Indebted
Indebted is an American sitcom television series created by Dan Levy that aired on NBC from February 6 to April 16, 2020.[1][2] The show centers on Dave and Rebecca, a young couple with two children, whose plans for independence are thwarted when Dave's bankrupt parents move into their home, sparking generational clashes and financial chaos.[3][4] Starring Adam Pally as Dave, Abby Elliott as Rebecca, Jessy Hodges as Dave's sister Joanna, Steven Weber as father Stew, and Fran Drescher as mother Debbie, the series highlights the comedic strains of multigenerational living amid economic hardship.[3][5] Comprising 12 episodes, Indebted was canceled by NBC in June 2020 after averaging a low 0.35 rating in the key adults 18-49 demographic, marking it as one of the network's least successful new comedies that season.[6][7][8] Critics panned the program for its formulaic humor and lack of originality, assigning it a 25% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on limited reviews.[2][1]Overview
Premise
Indebted revolves around Dave and Rebecca Freeman, a young couple with two children who anticipate reclaiming their independence after years of intensive parenting duties including diaper changes and sleep deprivation. Their plans for personal freedom are abruptly halted when Dave's parents, Debbie and Stu, appear uninvited at their home, disclosing that they have exhausted their retirement savings through extravagant expenditures on vacations, luxury items, and the fallout from an uninsured knee injury Stu sustained in a spin class accident.[2][1] Out of filial duty, Dave permits his parents to relocate into the family residence, inverting traditional generational hierarchies as Debbie and Stu's cavalier attitudes toward money, boundaries, and responsibilities infiltrate the household. This setup generates comedic tension through clashes over privacy, financial burdens, and parenting styles, with the elder Freemans frequently undermining Dave and Rebecca's authority while treating the living arrangement as an extension of their self-indulgent lifestyle.[9][2]Format and Broadcast Details
Indebted is an American multi-camera sitcom formatted as a half-hour live-action comedy series, with each episode running approximately 22 minutes.[10] [8] The program aired its single season of 12 episodes on NBC, premiering on February 6, 2020, in the Thursday 9:30 p.m. ET/PT time slot.[8] [11] The series finale broadcast on April 16, 2020, after which NBC canceled Indebted on June 15, 2020, citing low ratings performance.[6] [7]Cast and Characters
Main Cast
Adam Pally portrays Dave Klein, a young father struggling to balance his career and family life after his parents move in uninvited.[5] Abby Elliott plays Rebecca Klein, Dave's wife and a devoted mother navigating the chaos of extended family dynamics.[5] Steven Weber stars as Stew Klein, Dave's overbearing father who imposes his parenting philosophies on his adult children.[5] Fran Drescher depicts Debbie Klein, Stew's wife and Dave's mother, whose well-intentioned but intrusive presence exacerbates household tensions.[5] Jessy Hodges appears as Joanna Klein, Dave's independent sister who owns a food truck and provides comic relief through her contrasting lifestyle choices.[5]| Actor | Character | Role Description |
|---|---|---|
| Adam Pally | Dave Klein | Protagonist; young father and husband dealing with parental interference. |
| Abby Elliott | Rebecca Klein | Dave's wife; primary caregiver adapting to in-law disruptions. |
| Steven Weber | Stew Klein | Dave's father; retired parent enforcing outdated rules. |
| Fran Drescher | Debbie Klein | Dave's mother; emotionally driven meddler in family affairs. |
| Jessy Hodges | Joanna Klein | Dave's sister; free-spirited entrepreneur offering outsider perspective. |
Recurring and Guest Cast
Anders Garrett portrayed Asher Klein, the young son of Dave and Rebecca, appearing recurrently across multiple episodes as a key family member central to the show's premise of intergenerational household dynamics.[12] Vivien Lyra Blair played Hazel Klein, Dave and Rebecca's daughter, also in a recurring capacity, with the role recast from the pilot episode where Margaux Heck originated it.[13] These child characters provided ongoing comedic tension through their needs and interactions with the extended family.[9] Richard Kind guest-starred as Art in two episodes, contributing to specific storylines involving family finances and relationships.[14] Other notable guests included Asif Ali as Ravi, Dave's friend, appearing in select episodes to highlight social and professional conflicts.[12] Additional one-off appearances featured actors such as Katie Wee as Audrey and Danielle Kaplowitz in supporting roles, often tied to episodic plots like neighborhood or workplace scenarios.[12] The limited season run of 12 episodes resulted in fewer extended recurring roles beyond the core family unit.Production
