Greek (stylised in partially Greek alphabet as GRΣΣK) is an American comedy-drama television series, which follows students of the fictional Cyprus-Rhodes University (CRU), located in Ohio, who participate in the school's Greek system. The show's plots often take place within the confines of the fictional fraternities, Kappa Tau Gamma (ΚΤΓ) and Omega Chi Delta (ΩΧΔ), or the fictional sorority, Zeta Beta Zeta (ΖΒZ). Throughout the course of the series, other non-Greek characters and situations are introduced, but they all tie into larger relationships with the Greeks. There are four seasons.

On February 19, 2010, it was announced that Greek had been renewed for a fourth and final season,^[2][3] which premiered on January 3, 2011.^[4] The series finale aired on March 7, 2011. The fourth and final season of Greek was promoted as Greek: The Final Semester.

Production[link]

In April 2007, ABC Family announced plans to begin airing Greek in July of that summer. The series premiered on July 9, 2007.^[5] The show depicts a school similar to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio which also has a large greek community. Show creator Patrick Sean Smith began the show as a spec script of a show that he "really wanted to see," noticing a lack of shows in an hour-long format following a comedic take on college life. Citing "shows like Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty" that "were pushing the envelope comedically in [sic] one-hour format," Smith saw the idea working for a younger set.^[6] Greek became an example of ABC Family's desire to change their image to appeal to the emerging generation of viewers. The show's content is not traditionally considered "family friendly" due to its depiction of sex and drinking. The producers and the television network believe the friendships, which substitute for family during college, achieve the network's motto: A New Kind of Family.^[7] At the heart of the series is the sibling relationship between Casey and Rusty. The producers recognize that while it is a show about families, it is not necessarily for families, believing it is important that the authenticity of college life be portrayed, which includes the mature elements of that lifestyle. Even still, they work at making sure their depictions aren't gratuitous.^[8]

Filmed primarily in Los Angeles, the show is also filmed on location at the UCLA campus in the Westwood district of Los Angeles. Many campus scenes have also been shot at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California, outside of Los Angeles. They've also filmed at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.^[9] The exterior and some interior shots were filmed in the historic West Adams District within Los Angeles. The house used in the pilot to establish the ZBZ residence is the same house used in the reality series Beauty and the Geek.^[8]

The first season was halted in September 2007 due to the Writers Guild of America strike and returned March 24, 2008, to a triple digit increase in ratings over the pilot's premiere.^[10] On May 1, 2008, ABC Family renewed Greek for a second season, premiering August 26, 2008. The series was moved from the Tuesday lineup to Monday nights.^[11] Twelve more episodes were ordered for late spring 2009 and aired beginning March 30. On January 31, 2009, it was announced that Greek would return for a third season, premiering on August 31, 2009.^[12] The midseason premiere of Greek was Monday, Jan. 25, at 10/9c.^[13]

On February 19, 2010, it was reported that the show had been renewed for a fourth, ten-episode season.^[2][3] Then, on March 13, 2010, creator Sean Smith announced his plans to end the series after the fourth season, saying, "We plan to end, that's the plan. We're all looking at this as an opportunity to come back, wrap up the show, and end strong. ABC Family could have ended it, but they gave us this opportunity and I don't want to squander it."^[14] On July 29, 2010, it was confirmed that the fourth and final season of Greek would air beginning in January 2011. The series finale aired on March 7, 2011.

Worldwide syndication[link]

•  United States on ABC Family on Mondays, encores running the following Friday during its First Chapter.
•  United Kingdom on E4
•  Australia on pay-TV Fox8
•  New Zealand on TV2
•  Canada on MuchMusic
•  France on Virgin 17
•  Greece on MTV Greece and now air on ANT1.
•  Spain on la Sexta 3
•  Italy on Fox Italia and MTV Italia
•  Russia on MTV Russia
•  Germany on pay-TV network Fox and Pro7
•  Norway on TVNorge
•  Sweden on Kanal 5
•  Denmark on Kanal 4
•  Finland on Nelonen
•  Ireland on RTE2
•  Israel on HOT Family in the first 2 seasons, and currently on HOT3
•  Netherlands It will begin airing on RTL 5
•  Slovenia on Kanal A
•  RSA on VUZU, (DSTV Channel 123)
•  Brazil on Universal Channel
•  Peru on Universal Channel
•  Egypt on Fox
•  Lebanon on Fox
•  Belgium on 2BE
•  Bulgaria used to be aired on FoxLife
•  Cyprus ANT1 Cyprus is planning to air the Series from January 2012
•  Serbia on FoxLife
•  Italy on Fox
•  Indonesia on STAR World
•  San Marino on Fox
•  Paraguay on Telefuturo
•  Turkey on TNT^{[disambiguation needed ]}
•  Taiwan on STAR World
•  Fiji on Fiji One
•  Serbia on FoxLife

Casting[link]

Main cast[link]

CRU Greeks[link]

The following is a list of fraternities and sororities featured in more than one episode.

The following is a list of fraternities and sororities showed in at least one episode.

Synopsis[link]

The pilot episode premiered on Monday, July 9, 2007 in the US on ABC Family. The series finale aired on Monday, March 7, 2011.

Season One[link]

Rusty Cartwright (Jacob Zachar) is a freshman at Cyprus-Rhodes University, and in an effort to shed his nerdy image, he goes through Greek recruitment. His older sister, Casey (Spencer Grammer), is an active member of the Zeta Beta Zeta sorority (the top sorority on campus), and is dating Omega Chi Delta active Evan Chambers (Jake McDorman), who is wealthy and popular because of his father's company, Chambers International. Evan is the Pledge Educator of the Omega Chi (the top fraternity on campus) and offers Rusty a spot in Omega Chi but gets declined after Evan gets spotted cheating on Casey with the Senator's daughter (and Zeta Beta Zeta pledge, Rebecca Logan (Dilshad Vadsaria). Rusty later accepts an invitation for Kappa Tau Gamma fraternity by the fun and laid back Cappie (Scott Michael Foster), Casey's ex-boyfriend, much to Casey's concern. Additionally, Rusty's straight-edged Baptist roommate, Dale (Clark Duke), is concerned for Rusty's involvement with the Greeks, but later accepts Rusty's new lifestyle, even befriending Rusty's gay friend Calvin (Paul James), an Omega Chi legacy and pledge who gets accidentally outed by Ashleigh (Amber Stevens). A large scandal for the Greeks erupts after Rusty's new girlfriend, Jen K (Jessica Rose), a Zeta Beta Zeta pledge, writes a newspaper article based on the scandals and controversies of the Greeks and gets them in trouble with Dean Bowman, forcing the university to lay down strict rules and monitoring on the Greeks. Since Jen K was a ZBZ pledge, the article centers on the Zeta Beta Zeta sorority and ZBZ National Board interferes and forces Casey's "big sister" Frannie, an ambitious and manipulative girl, to step down as president and has Casey take her place as interim president.

