document_title: Top Gear controversies

question_text: where did top gear build the bridge in thailand

text: Top Gear controversies

text: Clarkson's criticism[edit]

text: One of the programme's presenters, Jeremy Clarkson, has been critical of the BBC regarding the handling of the programme.[1] In the February 2006 issue of Top Gear Magazine, Clarkson revealed that he thought that the BBC did not take Top Gear seriously, making the length of the series far too long, and often replacing the show with live snooker coverage, despite Top Gear having considerably higher viewing figures.[2]

text: In July 2006, the BBC rejected a variety of complaints regarding the criticism, claiming the producers and presenters choose the way they are covered, and that the BBC do not have any control over it. They argued that the presenters' provocative comments are "an integral part of the programme and are not intended to be taken seriously." Regarding offensive remarks traded between presenters and members of the audience, the BBC said "this is part of the appeal of the show, and we trust most viewers are familiar enough with the style and tone of the show not to take offence." The BBC pointed out that they would act if such statements and actions were carried out with any degree of seriousness or if the programme breached legal and safety requirements.[3]

text: Studio move[edit]

text: Top Gear was in negotiations with the BBC to move to Enstone in north Oxfordshire which was closer to Clarkson's home in Chipping Norton. However, the producers were unable to negotiate a deal, after their initial application was blocked due to opposition by local residents, who feared that Top Gear would create pollution and noise issues.[4]

text: Accusations of homophobia[edit]

text: In December 2006, the BBC upheld complaints from four viewers after comments made by Jeremy Clarkson were considered to be homophobic references, had the potential to offend and should not have been broadcast. The complaints regarded comments made by Clarkson in the seventh episode of series six, in which Clarkson described the Daihatsu Copen as "a bit gay". He later described the vehicle as "ginger beer", taken to be rhyming slang for the term "queer". The BBC said there was "no editorial purpose" for the remarks and the "Top Gear team had been reminded of the importance of avoiding such comments about sexual orientation."[5]

text: In December 2009, it was reported that a gay couple had been denied tickets to see the show being filmed. A BBC spokesperson said, "We do not – absolutely do not – discriminate against same sex couples... the whole implication that Top Gear is in any way homophobic is completely wrong."[6]

text: Cultural mockery[edit]

text: Germany[edit]

text: During the first episode of series seven, a news segment featuring BMW's Mini concept from the Tokyo Motor Show showcased a car that Hammond quoted as supposedly being "quintessentially British", the only added feature being an integrated tea set. Clarkson responded by mocking the car, claiming that they should build a car that is "quintessentially German". He suggested turn signals that displayed Hitler salutes, "a sat-nav that only goes to Poland", and "ein fanbelt that will last a thousand years", a reference to Adolf Hitler's propaganda slogan of "the thousand-year Reich". These statements gained negative attention from the German government,[7] and led to viewers' complaints reaching the BBC Board of Governors.[8]

text: In July 2006, the BBC Governors’ Programme Complaints Committee rejected the protests: "the Committee did not believe that, when looking at the audience as a whole, they would have felt that the comments were anything more than Jeremy Clarkson using outrageous behaviour to amuse his audience, and that the remarks would not have led to anyone entertaining new or different feelings or concerns about Germans or Germany".[9]

text: Romania[edit]

text: During the opening episode of series 14, the presenters were seen taking the Aston Martin DBS Volante, Ferrari California and Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder on a road trip to Romania. While driving through the Romanian countryside, Clarkson commented on Romania as being "Borat country, with gypsies and Russian playboys", referring to the 2006 mockumentary starring Sacha Baron Cohen about the fictional journalist from Kazakhstan, which had filmed a few scenes in Romania. The film had already stirred controversy in the country, with a number of local Roma who were involved in the film attempting to sue 20th Century Fox and Cohen. Romanian newspapers claimed that the comments were "offensive" and "bad publicity for their country".[10]

text: The Romanian Times also reported that Clarkson called Romania a "gypsy land".[11] Complaints were also rife regarding Clarkson's actions to don a pork pie hat which he called a "gypsy" hat, while commenting: "I'm wearing this hat so the gypsies think I am [another gypsy]." The Romanian ambassador later sent a letter to the producers of Top Gear, in which he showed his appreciation for the show, highlighted the press's freedom of expression, the non-discriminatory spirit, and the fact that 89.5% of the country's population is Romanian, 6.5% is ethnic Hungarians, 2.5% are ethnic Roma and 1.5% are other ethnic groups. He also asked for the show to be re-edited for future showings to exclude the offensive material.[12]

text: The Daily Telegraph was hacked by a group of Romanians, who stated, "We are sick of being mis-represented as Gypsies, and thanks to Top Gear, have been publicly insulted". The group took over two pages of the website, covering them in Romanian flags and playing Gheorghe Zamfir - Lonely Shepherd (featured on the soundtrack to the film Kill Bill).[13][14]

