Third Season Guest Stars Include Brian McKnight, Michelle Branch, Gloria Estefan, Bret Michaels and Oakland A's Pitcher Barry Zito

 

Chris Isaak Makes His Directorial Debut

 

NEW YORK, NY, December 10, 2003 -- The third and final season of the SHOWTIME Original Series THE CHRIS ISAAK SHOW will premiere on Thursday, January 8, at 10:00 PM ET/PT.  Joining star Chris Isaak in new episodes of the critically-acclaimed series are special musical guests including Latin pop diva Gloria Estefan; pop singer/songwriter Michelle Branch, singer/songwriter and frontman for Poison, Bret Michaels and pop/R&B singer/songwriter Brian McKnight.  Also making an appearance this season is Cy Young Award-winning Oakland A's pitcher Barry Zito. Thirteen all-new episodes of the hour-long show will air on Thursday nights at 10:00 PM ET/PT in the program's regular time slot.  The show, which the Los Angeles Times praised by saying, "No series is more charming or effortlessly amusing," repeats on Fridays at 11:30 PM ET/PT. 

 

Robert Greenblatt, Showtime's President of Entertainment, comments, "Chris is a fantastic talent and we wish we could convince him to keep doing the series, but we understand his desire to focus more on his music and other things in his life.   At least we were able to get him to share his witty sense of humor and wonderful musical abilities with us for three highly entertaining seasons."

 

Part comedy and part reality, THE CHRIS ISAAK SHOW is an irreverent behind-the-scenes look at the life of a rock star.  The series features Chris, his real-life band members: Kenney Dale Johnson (drummer), Hershel Yatovitz (guitar) and Rowland Salley (bass), and an ensemble of created characters including Kristin Dattilo as Yola, Chris' sexy manager; Jed Rees as Anson the keyboardist and Greg Winter as Cody, Yola's nemesis at the management company. 

 

On Thursday, January 8, "The Family of Man" premieres, guest starring Bret Michaels.   An old Indian artifact that Chris finds at his cabin in the woods may cost him his land, so he agrees to perform at the nearby Indian casino, hoping to enlist their support.   "Candidate," guest starring Michelle Branch, premieres on Thursday, January 15. When Chris' favorite free parking spot at the public beach is designated a red zone, Chris vows to fight for civil liberties and, with the support of Michelle Branch and his band, enters the election race for parking commissioner.

 

On Thursday, January 22, "Let The Games Begin" premieres, guest starring Cy Young Award-winning Oakland A's pitcher Barry Zito. Chris revels in his newfound friendship with star baseball player Barry Zito, until he discovers that Barry can do just about everything better than he can.  Chris Isaak makes his directorial debut with an episode titled "Home Improvement," on Thursday, January 29; Brian McKnight guest stars.  Pressured by his friends to improve his homely house, Chris decides to install a state-of-the-art steam room, but quickly comes to regret it. 

 

"The Little Mermaid" premieres on Thursday, February 5. When Chris disregards Mona's advice to return the extra $20 dollars he got from the automatic teller, she mysteriously vanishes from her lair.  On Thursday, February 12, "A Little Help From My Friends" premieres, guest starring Gloria Estefan. Chris is in for a shock when Gloria Estefan arrives to perform with him, but secretly plots to break up his band.

 

The series is executive produced and written by Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning writers/producers Diane Frolov & Andrew Schneider ("Northern Exposure," "Dangerous Minds"), and executive produced by Chris Isaak and Phoenix Entertainment's Arnold Messer and Mike Medavoy.

 

Each episode of THE CHRIS ISAAK SHOW gives audiences a unique window into the life of an everyday guy with the not-so-everyday job of a rock star. Set in San Francisco, the show features Chris Isaak performing in concert and on tour, but the real focus of the series continues to be the other 22 hours of the day, when he's not on stage.

 

In addition to this season's special guests, the CHRIS ISAAK SHOW has attracted guest stars over the years such as Bridget Fonda, Minnie Driver, John Corbett, Stevie Nicks, Trisha Yearwood, Gavin Rossdale (Bush), Adam Arkin, Green Day, The Goo Goo Dolls, Shelby Lynne, Steven Jenkins (Third Eye Blind), Sophie B. Hawkins, Paul Stanley (KISS), Bai Ling, Caroline Rhea, Joseph Bologna, Kathy Griffin, Joe Walsh, Vince Neil, Lisa Loeb and others.

 

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Viacom Inc., owns the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL" and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME® TOO", SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILYZONE® and TMC xtra.  SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, SHOWTIME® ON DEMAND" and THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND". SNI operates and manages the premium television network SUNDANCE CHANNEL®, which is owned by SNI, Robert Redford and Universal Studios. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SET (Showtime Event Television) Pay Per View".  Additionally, the advertiser-supported television network SHOWTIME EXTREME® is available in Spain through a joint venture with Media Park and the advertiser-supported television network SHOWTIME is available in Turkey through a joint venture with UK-based Zone Vision.

 

Rating: TV14
Episode Run Time: Approximately 45 minutes each.