Season Two[link]

After being ousted as ZBZ president by Nationals, Frannie decides to set up her own sorority, Iota Kappa Iota (Nicknamed "IKAP" by the house, and the "ICKY's" by all the other houses). Bankrolled by her new boyfriend, Evan Chambers', trust fund, she sets about convincing a small number of ZBZ sisters to defect. New ZBZ president Ashleigh assumes her full duties taking over from interim president Casey, however Casey remains a prominent figure in the house, taking charge of the year's pledges. At the Kappa Tau house, Rusty is looking forward to being an active after a year of hazing and serving the brothers, only to find he is still treated the same as a 'Post-pledge' until the freshman arrive on campus. During Rush, Rusty takes a liking to Calvin's former high school friend Andy (Jesse McCartney) and petitions hard to convince him to join the Kappa Tau house over the Omega Chi house. Rusty and Dale take an Art History elective, and Rusty falls (literally) for free spirit Jordan (Johanna Braddy). Jordan attends a Kappa Tau party on invite from Rusty, during which she makes out with Andy. Rusty's situation worsens when Andy joins Kappa Tau, and Cappie makes Rusty his big brother in the house. Casey struggles with her feelings for Cappie whilst dating Max (Michael Rady), forcing Casey and Cappie to argue and agree to not be friends anymore; however, Cappie comes to her aid when the ZBZ homecoming float breaks down and the two make up. Rusty, unable to hide his feelings for Jordan, kisses her and later admits this to Andy, who leaves the Kappa Tau house because of this. The betrayal of Rusty to his younger brother infuriates Cappie, who likens the situation to when Evan stole Casey from him, however when Cappie and Evan start reminiscing and become friends, Cappie also forgives Rusty. Jordan chooses Rusty over Andy, and the Iota Kappa Iota house is disbanded by Frannie after she breaks up with Evan and graduates from CRU. Unable to bury her feelings for Cappie, Casey tries to reconnect with Cappie, only for him to reject her. Casey breaks up with Max because she doesn't ever think she'll feel the same with him as she does with Cappie.

Season Three[link]

Season Three begins shortly after Homecoming of the academic year 2009–2010.^[23] Rebecca confesses that she shared a kiss with Fischer (Ashleigh's boyfriend) and Ashleigh refuses to accept the apology from both parties. Casey's break up with Max was difficult, but she put her energy into her participation in Panhellenic. Meanwhile, Rusty struggles to keep up his GPA while still in Kappa Tau activities, and Cappie enlists himself as help. Calvin and Grant quietly begin a relationship, and Evan helps them keep it a secret from the rest of Omega Chi. Rusty and Jordan take their relationship to the next level, but due to a once in a lifetime opportunity Jordan moves to New York, and the two split up. Cappie and Evan's friendship is discovered by Casey and the three are friends again. When Thanksgiving rolls around Cappie and Casey share a special moment and get back together. Dale and Rusty begin to fight when they are put up for the same academic grant. Cappie and Evan make a deal to unite their houses against Officer Huck, but Evan betrays Cappie and three Kappa Tau brothers are expelled. The Gamma Psi house burns down, and the ZBZ house is to blame, but eventually Casey breaks down from the guilt and tells Katherine what happened. Grant and Calvin break up, because Grant wants to know what being single is like. In the final episode Cappie breaks up with Casey for not having enough faith in them.

Season Four[link]

Casey, Ashleigh, and Evan graduate, while Calvin and Rebecca adjust to their new duties as presidents. After some investigation, Casey discovers the real reasons behind not getting into CRU Law, and with a turned decision stays at CRU as a law student and the ZBZ housemom. Ashleigh then turns up at the ZBZ house saying she was fired from her job in New York, only to have it revealed later that she was sent on a coffee run one day and just quit, and came back to CRU because she was lonely and disliked her boss. Meanwhile, Cappie tries to get back with Casey, and after telling him that maybe they can go back the way they were, Cappie promises that he will change so that someday he is worthy of being her boyfriend. Calvin deals with the ramifications of lying to become president of ΩX, as well as his relationship with Heath. After an inspiring talk with Evan, Dale rushes ΩX. Alternatively, the KT brothers lose all of their pledges except one; Peter Parkes, a KT legacy whose father is Lasker Parkes, creator of the 'Joshua Whopper' software (named in episode 2x04). Since declaring a major (which was philosophy), Cappie has decided to graduate that semester to be with Casey. Ashleigh had a brief relationship with Casey and Evan's law professor, but broke it off because he was acting like a jerk to people around her. Ashleigh then took a marketing job with her past professor and began a relationship with Rusty. Rebecca and Evan broke up and formed somewhat of a friendship in the final episode. After discovering that Omega Chi was trying to use him to get to Kappa Tau, Dale was kicked out of the fraternity. He was later reinstated after the chapter stood up to the president on his behalf. Dale got back together with Laura. Katherine and Beaver (Walter) got together. After it was revealed that Lasker Parkes wanted to destroy Kappa Tau's house to build a gym, a protest took place to save the house. Casey, Evan, and Cappie all came to amends and Cappie announced that Rusty was the new Kappa Tau president. Kappa Tau was torn down, but Rusty pledged to finding a new, better house for Kappa Tau. Casey quits CRU Law to go to Washington with Cappie, who is now graduated. Rusty and Ashleigh begin their relationship. In the final scene, the main cast, Rebecca, Evan, Rusty, Ashleigh, Dale, and Calvin say good bye to Casey and Cappie as they drive away together, Cappie telling Casey he wants to go wherever she's going. The final scene features Casey and Cappie driving off as Pledge Spidey (Peter Parkes) is putting the KT letters on a new house (the old Lambda Sigs house) that ΩX's housing foundation bought them so they could stay on campus.

Music[link]

• The Plain White T's "Our Time Now" played during commercials advertising Greek during the show's first chapter promotional run. The band has appeared in numerous Greek episodes, making their debut in the season one episode, "The Rusty Nail". They appeared in subsequent episodes "Friday Night Frights", "A New Normal", and "See You Next Time Sisters".^[24] The show sometimes features members of the band as KT brothers, such as in the episode "The Great Cappie". The Chapter Two DVD features a video for the band's song, "Natural Disaster", which features Tiffany Dupont.
• The Dollyrots appeared in the season one episode, "Multiple Choice", playing "Because I'm Awesome".^[24]
• Marié Digby performs "Better Off Alone" in the penultimate season one episode, "Barely Legal".^[24]
• American Bang performs two songs in the season one finale, "Spring Broke": "Wild and Young", and "Move to the Music".^[24]
• The War Tapes are the featured band during the season two finale, "At World's End", "Always Falling", and "Dreaming of You".^[25]
• Alpha Rev appeared in the season preview performing Phoenix Burn.
• Zach Selwyn wrote a rap song to promote the third season of "Greek" in 2009, and shot a music video with the cast of the show.^[26]
• Temper Trap with the song "Sweet Disposition" on the last Episode(22) of the second season.
• In one episode (season 3, episode 10 "Friend or Foe?"), before fire in Gamma Psi house, ZBZ singing song "Good Girls Go Bad" (originally performed by Cobra Starship).
• Episode 5 Season 4 when Cappie takes Casey back to ZBZ after the Everest party, the song "Ring of Fire" by Jack Savoretti is played.
• Season 4 Episode 6, when Cappie welcomes Casey to CappieLand, the song "Under the Milky Way" by Sia is played.
• Youth Group with the song "Forever Young" on the finale of Greek (season 4, episode 10)..
• All Time Low's song "Six Feet Under The Stars" was featured in season 3 episode 2
• Spinning by Jack's Mannequin in the last episode of season 2 as well as the beginning of the series finale

