Let’s Remember: Gary & Mike

Let’s Remember is an opportunity for those who watched relatively recent short-lived TV shows, as well as those who didn’t, to share their thoughts and memories, to help ensure that these shows aren’t forgotten. This month’s column examines Gary & Mike (UPN, 2001).

The Basics

Title: Gary & Mike
Network: UPN
Cast: Christopher Moynihan as Gary (voice), Harland WIlliams as Mike (voice)
Air dates: January 11th, 2001 – April 13th, 2001
Time slot: Fridays at 8:30PM ET; Fridays at 9:00PM ET
Episodes: 13

Official Synopsis

I have been unable to find an official UPN synopsis for Gary & Mike. The series follows the misadventures of two twenty-somethings as they travel across the country. Mike is a slacker obsessed with girls. Gary is his nerdy, responsible friend.

Program Notes

-FOX originally developed Gary & Mike and completed six episodes before the series shifted to UPN.

-UPN gave the series a special preview from 9:30-10PM ET on Thursday, January 11th, 2001 following an episode of WWF Smackdown. It moved to its regular time slot the following night: Fridays at 8PM ET. It aired prior to repeats of MTV’s Celebrity Deathmatch, another stop-motion animated TV series.

Color still from a promo for Gary and Mike on UPN.
Still from a UPN promotional spot for the premiere of Gary & Mike

-The network moved the show’s time slot a few times during its brief run. UPN also aired repeats for several weeks alongside new episodes.

-The final two episodes aired back-to-back from 9-10PM ET on Friday, April 13th, 2001.

TV Guide’s Take

As a mid-season replacement, Gary & Mike did not receive the Fall Preview treatment from TV Guide magazine.

Reviews

Variety – Laura Fries (1/1/2001)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Rob Owen (1/11/2001)
Houston Chronicle – Ann Hodges (1/11/2001)
People.com – Terry Kelleher (1/28/2001)

Opening Credits

I couldn’t find a video of just the opening credits, so here’s the first part of the series premiere:

My Thoughts

I don’t have any memories of watching Gary & Mike. I’m not a fan eager for the opportunity to rewatch the series. In fact, I’ve never seen a single episode. Yet for more than 15 years, I’ve hated it with a passion. Why? Because it replaced a show I loved: the short-lived Freedom. I still remember seeing promotional spots for the series premiere of Gary & Mike while watching the last few episodes of Freedom.

Specifically, I remember a scene in which one of the characters is in a dirty bathroom stall. He hears a voice and looks down to find a single eyeball peering at him. Then the voice says, “Whatcha doing? Poopin’?” It infuriated me that UPN was going to replace Freedom with a series with such crude humor.

Imagine my surprise when the reviews I found were not completely negative. In fact, several of them are quite positive. That’s why I’m particularly interested in reading what others have to say about the series. Did it rise above the bathroom humor featured in the promos I remember? Did I miss out on an enjoyable, funny show because I was too angry at UPN to give it a chance?

Where to Watch

Nowhere. Gary & Mike has never been officially released on DVD. Nor is it streaming anywhere, although most episodes can be found on YouTube.


Hit the comments with your thoughts and memories to ensure Gary & Mike doesn’t slip into total obscurity.


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5 Replies to “Let’s Remember: Gary & Mike”

  1. Looks like a show more suitable to Adult Swim which happened to launch the same year. It could have been an attempt to grab the same audience. FOX was likely developing it to air the same night as the Simpsons.

  2. You indeed missed out, dude. It rose above the toilet humor. That portion was just for one episode. It had cult following written all over it. It had the gross out antics of South Park and the razor wit of The Simpsons. It had topical social commentary, sexual innuendos, a road-show theme that provided the writers a plethora of situations, and most importantly, heart. I’m sorry your favorite series, which I never watched, got replaced by it, but you shouldn’t have let that put you off. That’s just shallow. Maybe Liberty had a lot more fans who thought the same way you did. The reason why it was canceled was because UPN had money problems and was folding, according to series producer, Adam Small. That could’ve also been the reason why Liberty was canceled. Give the series a chance, but if you want to see the episodes in chronological production, watch them as follows between the first and last episode:
    Cult Status (2)
    The Scene (3)
    The Virgin Gary (4)
    New York (5)
    Springered (6)
    Washington D.C. (7)
    The Furry Duffel (8)
    Phish Phry (9)
    Road Rage (10)
    Shotgun Wedding (11)
    Corn Dog Ugly (12)

    Hope you find it entertaining!

    1. Ok. Scratch that. THIS was the real order between the first and last (*with only two episodes switched based on continuity):
      2. Cult Status
      3. The Virgin Gary*
      4. Springered*
      5. The Scene
      6. D.C.
      7 New York, New York
      8. The Furry Duffel
      9. Phish Phry
      10. Road Rage
      11. Shotgun Wedding
      12. Corn Dog Ugly

  3. I remember that show. The one episode I remember was funny! One had gotten a hooker for the other, and the nerdy guy thought he had gotten lucky. Hijinks ensued. Didn’t realize it was on for such a short period.

  4. This was the highlight of my 11 year old Friday nights, followed by Celebrity Death Match. Bryan Cranston, Tim Curry and Thomas Hayden Church. This was a great show.

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