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The Pursuit of Happiness

  • TV Series
  • 1995–
  • 30m
IMDb RATING
5.0/10
24
YOUR RATING
The Pursuit of Happiness (1995)
Comedy

Attorney Steve Rutledge wants to better the world but ends up taking questionable cases. His partner Alex has no scruples and secretary Jean is often testy. Mac is his high achieving but new... Read allAttorney Steve Rutledge wants to better the world but ends up taking questionable cases. His partner Alex has no scruples and secretary Jean is often testy. Mac is his high achieving but newly fired wife and Larry his irresponsible brother.Attorney Steve Rutledge wants to better the world but ends up taking questionable cases. His partner Alex has no scruples and secretary Jean is often testy. Mac is his high achieving but newly fired wife and Larry his irresponsible brother.

  • Creators
    • David Angell
    • Peter Casey
    • Dave Hackel
  • Stars
    • Tom Amandes
    • Melinda McGraw
    • Brad Garrett
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.0/10
    24
    YOUR RATING
    • Creators
      • David Angell
      • Peter Casey
      • Dave Hackel
    • Stars
      • Tom Amandes
      • Melinda McGraw
      • Brad Garrett
    • 1User review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Episodes7

    Browse episodes
    1 season1995

    Photos40

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    Top cast15

    Edit
    Tom Amandes
    Tom Amandes
    • Steve Rutledge
    • 1995
    Melinda McGraw
    Melinda McGraw
    • Mackenzie 'Mac' Rutledge
    • 1995
    Brad Garrett
    Brad Garrett
    • Alex Chosek
    • 1995
    Larry Miller
    Larry Miller
    • Larry Rutledge
    • 1995
    Maxine Stuart
    Maxine Stuart
    • Eleanor 'Gram' Rutledge
    • 1995
    Meredith Scott Lynn
    Meredith Scott Lynn
    • Jean Mathias
    • 1995
    Steven Weber
    Steven Weber
    • Carlo
    • 1995
    Carole Davis
    Carole Davis
    • Anna
    • 1995
    Cindy Ambuehl
    Cindy Ambuehl
    • Linda
    • 1995
    Edith Fellows
    Edith Fellows
    • Mrs. Wilcox
    • 1995
    Clayton Landey
    Clayton Landey
    • Guest
    • 1995
    John DeMita
    John DeMita
    • Eric
    • 1995
    Anthony Russell
    Anthony Russell
    • Client
    • 1995
    Troy West
    Troy West
    • Groom
    • 1995
    Ben Livingston
    Ben Livingston
    • Photographer
    • Creators
      • David Angell
      • Peter Casey
      • Dave Hackel
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews1

    5.024
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    10

    Featured reviews

    4mickdansforth

    Okay

    I found episodes 1 and 5, as well as some promos on YouTube.

    This is Brad Garrett's first series regular gig. He did a ton of voice work and a few guest star roles before this. After this was Raymond and then several really enjoyable sitcoms. If you track the trajectory from Raymond to Single Parents, you can guess where his performance is in this.

    Melinda McGraw is really great in this. She's the wife of the lead and gets to do some interesting things.

    Meredith Scott Lynn nails her part well. Very biting.

    Larry Miller is doing a very Larry Miller part, but more oblivious than usual. Some of it works.

    Tom Amandes, fresh off The Untouchables, is very unlikable. He's supposed to be playing the honest lawyer, and the straitman to both Miller and Garrett, but the less he is in the show, the better it is.

    The first episode focuses on Steve Rutledge, played by Tom Amandes, and it's about the creator's thesis of the show being about the pursuit of happiness and how difficult it is to achieve. Or something. Each scene is a different birthday for someone so it takes place over the course of about a year. And Steve has a mustache for one of these scenes.

    The first episode is an ill conceived mess.

    The fifth episode hits some common sitcom tropes. Guest star Steven Weber, from sister-show Wings, in the same NBC comedy block, plays an Italian man with a thick accent that both Garrett and Lynn want to bang, but he find's make's a date w/ McGraw, who is married to Amandes. It's all been done better elsewhere, but it is enjoyable here.

    The incredible Carole Davis guest stars as Weber's wife, but the director or DP obviously hated her because someone is always in her light and she never gets any closeups.

    The show would have been better with someone else in the lead.

    Of interest: Brad Garrett's character comes out as gay in the first episode. He is one of 3 second leads. This was a year and a half before Ellen came out on Ellen. (April 14, 1997)

    It's possible hate groups helped the demise of the show, but I'm guessing few people who tuned in for the first episode returned to watch more.

    Apparently only 7 episodes were made.

    The show is not great, but if all 7 episodes were available on Prime Video for $5-$10, I'd easily buy it.

    More like this

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    6.8
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    Frasier
    8.2
    Frasier
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    6.9
    Just Shoot Me!
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    7.4
    Hot in Cleveland

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      The series was part of a line-up with both Frasier (1993) and Wings (1990). Like those series, "The Pursuit of Happiness" was a co-production of Grub Street Productions and Paramount Television.

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 19, 1995 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Production companies
      • Grub Street Productions
      • Paramount Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      30 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo

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