Reception[link]

Greek has received a score of 62 out of 100 from review aggregator Metacritic.^[27] In a review released soon after the premiere of the show, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called the show "light-hearted fun" and "authentic" while the New York Times claimed that Greek "captures the spirit of the hedge-fund age like nothing else."^[28][29] Other critics did not find the drama as authentic, with Elizabeth Fox of the Philadelphia Inquirer criticizing the show's predictability and lack of originality as another "teenage soap opera."^[30] Other reviews were middling, calling the writing of the show acceptable and praising the strength of the cast.^[31]

Members of the real life Greek community have claimed that Greek's depiction of fraternity and sorority life is stereotypical.^[32] USC banned the show from filming on their campus, in reaction to the promotional poster featuring the Greek logo over a red cup, since the cup is often used to symbolize alcoholic consumption during parties. However, upon viewing the pilot episode they held off on sending a letter to ABC Family, complaining about the depiction of the Greek System, when they realized there was more to the show than just parties. Others recognize it as a hyperbolic representation of "tamer, more modest" Greek life.^[33]

The show has been noted by LGBT activists for the character of Calvin, a gay fraternity brother, who struggles with the stereotyping and homophobia that coming out of the closet entails. Critics have praised the character's "three dimensionality."^[6][34]

Awards[link]

In 2008 GLAAD nominated Greek for an Outstanding Drama Series award, and in 2009 they nominated the show in the Outstanding Comedy Series category. Actor Paul James was nominated for a 2009 Image Award as Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series.^[35] In 2010, it was again nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for "Outstanding Comedy Series" during the 21st GLAAD Media Awards.^[36]

Ratings[link]

The viewership for Greek's pilot episode was 1.1 million,^[37] and Chapter 2 ended with 1.3 million viewers.^[38]

Chapter 3 saw a ratings spike, premiering to 1.6 million viewers, a 78% increase, doubling and tripling their ratings in all demographics, marked a network high for male viewers, and was the 2nd most watched cable show with females age 12–34. Greek also appeared on the list of top ten downloads on iTunes.^[8][10] Chapter 4 premiered much lower, with 0.99 million viewers,^[39] and ended with 0.745 million.^[38]

The third season premiere (Chapter 5) had a total of 1.21 million viewers, down almost 2 million from its lead in, The Secret Life of the American Teenager.^[40] The second episode pulled in 1.31 million viewers.^[41] Chapter 5 ended with 0.66 million viewers and Chapter 6 premiered with 1.033 million.^[42]

Online reality show spinoff[link]

In 2007, ABC Family created a website www.virtualrush.com that was to be used in conjunction with the Greek television series. The site was maintained during the first two seasons, in which the users of the site competed in a wide variety of contests in order to become an extra on the show. During the first season of the contest, a five part online reality series called Rush*d^[43] followed the six finalists that were selected by ABC Family staff from their hometowns and college campuses to Los Angeles.

The Finalists:

• Chrissy Celotto – Van Wilder
• Luke Martin – IvoryRockstar
• Nate McGee – NJMCGEE
• Jay Stephens – ChiKappaDelta
• Jenna Walsh – Jenziebabe
• Laura Wise – Whitecup

In the fifth episode of Rush'd, Laura Wise was announced the winner of the contest.

In season two of Virtual Rush, Tom Kruszewski – Puckstopper35, was announced as the winner of the second and final contest. Following the second season the website was rendered inert.

Specials[link]

In the United Kingdom, episodes are followed by special behind-the-scenes features entitled Greek Uncovered, which can be found on the BBC iPlayer and on BBC Three.^[44] In the Australian iTunes store, each week, a new episode (to Australia) will appear, after it is aired on Fox8.

DVD releases[link]

In 2008, ABC/Disney released Season 1 on DVD in two volumes, titled Chapter One and Chapter Two. In 2009, Season 2 was also released on DVD in two volumes, titled Chapter Three and Chapter Four.

In 2010, Shout! Factory secured the rights for the rest of the series and released Season 3 on DVD as a complete set, titled Chapter 5: The Complete Third Season.^[45] On October 18, 2011, Shout! Factory released "Greek: Chapter 6 - The Complete Fourth Season" as a Shout! Select title, available exclusively on their website.^[46]

Season One

Season Two

Season Three

Season Four

References[link]

External links[link]

• Greek on Myspace
• Greek at the Internet Movie Database
• Greek Uncovered at the Internet Movie Database
• Greek at TV.com
• Greek Speak Podcast

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2011)

A television program (usually television programme outside North America), also called television show, is a segment of content intended for broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode.

A television series that is intended to comprise a limited number of episodes is usually called a miniseries or serial. Series without a fixed length are usually divided into seasons or series, yearly or biannual installments of new episodes. While there is no defined length, US industry practice tends to favor longer seasons than those of some other countries.

A one-time broadcast may be called a "special", or particularly in the UK a "special episode". A television movie ("made-for-TV movie" or television film), is a film that is initially broadcast on television rather than released in cinemas or direct-to-video, although many successful TV movies are later released on DVD.

A program can be either recorded—as on video tape or other various electronic media forms—or considered live television.

Program content[link]

Television programming may be fictional (as in comedies and dramas), or non-fictional (as in documentary, news, and reality television). It may be topical (as in the case of a local newscast and some made-for-television movies), or historical (as in the case of many documentaries and fictional series). They could be primarily instructional or educational, or entertaining as is the case in situation comedy and game shows.

A drama program usually features a set of actors in a somewhat familiar setting. The program follows their lives and their adventures. With the exception of soap operas, many shows especially before the 1980s, remained static without story arcs, the main characters and the premise changed little. If some change happened to the characters lives during the episode, it was usually undone by the end. (Because of this, the episodes could be broadcast in any order.) Since the 1980s, there are many series that feature progressive change to the plot, the characters, or both.

Common television program periods include regular broadcasts (like news), series (usually seasonal and ongoing with a duration of only a few episodes to many seasons), or miniseries, which is an extended film, usually with a small predetermined number of episodes and a set plot and timeline. Miniseries usually range from about 3 to 10 hours in length. In the UK, the term "miniseries" is only usually used in reference to imported programmes, and such short-run series are usually called "serials".

Older American television shows began with a title sequence showing opening credits at the bottom lower third of the screen during the beginning, and included closing credits at the end of the show. However, beginning in the 1990s some shows began with a "cold open", followed by a title sequence and a commercial break. Many serial-type shows begin with a "Previously on..." (such as the series 24) introduction before the new episode. And, to save time, some shows omit the title sequence altogether, folding the names normally featured there into the opening credits. The title sequence has not been completely eliminated, however, as many major television series still use them.

