Townies

Townies

1996
Townies
Townies

Townies

6.4 | en | Comedy

Life-long friends Carrie, Shannon and Denise grew up together. Now in their mid-twenties, the threesome work together as waitresses but wish they had more to their lives than that. Together the girls make their way though life knowing no matter what, they'll always have each other.

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Seasons & Episodes

1
EP15  The Life of Ryan
Jan. 01,0001
The Life of Ryan

We don't have an overview of this episode, please check back later.

EP14  Things to Do in Gloucester When You Are Dead
Jan. 01,0001
Things to Do in Gloucester When You Are Dead

When Carrie starts dating Bill, an investment counselor from Boston whom she met at an art gallery, she tries to include him in her circle of friends, but things become strained as her old friends realize that they can never be part of Bill's world. Kurt revives an old habit pattern by running out an getting a new girlfriend when he learns that Carrie is dating someone new. Shannon is besieged by the men of Gloucester calling her for dates now that she's ended her relationship with Scott. And when Carrie cancels her weekend camping trip with her friends to go to St. Bart's with Bill, Denise is openly envious, but Bill can't put aside his workaholic habits long enough to have any fun, and Carrie wishes she were back home hanging out with her friends instead.

EP13  The Six-Month Itch
Jan. 01,0001
The Six-Month Itch

Carrie, Shannon and Denise go to have their navels pierced, but Denise is the only one who goes through with it; when she finally shows Ryan, he hits the roof. When Carrie can't keep her movie ""date"" with Kurt, she persuades him to take Shannon instead. Shannon and Kurt go out for drinks after the movie; they dance and have a great time, and when he drops her off, Shannon gives Kurt a kiss goodnight. Denise's piercing gets infected and she's afraid Ryan will gloat, but instead he's very concerned and takes her to the emergency room. When Carrie finds out about the kiss, she confronts Shannon who wishes Kurt would just forget it ever happened, but Shannon tells Carrie she should get clearer about what her feelings for Kurt really are. Kurt is angry with Carrie for getting involved in his business; Carrie tries to explain that her feelings for Kurt are very complex, but Kurt says it feels as if he's wasting his life pursuing someone who will never be his.

EP12  The Penalty Phase
Jan. 01,0001
The Penalty Phase

We don't have an overview of this episode, please check back later.

EP11  Christmas
Jan. 01,0001
Christmas

Carrie, Shannon and Denise make their annual trek to view the nativity scene outside the church, but when Denise breaks the head off the baby Jesus while they're taking a picture of Conner in the crib, the women are horrified and swear each other to secrecy, while the town of Gloucester is convinced that a hate crime has taken place; later Denise realizes she has the head in her purse. When Mike and Kathy are called to Florida to be with Mike's seriously ill brother, for the first time in her life Carrie has to deal with being without her family at Christmas. To Marge's dismay, Jesse, who's just gotten his driver's license after eleven tries, tells her he's driving to Baton Rouge to see his dad for Christmas. True to family tradition, Kurt spends hours constructing an enormous Christmas display in his apartment. And after insisting that Shannon plan a big Christmas celebration for himself and Bethany, Scott announces that he has reconciled with his estranged wife. Kurt takes Carrie to

EP10  I'm With Stupid
Dec. 04,1996
I'm With Stupid

As Gloucester braces itself for a huge winter storm, Kathy prepares to take charge of emergency procedures in the mayor's absence, while Marge and Jesse do everything in their power to make sure The Pelican is destroyed so they can collect the insurance and leave town. Carrie, Shannon and Denise worry about where they'd work if The Pelican were gone. When Kurt does a front-page feature on Ryan, his unemployment and the family's financial straits, Denise is humiliated. As weather conditions get even worse, everyone seeks shelter at the high school, and the three women observe that everyone is hanging out in their old cliques and behaving just as they did in school. The three get into a heated argument about who's the smartest that they settle by breaking into the guidance counselor's office and going through the files.

EP9  Thanksgiving
Nov. 27,1996
Thanksgiving

Denise and Ryan invite their friends and in-laws for a Thanksgiving gathering plagued by a cornucopia of mishaps.

EP8  It's Go Time
Nov. 13,1996
It's Go Time

When Stacy, Shannon's 17-year-old sister, breaks up with her boyfriend and she moves out of her parents' house because they refuse to kick out her boyfriend who also lives there, Carrie tells Shannon that it's time for her to confront her hippie parents. Ryan and Denise get in a panic when they learn that Conner, who has been a part of a college research project on babies, has tested extremely high for aggression. And Kurt, who's working undercover on an article on the health hazards at the Pelican, enlists Jesse to help him sneak some photos for the article, but Kurt's investigative journalism can't compete with $1.99 Waffle-Mania.