text: Mexico[edit]

text: During the second episode of series 16, the presenters mocked the Mexican Mastretta MXT sports car on account of it being designed in Mexico. James May introduced the car as "The Tortilla", then remarked that he did not remember what it was called. Hammond then stated: "Cars reflect national characteristics... a Mexican car's just going to be a lazy, feckless, flatulent oaf with a moustache, leaning against a fence asleep, looking at a cactus with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat". This was followed up by James May suggesting that all Mexican food resembles "refried sick" and "sick with cheese on it", Richard Hammond remarking, "I'm sorry, but just imagine waking up and remembering you're Mexican" [15] with a look of disgust on his face, and Jeremy Clarkson adding, "It'd be brilliant because you could just go straight back to sleep again!" Clarkson ended the segment by suggesting that the Mexican ambassador to Britain would be too lazy to make any kind of complaint. This prompted the Mexican ambassador, Eduardo Medina Mora, to write to the BBC: "The presenters of the program resorted to outrageous, vulgar and inexcusable insults to stir bigoted feelings against the Mexican people, their culture as well as their official representative in the United Kingdom. These offensive, xenophobic and humiliating remarks only serve to reinforce negative stereotypes and perpetuate prejudice against Mexico and its people".[16]

text: BBC issued a letter defending the anti-Mexican jokes, stating that national stereotyping was a robust part of British humour, but apologizing to the Mexican ambassador for the remarks made about him personally.[17] The episode will have the Mexican comments cut from its broadcast in the United States.[18]

text: Comedian Steve Coogan, who has appeared on the show three times, criticised the programme for its pitiful apology, suggesting that the usual defence of "a bit of a laugh", or "harmless fun" was no longer appropriate, that the insults had gone too far, and described the comments as "as funny as a cold sweat followed by shooting pains down the left arm".[19] He also criticised the show for what he described as lazy, adolescent humour and "casual racism" in reference specifically to this episode.[20] Yahoo editor, Richard Evans, described the programme's conduct as another "Sachsgate waiting to happen".[21]

text: The presenters repeatedly referenced the incident in the following episodes of the series: The set of the 41st series of Have I Got News for You, which depicts various recent news stories, includes a mocked-up image of Clarkson dressed like a Mexican in reference to the controversy. The incident was referenced further in the India special, where Hammond accidentally painted a Mexican flag on his car after he intended to paint an Indian one. The incident was referenced to once again in the second episode of series 19, in which the presenters had to race three high-performance cars from Los Angeles to the Mexican border, where the last person to arrive would have to do a review of the Mastretta Sports car in an upcoming episode.

text: However the UK broadcast regulator Ofcom cleared the programme due to its "comedic intent and the context":[22]

text: In this case, Ofcom took into account that Top Gear is well known for its irreverent style and sometimes outspoken humour, as well as the regular format of the studio banter between the three presenters. We considered that viewers of Top Gear were likely to be aware that the programme frequently uses national stereotypes as a comedic trope and that there were few, if any, nationalities that had not at some point been the subject of the presenters’ mockery throughout the history of this long running programme. For example, this same episode featured a competition between the UK’s Top Gear presenters and their Australian counterparts, throughout which the Australians were ridiculed for various national traits. In this instance, therefore, Ofcom considered that the majority of the audience would be familiar with the presenters’ approach to mocking, playground-style humour, and would have considered that applying that approach to national stereotypes was in keeping with the programme’s usual content, and the presenters’ typical style. Ofcom was of the view that the majority of the audience would therefore be likely to have understood that the comments were being made for comic effect.

text: Argentina[edit]

text: In September and October 2014, the three presenters and a crew of 29 people were recording the Patagonia Special in Argentina, featuring three cars—a Porsche 928 GT, a Lotus Esprit and a Ford Mustang Mach I. They had started in Bariloche on 19 September[23] and travelled southward on the trans-Patagonian Route 40, about 1,000 miles (1,600 km). On 2 October they had arrived in Ushuaia, at the southern end of Tierra del Fuego. The plan was to film for three more days, and then to continue in Chile.