While television series appearing on TV networks are usually commissioned by the networks themselves, their producers earn greater revenue when the program is sold into syndication. With the rise of the DVD home video format, box sets containing entire seasons or the complete run of a program have become a significant revenue source as well. Many of the prime-time comedy shows and Saturday morning cartoons were digitally remastered for United States television around mid-May 2008, as there are more original and reissued DVD sets of television programs containing either entire seasons or complete series to come. Typically, a DVD of a series or TV movie may contain extended or additional scenes not shown during the broadcast, scenes not allowed for broadcast (due to censorship rule), or additional background information/documentaries.

Television has changed throughout the years, from wholesome family sitcoms and dramas of years ago, to the reality shows of today. When watching television became popular in the mid-20th century, the whole family watched one set together. Also, many channels have deviated from their original programming focus throughout the years because of channel drift.

Most television networks throughout the world are 'commercial', dependent on selling advertising time or acquiring sponsors, broadcasting executives' main concern over their programming is on audience size or eyeballs. Once the number of 'free to air' stations was restricted by the availability of channel frequencies, but cable TV (outside the USA, satellite television) technology has allowed an expansion in the number of channels available to viewers (sometimes at premium rates) in a much more competitive environment.

Genres[link]

Scripted entertainment[link]

• Animated
• Award shows (partially scripted)
• Drama—which includes:
  • Action-adventure or Thriller
  • Comedy-drama
  • Family drama
  • Legal drama
  • Medical drama
  • Police procedural
  • Political drama
  • Science-fiction / Fantasy / Horror / Supernatural drama
  • Serial drama
  • Soap opera
  • Teen drama
• Miniseries and Television movies
• Comedy
  • Mockumentary
  • Satire
  • Sitcom
  • Sketch comedy

Unscripted entertainment[link]

• Game shows
• Reality
• Talk shows

Informational[link]

• Infomercials—paid advertising spots that are up to an hour long
• News programs
• Documentaries
• News magazines—dealing with current affairs

Development[link]

United States[link]

When a person or company decides to create a new series, they develop the show's elements, consisting of the concept, the characters, the crew, and cast. Then they offer ("pitch") it to the various networks in an attempt to find one interested enough to order a prototype first episode of the series, known as a pilot.

To create the pilot, the structure and team of the whole series must be put together. If the network likes the pilot, they pick up the show to air it the next season (usually Fall). Sometimes they save it for mid-season, or request rewrites and further review (known in the industry as Development hell). Other times, they pass entirely, forcing the show's creator to "shop it around" to other networks. Many shows never make it past the pilot stage.

If the show is picked up, the network orders a "run" of episodes—usually only 13 episodes at first, though a season typically consists of at least 22 episodes. (The last nine episodes are sometimes called the "back nine"—borrowing the colloquial golf term).

The show hires a stable of writers, who usually work in parallel: the first writer works on the first episode, the second on the second episode, etc. When all the writers have been used, episode assignment starts again with the first writer. On other shows, however, the writers work as a team. Sometimes they develop story ideas individually, and pitch them to the show's creator, who folds them together into a script and rewrites them.

United Kingdom[link]

In contrast to the US model illustrated above, the UK procedure is operated on a sometimes similar, but much smaller scale.

The method of "team writing" is employed on some longer dramatic series (usually running up to a maximum of around 13 episodes). The idea for such a programme may be generated "in-house" by one of the networks; it could originate from an independent production company; it sometimes is a product of both. For example, the BBC's long-running soap opera EastEnders is wholly a BBC production, whereas its popular drama Life on Mars was developed by Kudos in association with the broadcaster.

However, there are still a significant number of programmes (usually sitcoms) that are built around just one or two writers and a small, close-knit production team. These are "pitched" in the traditional way, but since the creator(s) handle all the writing requirements, there is a run of six or seven episodes per series once approval has been given. Many of the most popular British comedies have been made this way, including Monty Python's Flying Circus (albeit with an exclusive team of six writer-performers), Fawlty Towers, Blackadder and The Office.

Production[link]

The executive producer, often the show's creator, is in charge of running the show. They pick the crew and help cast the actors, approve and sometimes write series plots (some even write or direct major episodes). Various other producers help to ensure that the show runs smoothly.

As with filmmaking or other electronic media production, production of an individual episode can be divided into three parts. These are:

Pre-production[link]

Pre-production begins when a script is approved. A director is chosen to plan the episode's final look.

Pre-production tasks include storyboarding, construction of sets, props, and costumes, casting guest stars, budgeting, acquiring resources like lighting, special effects, stunts, etc. Once the show is planned, it must then be scheduled; scenes are often filmed out of sequence, guest actors or even regulars may only be available at certain times. Sometimes the principal photography of different episodes must be done at the same time, complicating the schedule (a guest star might shoot scenes from two episodes on the same afternoon). Complex scenes are translated from storyboard to animatics to further clarify the action. Scripts are adjusted to meet altering requirements.

Some shows have a small stable of directors, but also usually rely on outside directors. Given the time constraints of broadcasting, a single show might have two or three episodes in pre-production, one or two episodes in principal photography, and a few more in various stages of post-production. The task of directing is complex enough that a single director can usually not work on more than one episode or show at a time, hence the need for multiple directors.

Principal photography[link]

Principal photography is the actual filming of the episode. Director, actors and crew gather at a television studio or on location for filming or videoing a scene. A scene is further divided into shots, which should be planned during pre-production. Depending on scheduling, a scene may be shot in non-sequential order of the story. Conversations may be filmed twice from different camera angles, often using stand-ins, so one actor might perform all their lines in one set of shots, and then the other side of the conversation is filmed from the opposite perspective. To complete a production on time, a second unit may be filming a different scene on another set or location at the same time, using a different set of actors, an assistant director, and a second unit crew. A director of photography supervises the lighting of each shot to ensure consistency.

Post production[link]

Once principal photography is complete, producers coordinate tasks to begin the video editing. Visual and digital video effects are added to the film; this is often outsourced to companies specializing in these areas. Often music is performed with the conductor using the film as a time reference (other musical elements may be previously recorded). An editor cuts the various pieces of film together, adds the musical score and effects, determines scene transitions, and assembles the completed show.