EP7  Things That Go Bump in the Water
Nov. 06,1996
Things That Go Bump in the Water

Carrie knows that his life as a fisherman is often frustrating to Mike, and, after much persuasion, convinces him to take his boat out on a whale-watching cruise. All Carrie's friends go along with Carrie, Mike and Steve on the trial run. Shannon takes Bethany, Scott's daughter, who she's still trying to make friends with. Denise goes with Ryan, who's just lost his job at Mulligan Marine while she's taking extra hours on her job because they need the money. Jesse is there, upset because he things everyone's forgotten his birthday, and Kurt, who's writing an article in hopes of getting a job at the local newspaper, is also aboard. The cruise comes to an abrupt halt when they run into a dead whale. Back on shore, Mike gets so much ribbing from the locals that he gets into a fight and ends up with a court date. Denise stops speaking to Ryan when she learns he's taken baby Conner along to a wrestling match as part of Jesse's birthday celebration. And Carrie can't believe her eyes when she

EP6  Adventures of Rebound Girl
Oct. 30,1996
Adventures of Rebound Girl

We don't have an overview of this episode, please check back later.

EP5  Faith, Hope and Charity
Oct. 23,1996
Faith, Hope and Charity

When Shannon gets a car loan and Denise is turned down on her loan application, she angrily accuses Shannon of sleeping with the loan officer. Father Boyle asks Carrie to approach Mrs. Gunders, an elderly parishioner, for a donation to repair the church's Our Lady of Grace statue, but Carrie is reluctant to ask someone she hasn't seen in years for a donation for a church she no longer attends. Jesse goes with Shannon to shop for a car, but later Mrs. Hammrick at the bank tells Shannon she's reviewed her loan application and has turned it down. When Carrie starts having experiences that she interprets as omens, she changes her mind and goes to see Mrs. Gunders, but when the obviously senile woman happily gives Carrie a huge sum of money, Carrie gives it back and tells Father Boyle she didn't have the heart to take the old woman's money.

EP4  Dead Dogs Wag No Tails
Oct. 09,1996
Dead Dogs Wag No Tails

Kurt gets depressed after his dog dies, so his friends try to help by giving Bo a burial at sea, complete with tributes, even though they hated the ""furry Anti-christ.""

EP3  The Kiss
Oct. 02,1996
The Kiss

Carrie, Shannon and Denise go to have their navels pierced, but Denise is the only one who goes through with it; when she finally shows Ryan, he hits the roof. When Carrie can't keep her movie ""date"" with Kurt, she persuades him to take Shannon instead. Shannon and Kurt go out for drinks after the movie; they dance and have a great time, and when he drops her off, Shannon gives Kurt a kiss goodnight. Denise's piercing gets infected and she's afraid Ryan will gloat, but instead he's very concerned and takes her to the emergency room. When Carrie finds out about the kiss, she confronts Shannon who wishes Kurt would just forget it ever happened, but Shannon tells Carrie she should get clearer about what her feelings for Kurt really are. Kurt is angry with Carrie for getting involved in his business; Carrie tries to explain that her feelings for Kurt are very complex, but Kurt says it feels as if he's wasting his life pursuing someone who will never be his.

EP2  The Good Job
Sep. 25,1996
The Good Job

Shannon, convinced she's dated every available man in town (the bay's fished out and so is she), resorts to dating college boys. Kathy gets Carrie an interview for a good job, but when Carrie is hesitant to take the job, the two women clash, Carrie accuses her mother of treating her like a child, and she says it's time to move out of her parents' house. Shannon says Carrie can stay at her place, but Carrie is put off by the lovelorn college guys hanging around Shannon's apartment. And after checking in with all her friends and even stopping by the Pelican, Carrie returns home because she has nowhere else to go. Feeling guilty, she confesses to Kathy that she's afraid that if she takes the job, she'll be stuck there for the rest of her life

EP1  Townies
Sep. 18,1996
Townies

A series of minor setbacks disrupt Denise and Ryan's plans for their wedding ceremony, culminating in Denise finding her engaged brother half-dressed in Shannon's apartment.

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6.4 | en | Comedy | More Info
Released: 1996-09-18 | Released Producted By: Vanity Logo Productions , Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

Life-long friends Carrie, Shannon and Denise grew up together. Now in their mid-twenties, the threesome work together as waitresses but wish they had more to their lives than that. Together the girls make their way though life knowing no matter what, they'll always have each other.

