Episodenschnellübersicht

Season 1

1. Fat
gs: Tricia O'Kelley (Tricia O'Connell) Tara Karsian (Nurse Smearball) Irene Olga Lopez (Woman) Bryan Handy (Audience Member #1) Jerry Pacific (Audience Member #2) Pamela Paulshock (Attractive Woman)

Despite Emeril's high ratings, pint-sized network exec Trish is troubled by the fact that women are not fantasizing about the chef in his boxers. The network decides to launch a new campaign to "trim it down a notch," sponsoring a competition between their shows with a cash prize for the most weight lost. While the Emeril crew aren't thrilled by the prospect of dieting, the promise of money prompts Cass, Melva, and B.D. to put down the pork loin and jump on the treadmill. Even Jerry, once financially motivated, decides to join the fitness craze and shed some excess tonnage. All seems to be going well until Emeril, reluctantly heeding the network's wishes, switches to preparing low-cal cuisine on his show -- and finds himself staring down an angry, hungry mob.

b: 25-Sep-2001 pc: 103 w: F.J. Pratt & Dan Cohen d: Harry Thomason

NOTE: Scheduled to premiere on 9/18/01 but, like many other shows, was pushed back a week due to the terrorist attack on America.
The featured recipe from this episode (which appeared on both NBC's and Emeril's official websites) was for "Classic Nawlins Bread Pudding."
During the final commercial break, a commercial was run for "Emerilware," Emeril's line of cookware.

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2. Fifteen Minutes
gs: Katy Selverstone (Christy) Channing Chase (Jane Benson) Kevin Cooney (Bill Benson) Kelvin Yu (The Camera Man) Mary Page Keller (Nora Lagasse)

Despite misgivings about "going Hollywood," Emeril allows Jerry to talk him into participating in a segment of a hit primetime magazine show. Even though the gang insists they won't sell out for the camera, glamour-hounds Jerry, Cass, and Melva all find ways to pump up their appearances—and their roles in Emeril's success—for their interviews, and then have to scramble to put things right before Emeril sees the finished product.

b: 02-Oct-2001 pc: 106 w: Pamela Norris d: Harry Thomason

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3. Blind Dates
gs: Molly Hagan (Joanna) Pepper Sweeney (Doug) Mark Christopher Lawrence (Matt) Randy J. Goodwin (Eric)

Emeril plays Cupid to disprove the notion that there are "no good men out there" when the headstrong chef propositions his audience in search of eligible bachelors for a night of culinary and romantic interludes with Cass and Melva—but becoming a matchmaker proves to be harder than just shake-n'-bake.

b: 09-Oct-2001 pc: 104 w: David Nichols d: Harry Thomason

NOTE: Molly Hagan starred with Emeril's Lisa Ann Walter in the 1996 sitcom Life's Work. Hagan is the second Emeril guest star that worked on that series -- the first was Tara Karsian, who guest starred in the Fat episode (and the later episodes Halloween and Snow Day).
The featured recipe from this episode (which appeared on both NBC's and Emeril's official websites) are for "Curry Crusted Lamb Chops with Garlic Wine Sauce and Potato Shallot Custards" and "Creole Corn and Crab Bisque."
Robert Urich says of Lisa Ann Walter's formerly-gay blind date, "He seemed a little too excited about a possible Designing Women reunion." Emeril, the sitcom, was created by Linda Bloodworth, the same creator behind Designing Women (and the reunion finally did materialize in 2003).

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4. Whose Life is It Anyway?
gs: Mary Page Keller (Nora Lagasse) Tricia O'Kelley (Trish O'Connell) Joey Roberts Mercado (Charlie Lagasse) Alexis Della Ripa (Halo Lagasse) Felicia Day (Cherie) Adam Carl (Frank) G.M. McGrath (Bobby) Sharon Madden (The Shopper) Susan Mullen (The Audience Member)

Culinary Network executive Trish O'Connell gives Emeril exciting news: his show's high ratings have prompted the network to order 20 additional episodes. The catch? They want him to present a hipper image, complete with a new set and designer-label chef's jacket. Emeril's agent and friend Jerry McKenney and his staff— producer Cassandra "Cass" Gilman, stage manager Melva LeBlanc, and food stylist B.D. Benson—are all thrilled. However, Emeril quickly finds himself torn between the additional demands of his success and the fact that his wife Nora and three children James , Halo, and Charlie already consider him an absentee husband and father.

b: 16-Oct-2001 pc: 101 w: Linda Bloodworth-Thomason d: Harry Thomason

NOTE: Scheduled to air on 9/25/01, but pushed back when the premiere was delayed. This episode was rescheduled several times and finally aired on 10/16/01.
This is a retooling of the original pilot episode.