Budgets and revenues[link]

In the United States, the average broadcast network drama costs $3 million an episode to produce, while cable dramas cost $2 million on average.^[1] The pilot episode may be more expensive than a regular episode. In 2004, Lost's two-hour pilot cost $10–$14 million, in 2008 Fringe's two-hour pilot cost $10 million, and in 2010, Boardwalk Empire was $18 million for the first episode. In 2011, Game of Thrones was $5–$10 million, Pan Am cost an estimated $10 million, while Terra Nova's two-hour pilot was between $10 to $20 million.^[2][3]

Deficit financing is the term used to describe how many scripted network television shows in the Unites States are financed. A studio finances the production cost of a show and a network pays a license fee to the studio for the right to air the show. This license fee does not cover the show's production costs, leading to the deficit. Although the studio does not make its money back in the original airing of the show, it retains ownership of the show. This ownership retention allows the studio to make its money back and earn a profit through syndication and DVD and Blu-ray disc sales. This system places most of the financial risk on the studios, however a show that is a hit in the syndication and home video markets can more than make up for the misses. Although the deficit financing system places minimal financial risk on the networks, they lose out on the future profits of big hits, since they are only licensing the shows.^[4]

Costs are recouped mainly by advertising revenues for broadcast networks and some cable channels, while other cable channels depend on subscription revenues. In general, advertisers, and consequently networks that depend on advertising revenues, are more interested in the number of viewers within the 18–49 age range than the total number of viewers.^[5][6] Advertisers are willing to pay more to advertise on shows successful with young adults because they watch less television and are harder to reach than older adults.^[7] According to Advertising Age, during the 2007–08 season, Grey's Anatomy was able to charge $419,000 per commercial, compared to only $248,000 for a commercial during CSI, despite CSI having almost five million more viewers on average.^[8] Due to its strength in young demos, Friends was able to charge almost three times as much for a commercial as Murder, She Wrote, even though the two series had similar total viewer numbers during the seasons they were on the air together.^[5] Glee and The Office drew fewer total viewers than NCIS during the 2009–10 season, but earned an average of $272,694 and $213,617 respectively, compared to $150,708 for NCIS.^[9]

Distribution[link]

After production, the show is turned over to the television network, which sends it out to its affiliate stations, which broadcast it in the specified broadcast programming time slot. If the Nielsen ratings are good, the show is kept alive as long as possible. If not, the show is usually canceled. The show's creators are then left to shop around remaining episodes, and the possibility of future episodes, to other networks. On especially successful series, the producers sometimes call a halt to a series on their own like Seinfeld, The Cosby Show, Corner Gas, and M*A*S*H and end it with a concluding episode, which sometimes is a big series finale.

On rare occasions, a series that has not attracted particularly high ratings and has been canceled can be given a reprieve if DVD sales have been particularly strong. This has happened in the cases of Family Guy in the US and Peep Show in the UK.

If the show is popular or lucrative, and a number of episodes (usually 100 episodes or more) are made, it goes into broadcast syndication (in the USA) where broadcast to the program rights are then resold.

[edit] Seasons/series

The terminology used to define a set of episodes produced by a television series varies from country to country.

North American usage[link]

The term "series", in North American usage, refers to a connected set of television program episodes that run under the same title, possibly spanning many seasons. A new series is often ordered (funded) for just the first 10 to 13 episodes, to gauge the audience interest. If it is "picked up", the season is completed to the regular 20 to 26 episodes. The term "midseason replacement" usually refers to an inexpensive short-run (10–13 episode) show designed to take the place of an original series that failed to garner an audience and has not been picked up. The term "series finale" can lead to confusion outside of North America. A series finale is the last show of the series before the show is no longer produced. (In the UK, it means the end of a season.)

In North America the term "television season" is used inconsistently. A "full season" typically runs from September through May, with a hiatus between December and February. This broadcast programming schedule typically includes 20 to 26 episodes. A full season is sometimes split into two separate units (confusingly also termed seasons) with one before and one after the hiatus. These smaller "seasons" usually contain half the number of episodes (10–13).^{[citation needed]}

Since the 2000s, these shorter seasons have been referred to as ".5" or half seasons, where the run of shows between September and December is labeled "Season N", and the second run between February and May labeled "Season N.5". This is typically done to increase DVD sales of the show.^{[citation needed]} Distributors release the first half of the season in stores just before the second half first airs to increase interest in the season's second half.^{[citation needed]} Examples of this include the 2004 incarnation of Battlestar Galactica, ABC's FlashForward, and ABC Family's Make It or Break It.

UK and Australia usage[link]

In the United Kingdom and other countries, these sets of episodes are referred to as a "series". In Australia, the broadcasting may be different to North American usage, however, the terms "series" and "season" are the same. For example, Battlestar Galactica has an original series as well as a remake, both are considered different series with their own number of individual seasons. It helps to avoid much confusion when talking about a TV Series.

Australian television does not follow "seasons" in the way that US television does. So there is no "Fall Season" or "Fall schedule", for example. For many years popular night time dramas in Australia would run much of the year, and would only go into recess over the summer period (December–February) where ratings are not taken. Therefore popular dramas would usually run February–November each year. This schedule was used in the 1970s for popular dramas including Number 96. Neighbours and other dramas continue this routine as of 2011. Australian situation comedy series usually have seasons of about 13 episodes, and might premiere at any month between February and November.

British shows have tended toward shorter series in recent years. For example, the first series of long-running science fiction show Doctor Who in 1963 featured forty-two 25-minute episodes, which had been reduced gradually to fourteen 25-minute episodes in 1989. The revival of Doctor Who has comprised thirteen 45-minute installments. However, there are some series in the UK that have a larger number of episodes, for example Waterloo Road started with 8–12 episodes but from series three onward, it increased to 20 episodes, and season seven will contain 30 episodes. Recently, American non-cable networks have also begun to experiment with shorter seasons for some programs, particularly reality shows such as Survivor. However, they often air two seasons per year, resulting in roughly the same number of episodes per year as a drama.

This is a reduction from the 1950s, in which many American shows (e.g., The Twilight Zone) had between 29 and 39 episodes per season. Actual storytelling time within a commercial television hour has also gradually reduced over the years, from 50 minutes out of every 60 to the current 44 (and even less on some networks), beginning in the early 21st century.

Japanese usage[link]

The Japanese have sometimes subdivided television series and dramas into kūru (クール^?), from the French term cours for course, which is a three-month period usually of 13 episodes. Each kūru generally has its own opening and ending image sequence and song, recordings of which are often sold. The number of episodes permitted per season ranges from three to 65. (See also Japanese television programs.)

[edit] Running time

In the United States, in general, dramas usually last 44 minutes (an hour with advertisements), while sitcoms last 22 (30 with advertisements). However, with the rise of cable networks, especially pay ones, series and episode lengths have been changing, with 55–60 minutes per episode, and shorter seasons overall.

See also[link]

• Category:Television schedules (by country and year)
• List of animated television series
• List of television programs by name in alphabetical order
• Lists of television programs
• Network programming (television)
• Radio programming
• Television advertisement

References[link]

External links[link]

• FCC

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James Hetfield
James Hetfield performing with Metallica in 2012.
Background information
Birth name	James Alan Hetfield
Born	(1963-08-03) August 3, 1963 (age 48) Downey, California, United States
Genres	Heavy metal, thrash metal, hard rock, speed metal
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, producer
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, drums, piano, bass
Years active	1978–present
Labels	Warner Bros., Elektra, Megaforce
Associated acts	Metallica, Spastik Children, Leather Charm
Website	www.metallica.com
Notable instruments
Gibson Explorer ESP Truckster Ken Lawrence custom models Gibson Les Paul Custom "Iron Cross"

James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering a classified advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler, searching for band members. Since then, Metallica has won nine Grammy Awards and released nine studio albums, three live albums, four extended plays and 24 singles. In 2009, Hetfield was ranked number 8 in Joel McIver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists,^[1] and ranked twenty-fourth by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Metal Vocalists of All Time.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Hetfield was born August 3, 1963.^[2] He is of German, English, Irish and Scottish descent. He has two older half-brothers from his mother's first marriage and one younger sister. He attended Downey High School his freshman and sophomore years.

