Love Shack is a 2016 american sitcom which premiered on October 3, 2016 on The CW. The series centers around Joshua Filler, a 24-year old male who starts running a hotel called "Love Shack". It originally belonged to his father, who is now dead after battling cancer for far too long. He meets Jess, a 22-year old woman who is fresh out of college. She helps Joshua run the hotel. They eventually fall in love and start dating. The series premiered to 1.84 million viewers and was met with mixed to positive reviews. The show is the third highest rated show on The CW and the fourth highest viewed out of 15 shows. The show is set in Queens.
On March 24, 2018, The CW officially cancelled the series.
The series centers around Joshua Filler, a 24-year old male who starts running a hotel called "Love Shack". It originally belonged to his father, who is now dead after battling cancer for far too long. He meets Jess, a 22-year old woman who is fresh out of college. She helps Joshua run the hotel. They eventually fall in love and start dating. Joshua's BBF, Yara has a crush on him. Darrin is a friend of Jess and he has feelings for her.
Cast
Main
Jonny Weston as Joshua Filler
Teresa Palmer as Jess Philip
Andrew Garfield as Darrin Folk
Cobie Smulders as Yara Few
Recurring
Neil Patrick Harris as Marvin (Season 1-2; 10 episodes)
Bianca Kajlich as July Wednesday (Season 1; 3 episodes)
Emma Stone as Amy Weston (Season 2; 3 episodes)
Production
On March 17, 2014, The CW announced that they had a new series made by A.M on their development slate. Later that day, A.M shared the news on his twitter account that the show would air in the 2015-16 television season. On May 14, 2015, The CW announced their schedule for the season and Love Shack was noticeably absent. On May 17, 2015, The CW announced that they would not be moving forward with Untitled A.M/The CW Sitcom but also said that the show could possibly come to fruition later on.
On September 19, 2014, CBS announced that the show would resume production and will be called Lovebirds. CBS cancelled the show just days before filming the pilot.
On May 22, 2016, The CW announced that due to the success of their rom-coms such as Jane The Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend , they would take another shot at, what was then under the working title of Untitled A.M Rom-Com. The series was finally ordered on June 23, 2016 under the title of Love Shack. The CW ordered 10 episodes for the first season.
The show is filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
On January 8, 2017, The CW ordered a second season. On April 4, 2017, the second season was given a 13-episode order. On April 5, 2017, it was announced that Emma Stone would join the cast for season 2 as Yara's arch-rival.
The series ran as a limited series, meaning that seasons would only have up to 18 episodes.
On March 24, 2018, The CW officially cancelled the series.
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | |||
| 1 | 10 | October 3, 2016 | February 13, 2017 | |
| 2 | 10 | February 5, 2018 | Unaired | |
Episodes
Season 1 (2016-17)
- The first season consisted of 10 episodes.
- This season averaged 1.76 million viewers and a 0.7 rating.
| № | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate | Viewers
(in million) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pilot" | Arzaan Mazhar | October 3, 2016 | 2.14 | |
| Joshua is now running his deceased father's hotel. He hires a woman names Jess to help him out. He starts to develop feelings for her and he starts becoming awkward around her. She later starts suspecting that something strange is afoot and finally builds enough confidence to confront him about it. He denies anything that she says until she threatens to quit. He comes up with a lie and tells she. She believes him and moves on. Meanwhile, Joshua's BFF, Yara, tries to write a confession letter to him because she has feeling for him. However, she suffers from writer's block. She goes for a walk in the park and meets a guy named Marvin. They talk and eventually go for coffee.
Absent: Andrew Garfield as Darrin Folk | |||||
| 2. | "Jail Time on Girl's Night" | Chuck Lorre | Arzaan Mazhar | October 10, 2016 | 1.81 |
| Jess meets Yara and they hit it off. They go to a bar and hang out. 2 guys buy them drinks and they face the possibility of a foursome. Neither Yara or Jess feel comfortable and excuse them selves. They both go to the toilets and escape using the window. However, they get caught by security and they end up having to spend the night in jail due to a misunderstanding. Joshua goes on a blind date with a girl named Bridget. She makes it clear that she is not looking for anything serious. While Joshua is freshening up for Bridget before they possibly "do it", Jess calls him up to bail them out. He tries to explain the situation to the cops using information which he got from Yara but the cops don't believe him. Somehow, he ends up in jail with them after the cops learn he was driving under the influence. Jess tells Joshua to call a friend of hers, Darrin. He does so and Darrin bails them out.
