Shit My Dad Says
Shit My Dad Says is a Twitter feed started by Justin Halpern, who, at the time, was a semi-employed comedy writer.[1] It consists of quotations made by Halpern's father, Sam, regarding various subjects.[2] Halpern started the account on August 3, 2009, soon after moving from Los Angeles back to his parents' house in San Diego. He intended it only as a storage site for his father's salty comments, but a friend posted a link to it. Comedian Rob Corddry then tweeted the link, and that really "jump-started it" according to Halpern.[3] In less than a month, the page was mentioned by The Daily Show, a popular San Francisco blog called Laughing Squid, and actress Kristen Bell.[4] As of November 2020, the feed has 2.3 million followers.
Adaptations
Book
In September 2009, Halpern found an agent and started sifting through book deals.[4] He signed an agreement with Harper Collins in October 2009.[2] The book based on the feed, titled Sh*t My Dad Says, was co-written with Halpern's longtime writing partner Patrick Schumacker,[5] and was released on May 4, 2010.[6] During its first week, the book reached #8 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover nonfiction.[1][7] For six weeks after its release, the book was #1 on the bestseller list.[8]
Television series
In November 2009, CBS announced that it was developing a television sitcom based on the Twitter feed, which would star William Shatner.[2][9] The series, officially titled $#*! My Dad Says (spoken as Bleep My Dad Says), was green-lighted by CBS in May 2010 and began airing on CBS on Thursday nights.[10]
On May 15, 2011, CBS announced that it had canceled $#*! My Dad Says,[11] despite winning the People's Choice Award for Best New Comedy.
References
- Schuessler, Jennifer (2010-05-13). "Inside the List". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- Hart, Hugh (2009-11-10). "Shit My Dad Says: Twitter Got Me a Sitcom Deal". Wired News. Condé Nast Digital. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
- Webley, Kayla (May 21, 2010). "Justin Halpern, Author of Sh*t My Dad Says". Time. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
- Milian, Mark (September 2, 2009). "When Moving In with Your Parents Can Land You a Book Deal". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
- Riemer, Emily (November 12, 2009). ""Shit My Dad Says" Creator Justin Halpern Talks Book Deal, TV Show". Paste. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
- "Sh*t My Dad Says - Hardcover". Amazon.com. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
- "Best Sellers: Hardcover Nonfiction". New York Times. May 13, 2010. Archived from the original on May 20, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
- "Best Sellers: Hardcover Nonfiction". New York Times. June 11, 2010. Archived from the original on June 17, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- "Twitter To TV: 'Shit My Dad Says' User Gets CBS Comedy Deal (PHOTOS, NSFW)". The Huffington Post. November 10, 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
- "CBS Announces 2010-2011 Primetime Schedule". The Futon Critic. May 19, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
- TV by the Numbers