Dennis is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on The WB from April 4 to July 4, 2006. It was quickly announced on May 17, 2006 that Pepper Dennis would not be one of the WB shows transferred to The CW. Pepper Dennis was the final show to premiere on The WB before its transition to The CW network.[1]
| Pepper Dennis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Comedy-drama |
| Created by | Gretchen J. Berg Aaron Harberts |
| Starring | Rebecca Romijn Brooke Burns Rider Strong Josh Hopkins Lindsay Price |
| Opening theme | "Pepper Dennis Theme" by Danny Lux "Better Half" by Chris Trapper |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Aaron Harberts Jason Katims Gretchen J. Berg Shawn Levy J.J. Klein |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies | Two Presbyterians Productions 21 Laps Entertainment 20th Century Fox Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | The WB |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original release | April 4 – July 4, 2006 |
The song used in commercials for the show was "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" by KT Tunstall, and the opening theme song is "Better Half" by Chris Trapper, the former frontman for the Boston pop group The Push Stars. Another song that the WB used for advertising "Pepper Dennis" was Morningwood's "Nth Degree" which also appeared in another WB drama, One Tree Hill.
Plot
The series stars Rebecca Romijn as Pepper Dennis, a television reporter for an evening news broadcast at the fictional television station WEiE (specifically with a small i) in Chicago. The series also starred Rider Strong as Chick, Pepper's cameraman who has an unrequited crush on her, Brooke Burns as Pepper's sheltered and somewhat flaky sister Kathy Dinkle, Lindsay Price as Kimmy Kim, Pepper's closest friend and WEiE's makeup artist and Josh Hopkins as Charlie Babcock, the station's news anchor. One of the focal points of the show was the love-hate relationship between Pepper and Charlie.
Cast
Regular cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Rebecca Romijn | Pepper Dennis (Patty Dinkle) |
| Brooke Burns | Kathy Dinkle Williams |
| Josh Hopkins | Charlie Babcock |
| Lindsay Price | Kimmy Kim |
| Rider Strong | Chick Dirka |
Recurring characters
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Brett Cullen | Jack Bell |
| Frederick Koehler | Leslie "Les" Gaye |
| Alexandra Barreto | Blanca Martinez |
| Jason Brooks | Bryce Williams |
| Bob Gunton | Dick Dinkle |
| Pamela Reed | Lynn Dinkle |
| A.J. Trauth | Mitch Dinkle |
| Pooch Hall | Garfield |
| Larisa Oleynik | Brianna |
| Henry Simmons | Curtis Wilson |
| Bob Wiltfong | Lance Powers |
Other characters
- Regina Taufen as Summer Waters
- Frank Lloyd as Pete Pulaski
- Lawrence LeJohn as Fire Lt. J.J. O'Hare
- Carol Kiernan as Mrs. Johnston
- M.C. Gainey as Bobo (helicopter pilot)
- French Stewart as Dr. Crimmons (the company shrink)
- Whitney Anderson as Amber
- Dan Byrd as Todd Haskell
- Sarah Rafferty as Callie Meryl
- Linda Gray as Barbara Meryl
- John Bennett Perry as Mr. Meryl
- Eric Winter as Connor Blanchard
- Jason-Shane Scott as Rick Harper
- Sara Paxton as April May Tyler / Chrissy Tyler
- Robert Gant as Benny Gold
- Adam Cardon as the paparazzo
- Ryan McPartlin as Grady Harper
- Jordan Belfi as Sheldon Zorn
- James Read as Wes Brinkman
- Kristin Minter as Bambi
- Mackenzie Astin as Ken Alston
- Meredith Scott Lynn as Nan Chambers
- Yvette Nicole Brown as Angela Howell
- Timilee Romolini as Connie 'Baby' Unamo
- Candace Kita as 'Squeaky'
- Tangelia Rouse as 'Knuckles'
- Dot Jones as McGee
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Shawn Levy | Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts | April 4, 2006 | 1ALR79 |
| Pepper Dennis had her sights set on becoming the anchor for Chicago’s top-rated evening news broadcast. Just as she thought that her dream was about to come true this hot new guy, Charlie Babcock, whom she had a one night stand with gets the job. Pepper's life is further complicated when her sister Kathy, who has split up with her husband, decides to move in. | |||||
| 2 | "Poker Clubs And Boob Cams" | Lev L. Spiro | Aaron Harberts & Gretchen J. Berg | April 11, 2006 | 1ALR01 |
| Pepper goes undercover to expose a prostitution ring at a poker club and find a little more than she anticipated. During a sexual harassment seminar at work Pepper finds herself in a compromising position with Charlie, causing her to re-evaluate her feelings for him. Kathy agrees reconcile with her husband. | |||||
| 3 | "Frat Boys May Lose Their Manhood" | Oz Scott | Matt McGuinness | April 18, 2006 | 1ALR02 |
| Pepper's breakdown on air during a live interview lands her in therapy where she is forced to confront her feelings for and issues with Charlie. Desperate to prove that she still has what it takes to get a story, Pepper ends up being a hostage at a fraternity hazing ritual gone wrong. | |||||
| 4 | "Heiress Bridenapped" | Robert Berlinger | Adele Lim | April 25, 2006 | 1ALR03 |
| During a wedding Pepper soon realizes the bride has been kidnapped. | |||||
| 5 | "Saving Venice" | Allison Liddi-Brown | Jason Katims | May 2, 2006 | 1ALR04 |
| 6 | "Celebrity Twin Could Hang" | Michael Schultz | Lisa Parsons | May 9, 2006 | 1ALR05 |
| 7 | "Curtis Wilson's A Total Nut Job" | Robert Berlinger | Liz Heldens | May 16, 2006 | 1ALR06 |
| 8 | "Hiroshi Watanabe in Bed with Curtis Wilson" | Allison Liddi-Brown | Christopher Fife | May 23, 2006 | 1ALR07 |
| 9 | "Charlie Babcock's Homosexual Encounter" | Robert Berlinger | Jason Katims | May 30, 2006 | 1ALR08 |
| 10 | "Dennis, Bulgari, Big Losers at Acorns" | David Paymer | Katherine Lingenfelter | June 6, 2006 | 1ALR09 |
| 11 | "Pepper Dennis Behind Bars" | Allison Liddi-Brown | Katherine Lingenfelter | June 20, 2006 | 1ALR10 |
| 12 | "True Love is Dead" | Peter Lauer | Adele Lim, Liz Heldens | June 27, 2006 | 1ALR11 |
| 13 | "Star Anchor Weds Colleague" | Arlene Sanford | Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts | July 4, 2006 | 1ALR12 |
| Babcock has unexpectedly proposed to Pepper, and they find themselves walking down the aisle together. Unfortunately for Pepper, she learns that Babcock's proposal isn't motivated out of love. | |||||
References
- Fitzgerald, Toni (4 April 2006). "'Pepper Dennis,' one full hour too long". Media Life Magazine. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
External links
- Pepper Dennis at IMDb
- Pepper Dennis at TV.com
- Pepper Dennis at Metacritic
- Vasquez, Diego (April 5, 2006). "Yawner of a debut for 'Pepper Dennis'". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on April 6, 2006.
- Entertainment Weekly's Pepper Review
- "X-Men" movie star hopes her TV series won't expire