Guest Star: Bridget Mendler as Bridget, Rick Glassman as Waiter, Bianca Kajlich as Security, Ron Funches as Cop #1 and Chris D'Elia as Cop #2 with David Fynn as Cop #3. | |||||
| 3. | "Just A Crazy Love Triangle" | Chuck Lorre | Jon Blue | October 17, 2016 | 1.79 |
| At work, Darrin confesses his love to Jess. She is surprised but overjoyed at the same time as she too has feelings for him. Joshua finds out and falls into a temporary depression. Yara invites him for drinks and when he arrives at the bar, she is nowhere to be seen. He goes to her apartment and she is there but she is on a date with Marvin. Joshua gets a call from Jess. She tells him that she knows that he has feelings for her. He is confused only to find out that Jess was joking but now she knows that he actually does have feelings for her. She goes over to his apartment and kisses him. | |||||
| 4. | "Bridge Between 2 Worlds" | Chuck Lorre | Arzaan Mazhar | October 24, 2016 | 1.74 |
| Joshua and Jess go on a date and they find out how different they are. Meanwhile, Marvin & Yara go on their third date. Marvin proposes to Yara and she says yes. She asks Jess to be her bridesmaid and she asks Joshua to walk her down the aisle. Both of them say yes but think that she is making a huge mistake as she is getting married after only knowing Marvin for 1 month. Jess confronts her about this and they get into a big fight. Meanwhile, Darrin finds out about Joshua & Jess and he punches Joshua in the face and they too get into a fight. During their fight, Yara finds out that she is pregnant which causes her to freak out. She tells Jess and she also tells her that she might get an abortion. Jess tells her to keep the baby because if she doesn't, she will regret what she did. She eventually decides to keep the baby & she tells Marvin who gets excited & kisses her very passionately. | |||||
| 5. | "The Night of The Fights" | Chuck Lorre | Arzaan Mazhar | October 31, 2016 | 1.71 |
| Jess decides to wear a couples costume with Joshua for Halloween but he tells her that he feels that things are moving way too fast. Jess thinks he's being ridiculous and they get into their first official fight. Jess takes the fight as a sign that they are just not meant to be together however, Yara tells her that she is the one who is being ridiculous. Yara invites Jess to her place to watch a new movie and Jess finds the confession letter that Yara wrote to Joshua. They once again get into a fight. Jess texts Darrin about this but by accident, she texts it to Joshua. When Joshua reads the text he is shocked. Yara finally tells Jess that she no longer has feelings for him. They make up and Yara finds out that she is having a girl.
