The Black Donnellys
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. |
| The Black Donnellys | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Paul Haggis Robert Moresco |
| Developed by | Scott Corwon Paul Haggis |
| Starring | Jonathan Tucker Thomas Guiry Olivia Wilde Billy Lush Michael Stahl-David Kirk Acevedo Keith Nobbs |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 13 (7 unaired) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Paul Haggis Robert Moresco |
| Running time | approx. 46 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | February 26, 2007 – April 2, 2007 |
The Black Donnellys is an American television drama that debuted on NBC on February 26, 2007 and last aired on April 2, 2007. Thereafter, NBC began airing new episodes weekly on NBC.com and it was officially cancelled.
The show follows four young Catholic Irish-American brothers in Hell's Kitchen and their involvement with organized crime.[1]Although the show is set in the present day, it draws heavily upon Irish-American history and iconic themes. Their story is narrated by a childhood friend, Joey "Ice Cream", whom the show depicts as an unreliable narrator. As the pilot episode indicates, there is a clear tension and rivalry between the Irish and the Italians.
The show was created by Paul Haggis and Robert Moresco. The show's cast included Jonathan Tucker, Olivia Wilde, Billy Lush, Tom Guiry and Kirk Acevedo with relative newcomers Michael Stahl-David and Keith Nobbs.
In creating the show, Haggis, a native of London, Ontario, strongly referenced his hometown's local history about the real-life Black Donnellys and the massacre associated with their name.
On April 2, 2007, NBC announced that the series would be pulled after the April 16 episode [2]. That only lasted for two days, however, as on April 4, 2007, NBC decided to pull the show immediately from its lineup, presumably due to poor ratings on the most recent episode[3]. It was also announced that unaired episodes would be streamed online on the NBC website, as well as downloads available from iTunes. Episodes can be watched here.
On May 14, 2007, the series was officially cancelled by NBC.[4]
Characters
Jimmy Donnelly - The oldest of 4 brothers. He is a troublemaker and drug user, who is often involved in criminal activity, and known for making stupid decisions. When he was young, a car driven by his brother Tommy ( not known to anyone other than Tommy and Joey Ice Cream) sped down the road and crushed his leg.
Tommy Donnelly - Tommy is the second oldest brother in the Donnelly family. He wised up as a kid after running over his brother's leg after stealing a car. He has a strained relationship with Jenny Reilly, a childhood friend.
Kevin Donnelly - The second youngest of the Donnelly brothers. Kevin is a gambler who thinks he is lucky but has never won a bet in his life. He is often caught in between helping Tommy and Jimmy. He is very loyal to his brothers. He is much more of follower than a leader.
Sean Donnelly - He is the youngest of the brothers and is noted for his popularity with women. Sean would like to help his brothers with "business", but they try to keep him out of the loop to keep him safe.
Joey Ice Cream - Joey is the jailhouse narrator and a lifelong friend of the brothers. He is typically willing to help them out in their times of need. He is a classic example of an unreliable narrator.
Jenny Reilly - Childhood friends with Tommy and the Donnellys. Jenny runs a local diner with her father. She and Tommy have a complicated and strained relationship.
Nicky Cottero - Italian gangster currently attempting to take over the area formerly controlled by his mentor, Sal.
Joanie - Joanie is Jimmy's drug addicted girlfriend. She seems to want a better life for her and Jimmy but can't make it out.
Nadine - Nadine is Seans love interest. She met Sean while selling him and Jimmy and jukebox for The Firecracker. She is helping Sean study for his GED.
Helen Donnelly - Helen is the Donnelly brothers widow mother. She watches out the most for young Sean but she backs her kids up when they need to avenge their honor.
