The Big Picture

• Despite a star-studded cast and high hopes, Up All Night failed to find its footing due to constant changes and indecision.
• The show shifted focus from motherhood to showcasing Maya Rudolph's talents, leading to criticism and a decline in viewership.
• Creative differences and unfulfilled potential led to the cancelation of Up All Night, but the cast has since found success in other projects.

When Up All Night first debuted in 2011, it seemed like it would be a surefire hit. With leads Christina Applegate, Will Arnett, and Maya Rudolph, NBC executives were convinced they had the makings of a successful comedy. Showrunner Emily Spivey had several high-profile writing credits to her name, including MadTV, King of the Hill, and Saturday Night Live, and had come up with a fun premise of a hardworking professional struggling to juggle the demands of her job with the needs of her baby. However, from the very beginning, there were signs that the sitcom was doomed. The show would end up being plagued by indecision and higher-ups chasing ratings versus focusing on showcasing the talents of the entire cast.

When Applegate was cast as Reagan Brinkley, the lead in Up All Night, she was coming off many high-profile comedic roles, including Kelly Bundy in Married with Children and Veronica Corningstone in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. She had even starred in a previous sitcom called Samantha Who? (2007-2009). Plus, her husband, Chris, would be played by Arnett, who had already earned tons of fans with his role as Gob Bluth in the cult comedy, Arrested Development. Applegate and Arnett would star alongside Rudolph, in a supporting role as Ava. With this level of comedic talent on the roster, it seemed as though the show would premiere to impressive ratings. But the reality of how the series played out would be very different than industry insiders expected.

'Up All Night' Went Through Massive Changes Early On

Spivey had been inspired to write the show after she had her first baby. She was trying to juggle being a working mom with her responsibilities as a parent. The show's pilot received a pick-up order by NBC under the original title of "Alpha Mom." When the show got a 13-episode order in May 2011, it was re-named with its official title. The show was originally written as Reagan and Ava depicting PR executives. But immediately, the show underwent some major changes. NBC executives wanted to capitalize on the newfound fame Rudolph was receiving after her breakout role in the hit comedy, Bridesmaids. So, the writers retooled the show to feature more of Rudolph's comedic styling (which she had perfected with her many years on Saturday Night Live). The characters received new jobs in the updated scripts, with Ava becoming a talk-show host, a la Oprah Winfrey, and Reagan becoming her long-suffering producer.

Spivey insisted that this change in the women's careers made the show more fun. In a TCA panel for the show in August 2011, Spivey stated, "It seemed like a natural progression...Once we started talking through it, it just happened to be more fruitful." But once the series premiered, not all critics were fans of the change. Some even noted that Rudolph appeared to be doing her Oprah impression that she introduced on Saturday Night Live rather than creating a fresh, new character. The tone of the comedy shifted from being focused on Reagan's motherhood woes to her trying to wrangle Ava and her diva antics. It seemed like the show was being reworked as a vehicle for Rudolph's talents, rather than the writers determining what successful story-lines would be.

Christina Applegate’s Departure Was the Last Straw for ‘Up All Night’

It was clear from the beginning that NBC wasn't sure what to do with the comedy. It changed time-slots frequently after debuting in September 2011. Executives tried shifting the show to a time-slot after its hit series, The Office, to try and ensure more viewers tuned in. But by the time the series was moved from Wednesdays to Thursdays, Up All Night had lost more than half its audience from the premiere episode. The team behind the show tried again to make changes that would earn back viewers. They brought in multiple famous guest stars, such as Nick Cannon, Molly Shannon, Will Forte, and Megan Mullally. There were even cameos from celebrities like Alanis Morissette, Stevie Nicks, Sharon Osbourne, and Henry Winkler. But Spivey's fellow showrunner, Jon Pollack, got frustrated with the process and left after Season 1. The writers also decided to cancel Ava's show, so that more plot-lines could focus on Reagan being at home. But that's when the true demise of the series started.

A producer of the show, Lorne Michaels (of SNL fame), had suggested switching the comedy from a single-camera show to a multi-camera one. This would change the entire tone of the show, including adding a live studio audience to the production. 11 episodes into the second season, it was announced that the series would go on a hiatus. During the hiatus, Spivey and Applegate both announced that they would be leaving the show. Applegate stated this was because of creative differences (including some wacky plot ideas that were thrown about for future episodes), but she was also in preparation for her role in the Anchorman sequel. By May 2013, the official announcement was made that Up All Night was canceled for good.

It's unclear how successful Up All Night could have become had it not gone through copious changes during its production. If the show had stayed true to its original focus of a woman juggling her unconventional work-life with the responsibilities of new motherhood, Up All Night surely would have been a hit that could have run for several more seasons. The writers could have come up with a more organic way of incorporating Rudolph's immense talents with Applegate and Arnett's more understated comedic timing. Instead, the network zeroed in on increasing ratings over staying true to the creative integrity of the show. By consistently handing the reins to someone other than Spivey (even though it was her original vision that got green-lit), the show might have steadily risen in the ratings race if given more time. Fortunately, the show's demise didn't do anything to hurt the careers of Spivey or of her three lead actors. Applegate, Arnett, and Rudolph have all gone on to even more illustrious careers (and Emmy nominations), despite having this ill-fated show on their resumes.

Up All Night is available to stream on Roku.

Watch on Roku