Absent: Andrew Garfield as Darrin Folk | |||||
| 6. | "The Parents Are In Town!" | Chuck Lorre | Arzaan Mazhar | November 7, 2016 | 1.68 |
| Joshua apologizes to Jess and talks to Yara about her feelings for him. Jess thinks what he did was very nice and treats him to dinner. She also says that her parents are coming into town and that they want to meet him. He agrees to meet them and pick them up from the airport. Meanwhile, Marvin and Yara try to find a wedding planner but they cannot. Yara is left with no options except asking Jess to plan the wedding. Once she asks her, Jess gets hit by a wave of excitement. While picking them up from the airport, Joshua realizes that he has never traveled & decides to go to London. He asks Jess if she wants to go with him but she says no which makes him sad. Jess' parents find Joshua strange and don't approve of him. He says that their is nothing to worry about as he is going to break up with Jess. He says that they have been drifting apart due to their differences and that the fact that she is not going to London with him was the final nail in the coffin. Jess' breaks down and storms out. Darrin is there to comfort her and turns out to be her rebound. | |||||
| 7. | "True Love Stands Strong" | Chuck Lorre | Arzaan Mazhar | January 9, 2017 | 1.82 |
| 2 months after the breakup of Joshua and Jess, Joshua is now dating a woman named July. They are in a committed relationship and Jess is dating Darrin. Joshua finally has enough money to go to London and he plans on going there with July, however, she has to work and take care of her 7-year-old son who she shares with her ex-husband. He says goodbye to all his friends (except Jess) and he goes to the airport. Yara informs Jess about this who claims that she no longer has any feelings at all for Joshua but after thinking about it, she decides to go to the airport and make up with him. However, there is a lot of traffic so she could possibly not get there in time. | |||||
| 8. | "Time For A Leap of Faith" | Chuck Lorre | Arzaan Mazhar | January 16, 2017 | 1.75 |
| When Jess arrives at the airport she tries to find Joshua but she fears it's too late. She checks if the fight has left and it has. She asks an air hostess if she had seen Joshua and she says that he is in the lobby after missing his flight. She finds him and confesses her love to him, however, before leaving he proposed to July who said yes. Jess leaves, heartbroken and empty. The next day, she is in her apartment, passed out after her scotch binge. She wakes up and hears the door bell. When she opens the door, she is shocked to find Joshua there. He takes her in his arms and kisses her. When she asks him what happened, he says that he broke it off with July but they are still good friends. Jess decides to delay her possible breakup with Darrin without Joshua's knowledge. | |||||
| 9. | "Love Pentagons Forming" | Chuck Lorre | Arzaan Mazhar | January 30, 2017 | 1.72 |
| Joshua tries to come up with something romantic to do for Valentine's Day but he can't so he asks Yara to help him. Jess goes on a date with Darrin. She acts strange which makes Darrin suspect something. He puts together some evidence and puts together a theory that she is pregnant. He starts treating her very well which makes Jess feel special so much so that she decided to once again, postpone her breakup with him. Yara tells Joshua to tell Jess that he loves her but he claims that he's just not that into her which makes Yara happy as she might still have a shot with him if her marriage to Marvin does not work out. | |||||
| 10. | "Time For The Cold Truth" | Chuck Lorre | Arzaan Mazhar | February 13, 2017 | 2.01 |
| It is the day of Yara's wedding. Jess & Joshua go together. Yara gets cold feet and needs Jess' support and Joshua tells Marvin that he has been offered a job which is overseas. Jess comforts Yara and she finally gets married. After the reception, Joshua tells Jess about the job offer. She expresses mixed feelings which makes Joshua unsure if he should take the job. He decides to take it and says his goodbyes to everyone. | |||||
Season 2 (2018)
- The second season will consist of 10 episodes.
- Originally, 13 episodes were planned however, the order was cut to 10 due to Emma Stone's busy filming schedule.
| № | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate | Viewers
(in million) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Love Was In The Air Once" | Arzaan Mazhar | February 5, 2018 | 1.29 | |
| 1 year after his break-up-ish with Jess, Joshua returns to Queens. Jess is surprised when he asks her to pick him up from the airport. She does pick him up from the airport but they get stuck in traffic. They end up making out but Jess tells him to stop as she is engaged to Darrin. Meanwhile, Yara & Marvin fight about who gets to go back to work first and Darrin meets a girl named Amy Weston, who is his new co-worker. In the end, Jess decides that she no longer wants to see Joshua anymore and Yara & Marvin decide to take a break. | |||||
| 12. | "Restless In The Big Apple" | Arzaan Mazhar | February 12, 2018 | 1.05 | |
| Joshua tries to settle with the fact that he can no longer see Jess ever again. He calls up Yara and asks her to come over. She comforts him and eventually ends up almost making out with him. Meanwhile, Darrin & Jess talk about their wedding plans. Both of them want very different things which makes Jess feel that she & Darrin just don't seem like the perfect match and wonders what would have happen if Joshua never left. Meanwhile, Marvin goes to bar to fix his problems and gets a heart attack. | |||||
| 13. | "A Hard Dose of Divorce" | Arzaan Mazhar | February 19, 2018 | 0.87 | |
| Yara rushes to the hospital after hearing about what happened to Marvin. After he tells her everything about the overdose and what happened before it, she gets angry at him and asks for a divorce. Meanwhile, Darrin suggests that he & Jess should elope in Vegas. Jess agrees, despite still not being sure if her marrying Darrin is the right choice and Joshua goes to the hospital to visit Marvin. After he tells him what happened between him & Yara, Joshua rushes to their apartment and sees Yara trying to commit suicide. He talks her out of killing herself and she starts making out with him but is stopping once her baby , Lily, starts crying.