Cast
Main Cast
- Jonathan Tucker as Tommy Donnelly
- Tom Guiry as Jimmy Donnelly
- Billy Lush as Kevin Donnelly
- Michael Stahl-David as Sean Donnelly
- Olivia Wilde as Jenny Reilly
- Keith Nobbs as Joey Ice Cream
- Kirk Acevedo as Nicki Cottero
Recurring
- Kate Mulgrew as Helen Donnelly
- Michael Rispoli as Alo
- Peter Greene as Derek "Dokey" Farrell
- Molly Schaffer as Kate Farrell
- Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick as Matthew Farrell
- Betsy Beutler as Joanie
- Kevin Conway as Ian Reilly
- James Badge Dale as Samson Dawlish
- Kevin Corrigan as Whitey
- Jamie Bonelli as Nadine
- Peter Gerety as Bob the Mouth
- Brian Tarantina as Vinnie
- Patrick Brennan as Earl
Episode list and ratings
Weekly rankings based on Fast National ratings.[5][6][7]
| # | Episode | Air date | Timeslot (EST) | Season | Rating | Share | 18–49 | Viewers | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | February 26, 2007 | Monday 10:00pm | 2007 | 5.5 | 9 | 3.5 | 7.93 | # 50 | |
| 2 | "A Stone of the Heart" | March 5, 2007 | Monday 10:00pm | 2007 | 4.5 | 8 | 3.0 | 6.88 | # 53 | |
| 3 | "God Is a Comedian Playing to an Audience Afraid to Laugh" | March 5, 2007 * | N/A | 2007 | Online only episode | |||||
| 4 | "The World Will Break Your Heart" | March 12, 2007 | Monday 10:00pm | 2007 | 4.4 | 7 | 2.6 | 6.53 | # 55 | |
| 5 | "Lies" | March 19, 2007 | Monday 10:00pm | 2007 | 3.9 | 6 | 2.4 | 5.53 | # 68 | |
| 6 | "Run Like Hell" | March 26, 2007 | Monday 10:00pm | 2007 | 3.9 | 7 | 2.3 | 5.43 | # 69 | |
| 7 | "The Only Thing Sure" | April 2, 2007 | Monday 10:00pm | 2007 | 3.7 | 6 | 2.0 | 5.3 | # 71 | |
| 8 | "In Each One a Savior" | April 9, 2007 ** | Monday 9:00pm | 2007 | Online only episode | |||||
| 9 | "All of Us Are in the Gutter" | April 16, 2007 ** | Monday 9:00pm | 2007 | Online only episode | |||||
| 10 | "When The Door Opens" | April 23, 2007 ** | Monday 9:00pm | 2007 | Online only episode | |||||
| 11 | "Wasn't That Enough?" | April 30, 2007 ** | Monday 9:00pm | 2007 | Online only episode | |||||
| 12 | "The Black Drop" | May 7, 2007 ** | Monday 9:00pm | 2007 | Online only episode | |||||
| 13 | "Easy Is the Way" | May 14, 2007 ** | Monday 9:00pm | 2007 | Online only episode | |||||
* "God Is a Comedian Playing to an Audience Afraid to Laugh" was only available online due to network concerns over content ** Episode availabe online-only at 9:00PM EST at NBC.COM
Key: Rating is the estimated percentage of all TVs tuned to the show, share is the percentage of all TVs in use that are tuned in. Viewers is the estimated number of actual people watching, in millions, while ranking is the approximate ranking of the show against all prime-time TV shows for the week (Monday through the following Sunday).
The pilot episode, while averaging 8.42 million viewers, had a large drop off in its second half. The first half hour was watched by 10 million viewers but that number dropped to 6 million in the second half hour.[8]. The overall average was later revised down to 7.93 million viewers.
International broadcasters
| Country | TV Network(s) | Series Premiere | Weekly Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States |
NBC | USA | Mondays, 10pm |
 Canada |
Global Television Network | 2007-02-26 | Sundays, 10pm Mondays, 10pm |
 United Kingdom |
ITV2 (episode preview) and ITV1 (prime-time broadcast) |
2007 | |
 Australia |
Seven Network[2] | 2007 |
Re-runs of episodes will be airing on the USA Network and Bravo.[9]
Trivia
- In early drafts, the show was originally titled "The Truth According To Joey Ice Cream."
- The episode called "God Is A Comedian" was originally slated to be the 3rd episode to air, but NBC decided to make it an online-only episode. It is currently viewable in the USA through the official NBC website, and can be purchased through iTunes.
- Kirk Acevedo, Michael Rispoli, and Kevin Conway also starred together in the 2006 film Invincible.
- The Donnelly's bar, The Firecracker, is actually The Shannon Pot, located on Jackson Avenue in Long Island City, NY.
- In the episode "The World Will Break Your Heart", when Helen Donnelly (Kate Mulgrew) goes to the hospital and dismisses Kimmy from Sean's bedside, Kim is reading a paperback edition of "All Souls: A Family Story From Southie"(ISBN 0807072125). The book is a memoir about growing up in a large Irish-Catholic family in a working class neighborhood in South Boston, and his brothers involvement with Irish mob in Southie at the time. The mother in the book is also named Helen.
References
- ^ "The Black Donnellys".
- ^ The Black Donnellys: NBC Puts a Hit on the Drama, TV Series Finale, April 3, 2007
- ^ Donnellys Dropped ASAP, TV Guide, April 4, 2007
- ^ KNBC.com "NBC To Announce Fall Schedule Of Shows"
- ^ Zap2It Ratings: Rating and Share.
- ^ Calendar Live Ratings: Viewers and Rankings.
- ^ 18–49 numbers, Media Life magazine
- ^ Pilot Ratings on TV Squad
- ^ [1]: The Black Donnellys on USA, Bravo
External links
- NBC's The Black Donnellys website
- The Black Donnellys online episodes
- The Black Donnellys Reviews at Metacritic