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5. The Sopranos Come to Dinner
gs: Mary Page Keller (Nora Lagasse) Vincent Pastore (Himself) Ray Laska (Vic Leopolis) John Cassini (Sammy) Frank D'Amico (Burt)

When Emeril needs top quality beef for the upcoming meat lovers' show and the normal supplier comes up empty, Cass enlists some family help. Unfortunately, after a trip to a dark New Jersey pier for a beef drop with Melva and B.D., she realizes that her cousin, the entrepreneur, is involved with a different type of "family." Things get worse when crime boss/Tony Soprano wannabe Vic Leopolis tells Cass that in return for the favor, he wants Emeril, his favorite chef, to "kick it up a notch" and host Sunday dinner for the mob. Even guest star Vincent Pastore, visiting Emeril's cooking show to shoot a segment, is unable to provide Emeril with a solution to his Italian problem.

b: 23-Oct-2001 pc: 102 w: Linda Bloodworth-Thomason d: Harry Thomason

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6. Halloween
gs: Tricia O'Kelley (Trish O'Connell) Tara Karsian (Nurse Smearball) Sean Vincent Biggins (Roy) Brad Bufanda (the Boy)

While the rest of the Emeril crew gears up for Halloween, Emeril gets sucked into another one of Jerry's self-improvement schemes as the fleshy hipsters decide to secretly visit the plastic surgeon to remove their love handles via liposuction. Meanwhile, Trish tries to scare Cass, Melva, and B.D. by cracking down on the nudity, drunkenness and costume fires usually associated with the annual Food Channel Halloween party.

b: 30-Oct-2001 pc: 107 w: Linda Bloodworth-Thomason d: Harry Thomason

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7. The Sidekick
gs: Burt Reynolds (Himself) Tricia O'Kelley (Trish O'Connell) Darlene Kardon (Alice) Dona Hardy (Gladys) Brandon Jones (Brandon)

A quick bit of on-air male bonding inspires the Food Channel to push Emeril into a new type of cooking show with a new sidekick: Jerry. However, after he receives a taste of fame—including some commentary from his "celebrity friend" and guest star, Burt Reynolds—Jerry's ego "kicks it up a notch," much to the annoyance of Cass, Melva, and B.D.

b: 11-Dec-2001 pc: 110 w: F.J. Pratt & Dan Cohen d: Harry Thomason

NOTE: Originally scheduled to air on November 6, 2001.
Although the last three episodes were scheduled to air (at various dates), NBC canceled the series and aired this episode as the finale.

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8. Snow Day
gs: Ron Slanina (Gary) Tara Karsian (Nurse Smearball) Mary Page Keller (Nora Lagasse)

When a snowstorm strands the gang on the set, Emeril convinces himself that Nora's new partner has more than business on his mind. So as Emeril tries to find a way to get home to protect his marriage, Cass tries desperately to make it to her date, and Jerry attempts to avoid the advances of Nurse Smearball and find someplace to bathe himself.

b: UNAIRED pc: 108 w: Pamela Norris d: Harry Thomason

NOTE: Scheduled to air on December 18, 2001.

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9. The Retreat
gs: Bo Derek (Herself)

Against their will, Emeril and his staff are forced to attend a Food Network "Team Building Retreat" in the Adirondacks, where they have to climb walls, swing on ropes and jump off a tall tower. Much to the envy of Emeril and Jerry, the women -- Cass, Melva, B.D. and Trish -- run into Bo Derek who is there to speak at a seminar for "Women Who Are Too Beautiful." Discovering that Bo is an animal lover, Jerry borrows Emeril's joke bear suit as a novel way to approach her, with disastrous results. (NBC)

b: UNAIRED pc: 105

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10. One Man's Cornbread
gs: Dom DeLuise (Himself) Rev. Dr. Preston Washington Sr. (Himself)

To spice up his show on comfort food, Emeril invites Melva's grandmother, well-known in Harlem for her cooking, to appear with her cornbread recipe. Jerry decides to help the chef "kick it up a notch" by inviting Dom DeLuise to appear as well, sporting his own cornbread recipe. The chef quickly finds himself holding the fate of cornbread lovers nationwide in his hands as he is forced to decide between the two recipes. Emeril's decision sends shock waves through Harlem, prompting a mass protest from Rev. Dr. Preston Washington Sr. and some hostile words from Trish. (NBC)

b: UNAIRED pc: 109