Notes: After this episode, the show started to be aired on Wednesdays instead of Mondays. | |||||
| 14. | "True Love's First Kiss?" | Chuck Lorre | Arzaan Mazhar | February 28, 2018 | 0.54 |
| Yara & Joshua decide that if they are going to start going out with each other, they should atleast wait until Yara's divorce is official before getting intimate. Meanwhile, Jess tells Darrin that she wants to wait a bit before they get married. Darrin takes things out of hand and tries to pry her open so that he can find out why she's been acting so weird lately. She tells him that she still has feelings for Joshua and he tells her that she should go home and tell Joshua that she still loves him. She tries to get on the next plane to Queens but she has to wait 2-3 days before she can get on one & Marvin finally recovers and starts taking things slow in life. | |||||
| 15. | "Two and a Half Idiotic Men" | Chuck Lorre | Arzaan Mazhar | March 7, 2018 | 0.59 |
| Jess finally gets on the plane and tries to think of what she's going to say to Joshua when she tells him she loves him but everyone is really noisy in the plane which disturbs her. Meanwhile, Joshua & Marvin go to a bar and Marvin finds out about Yara & Joshua's relationship which ends up with the two of them having a bar fight. Marvin gets stabbed in the the arm and Joshua's head starts bleeding. They are arrested and have to spend sometime in jail. Yara eventually bails them out and she decides that she does not want to be in a relationship with either of them. | |||||
| 16. | "Rejected Little Love" | Chuck Lorre | Arzaan Mazhar | March 21, 2018 | 0.43 |
| Jess gets off the plane and rushes over to Joshua's apartment to tell him that she loves him. She rings the door bell and confesses her love. It turns out that Joshua has a one night stand with him. His one night stand is Amy, Darrin's co-worker. Jess gets a little shook-up but shrugs it off as she deeply loves Joshua. Joshua reacts to Jess' confession strangely. In the end, he rejects her and she breaks down. Jess & Yara decide to have a girl's night and they end up getting wasted and wake up in an alley outside the bar which they were at. Yara finds out that she is engaged to someone and Jess tries to find clues about what happened. | |||||
| 17. | "The Strangest Thing" | Chuck Lorre | Arzaan Mazhar | Unaired | N/A |
| 18. | "Mystery Incorporated" | Chuck Lorre | Arzaan Mazhar | Unaired | N/A |
| 19. | "An Engagement Ring!?" | Chuck Lorre | Arzaan Mazhar | Unaired | N/A |
| 20. | "Happliy Ever After" | Chuck Lorre | Arzaan Mazhar | Unaired | N/A |
Reception
The series' first season was met with mostly positive reviews from television critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the season has a rating of 79%, based on 8 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Love Shack sadly fails to recapture the feeling of last year's freshman rom-com, No Tomorrow however, it does hit it out of the park with most of it's jokes and it's main couple have strong chemistry." On Metacritic, the season has a score of 62 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."
The show's second season was met with negative reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has a rating of 28%, based on 2 reviews, with an average rating of 3.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads "Despite a good start, Season 2 of Love Shack does not do well enough to impress." On Metacritic, the season has a score of 26 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."
Ratings
Season 1 (2016-17)
Awards and Nominations
The show was nominated for Best Series - Musical or Comedy in the Golden Globe Awards 2017. The series was nominated for three People's Choice Awards, the first being Favorite New TV Comedy, but lost to the critically hated, Man With A Plan . Teresa Palmer was nominated for Favorite Comedic TV Actress but lost to Sofia Vergara & Cobie Smulders was nominated for Favorite Actress In A New TV Series but lost to Kristen Bell. For the Kid's Choice Awards 2017, the show was nominated for Favorite Family Show but lost to Fuller House.