His father, Virgil, was a truck driver who left the family when Hetfield was young. His mother, Cynthia, was a light opera singer. The two divorced in 1976. Virgil and Cynthia were very strict Christian Scientists, and in accordance with their beliefs, Hetfield's parents strongly disapproved of medicine or any other medical treatment and remained loyal to their faith even as Cynthia was dying from cancer. This upbringing became the inspiration for many of Hetfield's lyrics later in his career with Metallica, such as songs like "The God That Failed".

Cynthia Hetfield died of cancer in 1979 when James was 16 years old. After the death of his mother, Hetfield went to live with his older half-brother David. Virgil died in late 1996, during Metallica's Load tour.^[3]

Musical influences[link]

Hetfield was nine years old when he first began piano lessons, after which he took on his brother David's drums and finally, at the age of fourteen, he began to play guitar with Robert Okner .^[4] He also was in a few bands as a teenager – one being Leather Charm and another, Obsession.

Hetfield identifies Aerosmith as having been his main musical influence as a child,^[5] and has said they were the reason he wanted to play guitar. He also cited Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Motörhead, Thin Lizzy, Ted Nugent and Deep Purple as important influences.

Metallica (1981–present)[link]

In the early days of the band, Metallica experimented with a few different vocals and guitar combinations, essentially creating a setup similar to that of Diamond Head. Some of the options considered included adding another guitar player, having John Roads play lead guitar, as well as asking John Bush from Armored Saint (who later joined Anthrax) to sing for the band. The finalized line-up of the band became Hetfield (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Lars Ulrich (drums), Dave Mustaine (lead guitar), and Ron McGovney (bass) who was replaced by Cliff Burton soon.

From 1982 to 1983, Mustaine's alcoholism sparked heated altercations between Hetfield and himself.^[6] Mustaine also once poured beer onto Ron McGovney's bass^[6] nearly causing serious damage. On April 1, 1983, the band recruited lead guitarist Kirk Hammett from the band Exodus and 10 days later Hetfield and Ulrich officially ejected Mustaine due to his alcoholic tendencies.^[6][7] Mustaine was sent home on a 4-day bus journey, and went on to form the heavy metal band Megadeth. Later, Mustaine would be quoted to wonder why Metallica did not send him to rehab, but the other band members themselves drank heavily, Hetfield in particular, though Mustaine's alcoholism was of a more aggressive nature.

Hetfield in 2008

Until the mid-1990s, Hetfield recorded all rhythm tracks and most harmony tracks^{[citation needed]}. Since the recording of Load, Hammett is recording rhythm guitars as well. Hetfield occasionally plays guitar solos on songs such as "Nothing Else Matters", "My Friend of Misery", the outro solo on "The Outlaw Torn", the second solo on "To Live Is to Die", the first solo on "Suicide and Redemption", the first interlude solo on "Master of Puppets", the harmonized solo on "Orion" and the introduction harmonic solo in "The Day That Never Comes". He also writes the majority of the guitar harmonies, as well as writing the lyrics, vocal melodies, and co-arranging the songs with Ulrich.

Hetfield has been involved in a number of onstage accidents, most notable being an incident with pyrotechnics at Olympic Stadium in Montreal during the Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour on August 8, 1992. Hetfield was the victim of a severe pyrotechnics accident during the song "Fade to Black", in which a pyrotechnic exploded. Hetfield's guitar protected him from the full force of the blast; however, the fire engulfed his left side, burning his hand, arm, eyebrows, face and hair. He suffered second and third-degree burns, but was back on stage 17 days later, although his guitar duties were delegated to former guitar tech and Metal Church guitarist John Marshall for four weeks while he made a full recovery.^[8]

Hetfield has also broken his arm a number of times while skateboarding, which prevented him from playing guitar on stage, and subsequently caused Hetfield's management company Q Prime to add a clause in Hetfield's contract forbidding him to ride a skateboard while Metallica was touring.^[9] During a live performance on tour for the Metallica, Hetfield experienced complications with his vocals after performing a cover of the Anti-Nowhere League song "So What?", forcing him to take vocal lessons for the first time. He did basic warm-up exercises to piano keys with his vocal coach who also gave him a cassette tape of the piano warm-up for future use. Hetfield still uses the same cassette he was given in the early nineties to this day before any live performance or any recording Metallica does. Hetfield talks about his vocal training endeavours in the Metallica documentary film, Some Kind of Monster produced & directed by Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky.^[10] During the recording of the band's eighth studio album St. Anger in 2001, Hetfield went into rehab to address his alcohol addiction. He rejoined the band after seven months in rehab and four months recovering with his family. He is now clean and sober and is determined to remain so, all of which is featured in Some Kind of Monster.^[10]

Some Kind of Monster also shows the making of the St. Anger album and documents the various conflicts and issues the band were facing at the time including the departure of Jason Newsted, alcoholism, family commitments, and the future of the band with many in the rock press questioning whether the band would even still be together to see the completion of the St. Anger album.

Hetfield and Metallica addressed their need for a new bassist by recruiting Robert Trujillo, former bass player of Ozzy Osbourne. It was more of a swap since Ozzy Osbourne surprisingly recruited Jason Newsted shortly after Trujillo's transfer.The new line-up has continued to make music and tour worldwide. Metallica's ninth studio album, Death Magnetic, was released on September 12, 2008. Like St. Anger and every album of original material released by Metallica since 1991's Metallica, Death Magnetic went to #1 on the Billboard charts in over 30 countries during its first week of release.^[11]

On April 4, 2009, Hetfield, along with remaining Metallica members Ulrich, Hammett, Trujillo, as well as former bassist Newsted and the deceased Cliff Burton were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[12] In an interview after their nomination, Hetfield commented that everyone who had appeared on an album with the band would be inducted. This excluded original guitarist Dave Mustaine and original bassist Ron McGovney, as both had appeared only on the band's early demo tapes.

Hetfield was ranked 24th in the Hit Parader's Top Metal Vocalist of All Time.^[13] In 2009 he was listed at number 8 in Joel McIver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists.

Personal life[link]

When he is not writing, singing or playing, Hetfield engages in a variety of outdoor activities including hunting, skateboarding, snowboarding, water and jet-skiing; sketching, working in his garage customizing cars and motorcycles, watching his favorite football team the Oakland Raiders, and going to hot-rod shows.^[14]

He also collects vintage guitars — particularly those from 1963 — and enjoys working on classic automobiles. Among his favorites are a '74 Chevy Nova, which he helped restore, and "The Beast", an all-terrain four wheel drive Blazer.

