Head Cases

Head Cases
Created by	Bill Chais
Starring	Chris O'Donnell Adam Goldberg Krista Allen Richard Kind Rhea Seehorn
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	6 (4 unaired)
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Production company(s)	Josephson Entertainment 20th Century Fox Television
Release
Original network	Fox (U.S.)
Original release	September 14 – September 21, 2005

Head Cases is an American primetime comedy-drama television program, best known as the first show cancelled for the 2005–2006 season. It was broadcast by Fox and premiered on September 14, 2005. It was cancelled after two episodes on September 22 after disastrous ratings and critical drubbing.

The program starred Chris O'Donnell as Jason Payne, who was a superstar attorney at a prestigious law firm until his career put a strain on his marriage. Eventually, Payne had a nervous breakdown and was sent to a "wellness center" where he recovered. Upon leaving the center, Payne's therapist "buddied him up" with another patient and lawyer, Russell Shultz (played by Adam Goldberg), who suffered from explosive disorder. As Payne's world continued to crumble around him, he found that his only friend seems to be Shultz. Ultimately, Payne and Shultz decided to open a law firm of their own.

O'Donnell, known more for his film work, was quoted in a TV Guide article about his reasons for trying a television series:

The program was created by Bill Chais, who along with Barry Josephson and Jeff Rake served as executive producers.

Rachael Leigh Cook was also a cast member, but her role was eliminated after the pilot.

The show placed fourth in the ratings in its first week against an all-rerun competition. Its second week was even worse against season premieres on the other networks, including Lost and America's Next Top Model. It only outrated a rerun of the pilot episode for the since-cancelled Just Legal on The WB.

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