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Cast

Molly Ringwald , Jenna Elfman , Lauren Graham

Director

Caryn Mandabach

Producted By

Vanity Logo Productions ,

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Reviews

VinnieRattolle Townies centered on a group of 20-somethings stuck in a New England fishing town. Carrie (Molly Ringwald) was a good but sometimes outspoken Catholic girl who turned her back on religion despite the urgings of her mother and priest, and she kept Kurt (Ron Livingston), her sadsack best friend who vied for her affections, at arm's length. Pessimistic Denise (Lauren Graham) had a baby before marrying childish high school sweetheart Ryan (Bill Burr). Free-spirited Shannon (Jenna Elfman) wasn't looking to settle down, though she'd already run out of guys her own age to date. Carrie, Denise and Shannon worked as waitresses at The Pelican, a diner run by Marge (Conchata Ferell), whose dimwitted son Jesse (Joseph D. Reitman) was the busboy.Molly Ringwald returned to the screen after a long hiatus and was touted as the star (which probably didn't help, since she was deemed a has-been) but this was really an ensemble show. And what an ensemble it was - not only did everyone have terrific chemistry, but all of Ringwald's costars were total unknowns at the time and they've each gone on to find success. The writing was a little wobbly at the start (as with most every sitcom), but they'd already begun to find their groove when ABC inexplicably dropped the show from the schedule. It wasn't "Friends" (which EVERY comedy of the day was compared to and vilified for not being), but frankly, it had a little more soul. Scheduled on Wednesday nights where there were a whopping 16 sitcoms to choose from, most every show on that night did not return for another season - except for the ABC hits that surrounded this one (Ellen, Grace Under Fire & Drew Carey). Expectations were high, ratings weren't as good as they hoped, and instead of giving the show time to build an audience, the newly Disneyfied network pulled the plug without bothering to air the final 5 episodes. The show got a supposed new lease on life in 2001 when Yahoo began offering them for free on their video streaming service, but online video quality was poor at the time and the site closed within a year. Since then, Townies has been relegated to oblivion, which I find very odd. A few jokes are dated 20-odd years later, but for the most part, the show still holds up remarkably well. And with the cast of familiar faces, this one seems like a perfect contender for sites like Netflix and Hulu... now that streaming video isn't tiny, pixely and continuously buffering.
Hales_2003 Lauren Graham might not have been given the chance to shine with this series but she is beyond proving her talent with the Gilmore Girls. She is a great actress who was overlooked by many for years and is now finally getting the recognition that she deserves. I really liked this show.
Son Of Legoman By no means Townies was not the greatest of sitcoms, but it wasn't a bad half-hours viewing. The series dealt with the lives of a group of twenty-somethings dealing with living in a financially struggling, fishing-reliant, town in the US. After graduating high school, their lives have gone nowhere important, with the three main cast members (Molly Ringwald, Jenna Elfman, and Lauren Graham) working in a diner, the main focus of the series.The show struggled to find its voice at the beginning of the series, but once it did, it was obvious that the show was capable of achieving greatness. It's a shame that the series was cancelled so prematurely, because with a bit of time, and a better timeslot, the show could have been met with great success.
Hermit C-2 'Townies' was only on the air about a half a year, barely a blip on the radar screen, so to speak. But the critical reaction to it seems to have had a much greater impact on the careers of two of its actresses than one would think.The show was about three young women from New England (Molly Ringwald, Lauren Graham and Jenna Elfman) who work in a seafood restaurant and dream of someday leading more exciting and fulfilling lives elsewhere. It had some appeal, owing to the three lead actresses and co-star Conchata Ferrell. But its male characters weren't drawn too well and overall the level of humor never rose too high and the show was soon cancelled. But that's not quite the end of the story.TV critics seem to have a herd mentality at times, and one of the things they all seemed to agree on was now that Molly Ringwald is down, kick her. Story after story recounted her early success in some of John Hughes' movies, and her subsequent failure to attain the same level of popular acclaim when she sought more adult roles. 'Townies' was just seen as another in a line of inglorious failures.If the critics decided that Ringwald could do no right, they were equally sure that Jenna Elfman could do no wrong. It almost became a requirement that anyone writing about the new TV show 'Dharma and Greg' had to include a line pointing out that Elfman was the sole shining light on an otherwise dismal show. As far as I was concerned, both the assessments of Ringwald's and Elfman's work on the show were exaggerated, but both became like articles of faith to many TV critics. They show this pack mentality all the time. Examples: 'The Simpsons' is the TV equivalent of The Second Coming; 'Suddenly Susan' is the worst comedy on TV; Tea Leoni was wonderful on 'The Naked Truth' no matter how bad the show was; and 'Encore, Encore' with Nathan Lane was an unredeemable bomb because its pilot wasn't made available to critics for preview.Viewers deserve something better than these "company line" types of opinions from TV critics. As for 'Townies,' it hasn't been seen again, so many people will never be able to decide for themselves.