He put his 1968 Chevrolet Camaro up for sale on eBay, with the proceeds going to a Music for Schools program.^[15] The car was used in the video for "I Disappear" and was given to him as a gift upon the video's completion. Years later, James donated the car to the Hard Rock Cafe which is featured in the movie Hard Rock Treasures. "Slowburn," his 1936 Auburn boat tail speedster won the 2010 Goodguys West Coast Custom of the Year.

Hetfield has a number of tattoos, including one which shows flames encasing four cards, – ace (1), 9, 6 and 3 – representing the year of his birth, and the words "Carpe Diem" ("seize the day", also part of the title of the track "Carpe Diem Baby" of ReLoad). The flames from the tattoo are in reference to the pyrotechnic accident which he suffered in 1992 during a concert in Montréal, Canada.^[16] He has tattooed an 'M' on his right hand which stands for "Metallica" and 'F' on his left hand which stands for "Francesca". He also has some Christian tattoos, including crosses and one of Jesus in his right arm. He has a tattoo of two razors forming the straight edge X symbol on his left wrist.^[17]

Aside from these pursuits, Hetfield says he is often happiest spending time with his wife Francesca and their three children:^[14] Cali (b. June 13, 1998), Castor (b. May 18, 2000), and Marcella (b. January 17, 2002). Hetfield married his wife Francesca Tomasi on August 17, 1997.

During an interview ^[18] on NPR's Fresh Air, Hetfield stated that his wife had helped him to mature and learn to deal with his anger issues more constructively, explaining that after they met, his destructive tendencies embarrassed both of them. He is also sober and has been since undergoing a rehab program in 2002 (documented in the film Some Kind of Monster), maintaining total abstinence from alcohol. In a 2010 interview with So What!, the official magazine of Metallica's fan club, Hetfield stated that he is a "reborn straight edge".^[17]

The first single he ever bought was "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd.^[19]

He and his family currently reside in Marin County, California, north of San Francisco. He was featured in a documentary, called Absent, directed by Justin Hunt, which takes a look at the effects of absent fathers on their children and the "father wound" that they leave behind.^[20][21] Hetfield and Hunt were interviewed about the film by Fox News Channel's Fox and Friends program on March 30, 2011.^[22]

Hetfield has expressed his disdain for politics and celebrities who "soapbox their opinions," stating that, "For us, people are people — you should all have your own opinion."^[23] In 2007, Metallica performed at London's Live Earth concert. When James was asked for his thoughts on climate change, he responded by saying,

Equipment[link]

Guitars[link]

Hetfield has been a major endorser of ESP Guitars since the 1980s, and is best known for playing custom-made Explorer-style guitars with an EMG 81/EMG 60 set for pickups. Hetfield's main guitar from the early days was a Flying V copy made in Japan by Electra, used almost exclusively until 1984 when he switched to the Gibson Explorer model.

During the mid-1990s, ESP produced the first of his signature model guitars. To date, Hetfield has had six signature guitars (may soon be seven)^{[citation needed]} with the company. However, Hetfield often uses guitars from Gibson and other companies instead of ESP despite his endorsement.

Some of Hetfield's current tour guitars are:

• ESP Truckster signature models in grey and black finishes
• ESP "Iron Cross" – Has the Eclipse body shape; distressed black with gold hardware, with a gold racing stripe and a gold Iron Cross on the body. It is based on the design of his 70's Gibson Les Paul Custom.
• ESP Explorer – distressed black finish with white pickguard
• ESP Explorer – silver diamond plate
• ESP Explorer – black diamond plate
• ESP Explorer "Papa Het" – with a white finish and some drawings by Dirty Donny
• ESP Explorer – black diamond plate with deer antler inlay
• ESP Flying V – white finish (replica of his old Flying-V copy)
• ESP LTD "The Grynch" – signature guitar, black with green flames on both the front and back of the body and neck, used for the song Frantic
• ESP "Snakebyte"- custom guitars in black and white finishes; feature a custom body and headstock designed by James. The retail model was revealed to the public at the Winter NAMM 2011 show.
• Gibson Explorer – silverburst with white pickguard
• Gibson Explorer "Rusty" – black satin with tarnished metal pickguard
• Gibson Flying V – sunburst
• Gibson Flying V – silverburst
• Gibson Flying V – white, chrome pickups
• Gibson Les Paul Custom- 70's era Les Paul with distressed black finish, gold stripe and gold iron cross on body; referred to as "Uncle Milty" and was the inspiration for his ESP Iron Cross signature model
• Gibson Les Paul Custom- purple satin finish
• Gibson Les Paul Custom- natural finish with drawing on body that says "Cliff Burton RIP"
• James Trussart metal Explorer
• James Trussart Steel DeVille – Les Paul-shaped guitar with a perforated, rusted steel front
• Ken Lawrence Explorer- The first of three custom made Explorer-type guitars made by Northern Californian luthier Ken Lawrence. It features a mahogany body with a chechen bark laminate top, modified Kenneth Lawrence headstock and custom "Tribal Hunting Scene" inlays.
• Ken Lawrence Explorer- It features a mahogany body with a quilted bubinga top, modified Kenneth Lawrence headstock, chechen rear cover plate and custom "Sun-Ray" inlays.
• Line 6 Variax Acoustic 700 – used live for songs featuring acoustic guitars, such as Fade to Black and The Unforgiven
• "Dave of England custom aluminium engraved tattoo finish" – a Zemaitis guitar with an engraved metal top
• Fender Telecaster – with B-Bender in butterscotch finish

Other guitars owned/previously used by Hetfield include:

• 1984 Gibson Explorer#1 – white finish with "MORE BEER" written on white tape in the bottom left corner, the stock pickups were swapped for EMG 81/EMG 81 set
• 1984 Gibson Explorer#2 – white finish with "So What" written in the bottom left corner, the stock pickups were swapped for EMG 81/EMG 81 set
• ESP Explorer – black finish with EMG pickups, used as a warm-up guitar in the early '90s
• Several Gibson Les Paul models – including Standard models in black, cherry sunburst, and lemon burst finishes
• Gibson EDS-1275 – red finish
• 1963 Gibson SG – red finish with Gibson Vibrola vibrato system
• Gibson Moderne – black finish, gold hardware
• Gibson Firebird – seen in practice
• ESP Explorer#1 – Hetfield's first ESP guitar: white finish, "EET FUK" on the body, "middle finger" inlays. The headstock broke many times and so the guitar was eventually retired from live use, it has been seen in use on the recording of the new album during the making of "Suicide and Redemption"
• ESP Explorer#2 – Hetfield's second ESP guitar: white finish, occasionally used live but Hetfield retired it for studio use
• Numerous other ESP Explorer models – including models with black finishes and custom inlays (including the "man-to-wolf" inlays model and eagle inlay model); a double-neck model; a model with a custom "Burnt Elk Skull" finish; and a model with a black finish and EMG pickups in an H/S/S configuration.
• ESP JH1 Flying V – signature guitar with flames over a black finish
• ESP Flying V with green flames (similar to the JH1)
• ESP Eclipse JH3 – Eclipse with black finish, with white "hot rod" pinstripe design, gold hardware, and checkered flag inlays
• ESP Eclipse – "kustom kulture" graphic finish with iron cross inlays
• Other ESPs include: a Viper with custom artwork, several Eclipses and F-series models (including 7-strings in standard and 6-strings in drop-C tuning)
• ESP Horizon Double-neck – Used while touring for the Black Album. Was possibly used after his ESP Explorer Double-neck was damaged in a pyrotechnic accident
• Ken Lawrence Doubleneck Explorer
• Ken Lawrence Dragon Les Paul
• Zemaitis GZ Series GZV500MF-MBK – V-shaped guitar that has an engraved metal plate on the front of the body. Recently used by James in the World Magnetic Tour.
• Fender Stratocaster – modified with natural finish, gold hardware and EMG pickups
• Jackson King V – white finish with chrome hardware, used during the Master of Puppets tour
• White Flying V copy – This guitar is not a Gibson Flying V, but a Japanese copy made by Electra which Hetfield purchased for $200. It was retired after the neck broke twice and the guitar started to go out of tune easily. The stock bridge pickup was later replaced with Seymour Duncan Invader. Recently James had ESP make an exact copy of it even down to the bolt on neck. The pickups were swapped for EMG 81/60, knobs were replaced with Gibson style black speed knobs, pickup selector has been moved up and stock machineheads were replaced with Shaller machineheads. This guitar has been seen during the making of Death Magnetic during the making of "The Judas Kiss".

