Television
New Comedy 1600 Penn Premieres on NBC
On Jan. 9, 2013, President Obama hosted the cast and crew at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for a screening and reception for the new series as well as a tour of the White House.
NBC has a strong mid-season slate of shows, including last season's Smash and new shows Deception and 1600 Penn. The network is off to an incredible start for the 2012-2013 television season, returning to the No. 1 spot this fall in 18-49 for the first time in nine years. Returning hits including Sunday Night Football and The Voice, as well as successful new shows Revolution, Go On and The New Normal, catapulted NBC to the No.1 spot in the fall season.
As of Jan. 8, NBC had won No. 1 or been tied for No.1 in 18-49 for 13 of the season’s first 15 weeks and viewership was up 24 percent versus its year-ago average.
As the most Emmy award-winning network in television history, NBC has been delivering classic comedy programming for decades. Past and current hits include Friends, Cheers, Seinfeld, The Cosby Show, 30 Rock, The Office and Community.
About 1600 Penn:
The Gilchrists are an American family that deals with ordinary problems under extraordinary circumstances. Sure, we all make mistakes, but theirs just happen to make the evening news. They’re loving, fun and a little crazy. In other words, just like everybody else. With one exception: they live in a very special house -- the White House.
President Dale Gilchrist (Bill Pullman, Independence Day, While You Were Sleeping) is trying to perform the important duties of his job while also doing right by his family -- not an easy task when his place of work just happens to be the Oval Office. First Son Skip (Josh Gad, star of Broadway sensation The Book of Mormon, 21) is one of the administration’s biggest liabilities and his clumsy attempts to earn his father’s respect often go awry. Yet, despite his many well-intentioned yet misguided efforts, he is the glue that holds this family together.
Stepmom Emily (Jenna Elfman, Dharma and Greg, Accidentally on Purpose) is desperately trying to win over the affections of the kids -- including overachieving daughter Becca (Martha MacIsaac, Superbad), who is facing her first lapse of judgment, and Xander (Benjamin Stockham, Sons of Tucson) and Marigold (Amara Miller, The Descendants) -- but the brood somehow manages to stay one step ahead of Emily.
Always in the president’s corner is Marshall Malloy (Andre Holland, Friends with Benefits), the savvy and loyal White House Press Secretary, whose biggest challenge is cleaning up after the Gilchrists.
Whether it’s entertaining foreign dignitaries or sneaking away for a night out, dealing with middle-school crushes or putting out fires, figuratively and sometimes literally, there’s never a dull moment inside the Gilchrist White House.
This contemporary family comedy comes from Emmy Award-winning executive producer/director Jason Winer (Modern Family), Jon Lovett (former White House speechwriter) and Gad. Executive producers are Winer, Gad, Lovett and Mike Royce (Men of a Certain Age, Everybody Loves Raymond). 1600 Penn is produced by 20th Century Fox.