Development and Conception
Indebted was conceived by writer and comedian Dan Levy, a Stamford, Connecticut native born in 1981, who drew inspiration from his own family's financial realities after discovering that his parents lacked a structured retirement plan.[15] This personal revelation prompted Levy to explore the generational reversal where adult children must "parent" their aging parents, particularly amid economic pressures like debt and unplanned dependency.[16] Levy, having previously written for the sitcom The Goldbergs, mined elements of his Jewish family background for the show's dynamics, emphasizing overt cultural traits in the characters without relying on stereotypes for humor.[17] The series originated as a script by Levy, which secured backing from NBC during the network's development slate for the 2019–2020 television season.[9] Executive production was handled by Levy alongside Doug Robinson, a producer from The Goldbergs; Allison Greenspan; and Andy Ackerman, with overall production under Sony Pictures Television.[18] This team leveraged Levy's script to craft a multi-camera sitcom format, focusing on the premise of a young couple reclaiming their lives only to be disrupted by bankrupt in-laws moving in unannounced.[19] The concept aligned with contemporary discussions on intergenerational wealth transfers and millennial financial burdens, though Levy emphasized authentic family tensions over didactic messaging.[20]Casting
The casting for the pilot episode of Indebted, originally titled Uninsured, began in early 2019 with the selection of supporting roles ahead of the leads. Jessy Hodges was cast as Joanna Klein, the protagonist's sister and a lesbian bar owner, as part of the initial ensemble announcements.[21] On February 21, 2019, Adam Pally was cast in the lead role of Dave Klein, a young father enjoying newfound freedom after his children leave home, while Abby Elliott was selected as his wife, Rebecca Klein, a driven professional.[22][21][23] The pilot script explicitly described the boomer mother character, Debbie Klein, as "a Fran Drescher type in every way," a specification that directly influenced the decision to approach and cast Fran Drescher herself in the role on March 4, 2019; Drescher, known for her distinctive voice and comedic persona from The Nanny, had not starred in a network sitcom since 1998.[24][25] Steven Weber was subsequently cast on March 21, 2019, as Stew Klein, Debbie's upbeat but trivia-obsessed salesman husband, marking his return to multi-camera comedy after roles in series like Wings.[26] NBC greenlit Uninsured—retitled Indebted—as a full series on May 11, 2019, with no reported changes to the principal cast from the pilot; the ensemble's chemistry, particularly the generational contrast between the millennial leads and boomer parents, was cited by producers as a key factor in the pickup decision.[27]Filming
Indebted was produced as a multi-camera sitcom at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, where all episodes were filmed on the facility's soundstages.[28][11] The studio provided state-of-the-art, multi-purpose spaces equipped for live audience tapings, enabling the capture of real-time reactions to support the show's comedic delivery.[28][29] Episodes were shot in front of a live studio audience, a standard practice for this format that facilitates multiple takes and dialogue variations to select the most effective performances.[28] A single episode's production often extended several hours due to re-shoots aimed at refining humor and timing.[28] While this approach reduced overall costs by minimizing location shoots and post-production needs, it constrained certain creative choices inherent to the multi-camera setup.[28] Principal photography occurred in late 2019 to align with the series' February 2020 premiere on NBC.[6]Episodes
Episode List
Indebted aired its sole season consisting of 12 half-hour episodes on NBC, premiering on February 6, 2020, and concluding on April 16, 2020, with the final two episodes broadcast back-to-back.[30][31]| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everybody's Talking About the Pilot | February 6, 2020[30] |
| 2 | Everybody's Talking About Dav | February 13, 2020[30] |
| 3 | Everybody's Talking About the Mental Load | February 20, 2020[30] |
| 4 | Everybody's Talking About Hot Goss | February 27, 2020[32] |
| 5 | Everybody's Talking About the Tooth Fairy | March 5, 2020 |
| 6 | Everybody's Talking About Doctor Uncle | March 12, 2020 |
| 7 | Everybody's Talking About Pleasure | March 19, 2020[33] |
| 8 | Everybody's Talking About A Web Of Lies | March 26, 2020[34] |
| 9 | Everybody's Talking About Fomo | April 2, 2020[35] |
| 10 | Everybody's Talking About the Ex | April 9, 2020[30] |
| 11 | Everybody's Talking About the Future | April 16, 2020[36] |
| 12 | Everybody's Talking About the Shiva | April 16, 2020[37][36] |