Beggars and Choosers was a 1999-2000
television series broadcast by
Showtime. Developed by
Peter Lefcourt and
Brandon Tartikoff, it was a
comic behind-the-scenes look at
network television. Its 35 episodes aired between
June 19,
1999 and
December 12,
2000.
The
tongue-in-cheek series centered on Rob Malone, President of LGT, and his efforts to boost the network's sagging ratings with Lori Volpone, the scheming Vice-President of Development, and Malcolm Laffley, a
gay man who came
out of the closet to clear himself of
sexual harassment charges levied against him by a woman. Each episode provided amusing insight into how a network runs, from how its executives deal with temperamental stars to how they make big budget deals while trying to keep the network financially stable.
In 2000,
Carl Reiner was nominated for an
Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his appearance on the show. The series was nominated for a 2001
GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Comedy Series.