Mixology


Mixology is an American sitcom that aired during the 2013–14 television season on ABC. The series was co-created by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, who also serve as co-executive producers with Ryan Seacrest and Nina Wass for Ryan Seacrest Productions and ABC Studios. The series was green-lit by ABC for a series order pick up on May 10, 2013.
On November 19, 2013, it was announced that the series would premiere on February 26, 2014.
On May 8, 2014, ABC canceled Mixology after only one season.

Synopsis

The series takes place all over the course of one night at a Manhattan bar called "Mix", where five women and five men meet up for more than just a casual conversation and a drink. Each episode follows two or three characters as they meet each other for the first time and from there determine the outcome in the finale, which is the end of the night.

Cast and characters

Main

Mixology, which is the first television project for film writers Lucas and Moore, was the subject of a bidding war among the networks in October 2012, resulting in ABC eventually picking up the project with a put pilot commitment. In February 2013, Seacrest's production company became a joint partner on the project and Wass was added to the production staff.

Casting

Of the 10 cast members who were added during the project, one of the members who was first added when it was announced, Mercedes Masöhn, decided to exit the production in March 2013 to seek other projects. She was replaced by Ginger Gonzaga a week later.
Also, in main publicity shots of the entire cast, Sarah Bolger is seen as an original cast member, but after exiting the production was replaced by Frankie Shaw.

Episodes

Reception

Ratings

The pilot episode "Tom & Maya" debuted on American Broadcasting Company on, to an audience of 4.98 million viewers, it would become the most watched episode of the series. The second episode "Liv and Ron", one week later, drew 4.64 million viewers. The least watched episode of the series is the seventh episode "Bruce & Fab", which drew 3.65 million viewers. The finale episode of the series "Closing Time" which aired on, to an audience of 4.04 million viewers.

Critical reception

Brian Lowry of Variety gave a score of 80%, and wrote, "Maintaining this sort of rat-a-rat patter is no small feat, but the series gets off to such a promising start as to bode well for future installments. Moreover, the shifting pairings from episode to episode create a semi-serialized element that deftly builds off the groundwork laid the previous week, conjuring questions about who’s going to wind up with whom." Karen Valby of Entertainment Weekly gave the series a "B" grade, and wrote, "If you like--or like zoning out to--slick and shiny romantic comedies in the vein of New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day, Mixology is the show for you. But underneath the glossy, Ryan Seacrest-produced banner, this cocktail actually has some genuine sweetness and originality." Diana Werts of Newsday gave the series a grade of "B", and wrote, "Some twisty situations, some unexpected heart, some nuanced acting. Some serious single-camera potential. Could be worth awaiting last call to see who goes where, and why."
David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle gave a positive review, saying, "The show is funny enough, although you might wonder where it would go in a second season, but here's the dirty little secret of Mixology: It's intelligent and poignant as well as being entertaining". Vicki Hyman of the Newark Star-Ledger gave a mixed review, saying, "Only intermittently funny but unceasingly crass." Matt Roush of TV Guide gave a mixed review, saying, "While some of the flirtatious banter in these random odd couplings can be witty and even winsome, after a few rounds, I was ready to close out my tab." David Hinckley of the New York Daily News gave the series 2 out of 5 stars, and wrote, "At the end of the night, Mixology doesn’t have a lot of fizz". Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times gave a mixed review, saying, "There is something mechanical and arbitrary about the plotting, as if a mess of gears that didn't actually go together had been smashed into some semblance of a working order."
Maureen Ryan of The Huffington Post gave a negative review, saying, "In its first few episodes, "Mixology" loudly and repeatedly makes the case that women are objects to be won, that men must employ elaborate stratagems to obtain sex with these female objects, and that even if the facade of "game" drops on occasion, sincerity and kindness are usually things to be mocked." Dan Fienberg of the HitFix gave a negative review, saying, "Nearly every character is introduced in the most repulsive way possible and then the show tries to backtrack, sell the characters out and make it seem like they're all just marshmallows." Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter gave a negative, and wrote, "Mixology is a tone-deaf, poorly executed, badly written series that, in the parlance of the show, kind of rapes comedy."