(This list is not exhaustive – he has a large collection of guitars, not all of which are listed.)

Amplifiers and cabinets[link]

Throughout Metallica's career, Hetfield has used a wide range of different amplifiers. For the first two albums, he used Marshall heads and cabinets, with occasional effects. The specific Marshall that he used for Kill Em All was stolen after a concert prior to the recording of Ride The Lightning; Hetfield was extremely upset by the theft, as his mother had helped him purchase the amp before her death. In 1986, for the recording of Master of Puppets, he and Kirk Hammett each bought a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ amplifier (the preamp sections of which were connected to Marshall power amps), and since then he has mostly used Mesa/Boogies, including the Triaxis and Rectifier models. Around the time of St. Anger, Hetfield began using the Diezel VH4 head. The majority of his clean tones come from a Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus Guitar Amplifier, although many different amplifiers have been used over the years.

In December 2011, it was announced by Fortin Amps that they would team up with Randall Amplifiers to start a new line of tube amps based on the Fortin Meathead amplifier. Kirk Hammett currently has two prototypes, and Hetfield will eventually be receiving one.

The amplifiers currently used on tour by Hetfield are:

• Mesa/Boogie TriAxis preamp (x4)
• Mesa/Boogie Simul-Class 2:90 power amp (x2)
• Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier heads
• Diezel VH4 heads
• Mesa/Boogie 4x12 cabinets with Celestion V30 speakers in isolation cabinets
• Roland JC-120 combo amplifiers

Effects[link]

To avoid problems with pedals being damaged during live performances, Hetfield keeps his effect pedals in a rack along with his amplifiers and his tech controls them through a pedalboard sidestage. The pedal controller allows him to change between different effect pedals and amplifiers.

Hetfield's live rig in 2008 included:

In 2010, a Line 6 effects unit was added to the list, along with the TC Electronics unit, perhaps indicating that this had replaced his stompboxes.

Accessories[link]

In addition, Hetfield uses Shure Super 55 microphones for vocals.

Discography[link]

Metallica[link]

• Kill 'Em All (1983)
• Ride the Lightning (1984)
• Master of Puppets (1986)
• ...And Justice For All (1988)
• Metallica (1991)
• Load (1996)
• ReLoad (1997)
• St. Anger (2003)
• Death Magnetic (2008)

Guest appearances[link]

• Hetfield sang "Stone Cold Crazy" at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, accompanied by the remaining members of Queen and Tony Iommi on rhythm guitar.
• He provided backing vocals on "Man or Ash" on the Corrosion of Conformity album Wiseblood.
• He sang backing vocals on "Twist of Cain" and "Possession" on Danzig's debut album, Danzig.
• He played guitar on "Eclectic Electric" from the Primus album Antipop.
• Though previously believed to have been sung by Trey Parker, the song "Hell Isn't Good" from the film South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut was actually sung by Hetfield. He admitted to doing so in 2000, confirming what many Hetfield fans had already recognized as his trademark growling style.The Playboy Interview: Metallica (April 2001).
• Hetfield sang on the Gov't Mule song "Driving Rain" with fellow guest Les Claypool, which appears on the compilation album Crank It Up with NASCAR.
• He also performed at the Outlaws Concert in 2004, alongside Hank Williams Jr., Cowboy Troy, Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, and Kid Rock. Hetfield played one of close friend Waylon Jennings's songs, "Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Out of Hand," the very same he recorded on the tribute album to Jennings, I've Always Been Crazy. At this same event, he performed Metallica's "Mama Said" with Jesse Colter, the widow of Waylon Jennings, though this was cut from the television broadcast.
• Hetfield, as well as Metallica's lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, voiced characters in a number of episodes of the Adult Swim cartoon Metalocalypse.
• Hetfield, along with Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, voiced a pair of teenage dragons in an episode of Disney's Dave the Barbarian, entitled "Here There Be Dragons".
• He also appeared as a guest in an episode of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast entitled "Jacksonville" alongside Hammett.
• Hetfield, along with the current Metallica lineup, appeared on an episode of Discovery's Time Warp, aptly titled "Metallica."
• Hetfield appeared on an episode the MTV show, Celebrity Deathmatch in which he killed Limp Bizkit vocalist, Fred Durst, but he and ref Mills Lane disappeared after Mankind jumped from the top of the roof and onto the ring and then it collapsed.
• A photo of Hetfield appeared on Rammstein's music video Haifisch, and was apparently "picked" to be the replacement for the "dead" Till Lindemann (only a video set and was not official despite him actually still alive as seen later in the clip).
• Hetfield and Metallica also appeared in a Simpson's episode, The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer.
• Hetfield appeared onstage with Seattle grunge band Alice in Chains in 2006 at Rock Am Ring, singing deceased lead vocalist Layne Staley's vocal parts on the song "Would?". Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell has also joined Metallica in concert, performing "Nothing Else Matters".
• Hetfield was invited by Mike Portnoy to make a guest appearance on Dream Theater's ninth studio album, Systematic Chaos, on the song "Repentance" to speak spoken apologies along with a number of other musicians, as part of Portnoy's Twelve-step Suite program, though Hetfield declined this invitation.^{[citation needed]}
• Hetfield and filmmaker Justin Hunt were interviewed about the documentary Absent, which was directed by Hunt and features Hetfield and takes a look at the effects of absent fathers on their children, on Fox News Channel's Fox and Friends program on March 30, 2011.^[22]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: James Hetfield

• James Hetfield at the Internet Movie Database
• NPR Interview With Metallica Guitarist and Vocalist James Hetfield (2004, audio)
• James Hetfield discography at MusicBrainz
• Peisner, David (February 2007). "Rock Stars Who've Caught Fire Onstage!". Blender Magazine Online. http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?ID=2529&src=blender_ed. Retrieved 2007-02-27.