New York and Queens
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Episode 24
- Christy Snell
- Terry Mulroy
| "New York and Queens" | |
|---|---|
| The Drew Carey Show episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 24 |
| Directed by | Brian K. Roberts |
| Written by |
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| Production code | 465924 |
| Original air date | May 14, 1997 |
| Guest appearances | |
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"New York and Queens" is the twenty-fourth episode and season finale of the second season of the American sitcom The Drew Carey Show, and the 46th overall. The episode centers on Drew (Drew Carey) and his friends taking a disastrous road trip to New York City. Upon returning to Cleveland, the group decide to attend a midnight screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, only to be confronted by rival fans of its replacement The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. A dance-off between the two sets of fans then ensues.
The episode was co-written by Christy Snell and Terry Mulroy, while Brian K. Roberts directed. It first aired on May 14, 1997, on ABC in the United States. "New York and Queens" features guest appearances from businessman Donald Trump and actors Carol Channing and Nicholas Turturro. The cast rehearsed the dance scenes and shot the episode at the Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California. They lip-synced to the tracks, both of which were later included on the show's official album.
"New York and Queens" was seen by an estimated 11.4 million viewers, finishing in 18th place in the ratings the week it aired. The episode received mixed to positive reviews from television critics. Some praised the guest appearances and believed the episode was funny, while others thought it was juvenile and the dance numbers were "overdone self-indulgence". "New York and Queens" earned three nominations at the 49th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for Outstanding Art Direction, Choreography and Costumes.
At the Winfred-Lauder department store, Drew is speaking to Todd about his lateness, when their boss Mr. Wick gives Drew an award for working 3,000 days at the store without taking a day off. The award makes Drew feel like he has wasted his life and he convinces his friends Kate, Lewis and Oswald to take a trip to New York City in the Buzz Beer delivery truck, so they can watch a baseball game. Once they make it to the city, the gang become stuck in a large traffic jam. While waiting, they meet Donald Trump, who, upon learning they are visiting from Cleveland, gives them free tickets to his box at Yankee Stadium. The gang become annoyed when somebody repeatedly rams their truck from behind and Drew soon discovers that it is Carol Channing. Once the traffic clears, the gang realise the truck is out of fuel.
To make some quick money, Drew and Lewis sell two cases of beer to a local store clerk. An ice cream cart vendor begins hitting the truck, as he thinks the gang are trying to take over his territory, and Drew argues with him. A detective arrives on the scene and arrests the gang for selling alcohol without a license. After returning home to Cleveland, Drew convinces Kate, Lewis and Oswald to go watch a midnight screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. As they arrive at the theater, they are surprised to see that their film has been replaced with The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, which Drew's enemy Mimi Bobeck, Mr. Wick and other office workers have come to see. The gang argue with the Priscilla fans about which film is better and a dance-off ensues. The police break it up and arrest Drew and Mimi. Back at Drew's house, Kate questions why they keep getting sucked into big dance numbers and Drew gets up to sing and dance again.
Production
"New York and Queens" was co-written by Christy Snell and Terry Mulroy, and directed by Brian K. Roberts.[1] It was the second season-finale of The Drew Carey Show and aired on May 14, 1997.[2] The episode sees Drew and his friends taking a road trip to New York City, where they receive a less than friendly welcome. Upon returning home to Cleveland, Drew convinces his friends to attend a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, but they find the movie theater is showing The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, which Drew's arch-enemy Mimi and her friends are there to see.[2] After an argument about which film is better, a dance-off then ensues between the rival fans set to the "Time Warp" and "Shake Your Groove Thing".[2]
"New York and Queens" was not the first episode of The Drew Carey Show to feature the cast taking part in a musical number. Previous dance routines had helped give the show a ratings boost.[3] Carey stated that he would limit himself to one musical number in the third season, quipping "Too many of them is like too much chocolate."[3] Executive producer and co-creator of The Drew Carey Show, Bruce Helford said that stunt programming became necessary to help promote the show.[4] He explained "With fewer people watching the networks, on-air promotion doesn't work as well as it used to. So if you really want to draw people to your show, you've got to find a way to get yourself noticed in the media at large. And to do that, you need a big event."[4]
The cast rehearsed the dance routines on a sound stage at the Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, where the episode was also shot.[3] During one rehearsal, Friends actor Matthew Perry came to watch and Carey invited him to join in.[3] The cast lip-synced to the music.[5] Both "Time Warp" and "Shake Your Groove Thing" were included on the show's official album Cleveland Rocks! Music from The Drew Carey Show, which was released in 1998.[6] The episode also featured guest appearances from Carol Channing, businessman Donald Trump and NYPD Blue actor Nicholas Turturro.[7]