text: During filming, Twitter comments alleging the number plate "H982 FKL" on the Porsche was a reference to the 1982 Falklands War began to appear and the number plate "H1 VAE" was substituted.[24] Andy Wilman, executive producer for the show, said on 2 October: "Top Gear production purchased three cars for a forthcoming programme; to suggest that this car was either chosen for its number plate, or that an alternative number plate was substituted for the original is completely untrue"; Clarkson tweeted: "For once, we did nothing wrong".[25] "H982 FKL" has been registered to the Porsche since its manufacture in May 1991.[26][27][28]

text: In the evening, veterans and other Argentinians entered the hotel lobby to confront the team. Clarkson later wrote he "had to hide under a bed for a mob howling for his blood".[29] Local police then told the team they could not and would not give them any assistance, and in the hostile atmosphere the team decided to leave Argentina. Believing that the presenters were the main targets of the controversy, the crew decided to send Clarkson, May, Hammond and the women from the crew to Buenos Aires, while the rest would drive the cars and their equipment to the border into Chile. May later stated that, prior to flying back to Britain, he and the other presenters had assisted in planning possible airlifts if the journey to the border became too dangerous. The main Route 3 by which they had arrived in Rio Grande a day earlier, was closed to them because the ringway was filled with people, with "the mayor in front".[30][31] They drove to the border at Radman by tertiary roads, about 160 mi (250 km). In Tolhuin, after 62 mi (100 km), the convoy was stopped by an intimidating crowd. The team decided to abandon the three show cars, and reached the border with Chile later that night. At 2 a.m., they had to find a tractor to ford the camera cars through the border river. Pictures show that the abandoned cars had been attacked and damaged with stones. The Porsche had the number plate "HI VAE".[25][29][30]

text: On 31 October 2014, it was announced that the Argentine ambassador Alicia Castro met BBC Director of Television Danny Cohen to demand a formal apology, but the BBC refused to do so, making it clear that they intended to broadcast the special as a fair representation of the events that occurred.[32] The Christmas Special, split into two parts, aired on 27 and 28 December 2014.

text: Tesla Roadster review[edit]

text: During episode seven of series 12, Clarkson presented a segment featuring the Tesla Roadster, including a test drive. The segment showed the car's provided batteries running flat after 88.5 kilometres (55.0 mi), with Clarkson claiming that the recharge would take 16 hours. Following this, he claimed that the car then broke down. Tesla Motors spokesperson stated that the cars provided never reached less than 20% charge, none needed to be pushed off the track at any point, the recharge time was 3.5 hours, and the brake failure shown in the segment was actually a blown fuse.[33][34] The BBC responded to these claims with a statement saying, "The tested Tesla was filmed being pushed into the shed in order to show what would happen if the Roadster had run out of charge. Top Gear stands by the findings in this film and is content that it offers a fair representation of the Tesla's performance on the day it was tested", without addressing the other concerns.[34][35][36]

text: The comments were made following Clarkson showing a limp windmill, and complaining that it would take countless hours to refuel the car, using such a source of electricity. A BBC spokeswoman said several times in an interview that Top Gear was "an entertainment programme, and should not be taken seriously."[37] After several weeks, Clarkson wrote a blog for The Times, acknowledging that "the film we had shot was a bit of a mess", but defending the film's claims.[38] Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, wrote in a blog on 13 February 2013 that while delivering the vehicle the Tesla team found on a table a prepared script for the segment, demonstrating this was never a fair test.[39] In March 2011 Tesla Motors filed a suit accusing the BBC of libel.[40]

text: In court Tesla Motors lost a major part of its high court libel claim on 19 October 2011. Mr Justice Tugendhat said that no Top Gear viewer would have reasonably compared the car's performance on the show's airfield track to its likely performance on a public road.[41] On 28 October 2011 the carmaker looked set to lose the remaining malicious falsehood claim, Mr Justice Tugendhat saying "I shall strike out the claim in this action unless the plea of damage is amended by agreement between the parties, or with the permission of the court." [42]

text: Specific criticism[edit]

text: Series 2[edit]

text: After a segment on the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans, the programme received criticism for damaging a historic Jaguar C-Type valued at £1 million. Top Gear responded that they had permission to "drive the car hard" but Adrian Hamilton, the car's owner, and Top Gear's test driver had different ideas on what that meant.[43]

text: Series 3[edit]

text: During the fifth episode of series three, Clarkson crashed a Toyota Hilux into a tree, during a segment in which he attempted to prove the sturdiness and reliability of the truck. The tree belonged to the Churchill Parish in Somerset. The villagers presumed that the damage had been accidental, or that someone had vandalised the tree, until the Top Gear episode was broadcast. After the BBC was contacted, the director of Top Gear admitted guilt and the broadcaster paid compensation.[44]

text: Series 9[edit]

text: The BBC apologised to a number of Top Gear viewers following comments made during the first episode of series nine. Clarkson asked Hammond following his 370 km/h (230 mph) crash, "Are you now a mental?", which was followed by James May offering Richard Hammond a tissue "in case he dribbled". The BBC claimed the comments were meant as a joke, but also claimed they saw how the comments could cause offence to mentally disabled and brain-damaged viewers.[45]

text: During the show's American Special, the show received 91 complaints regarding a dead cow being tied to the roof of Jeremy Clarkson's Camaro. It was later revealed by the BBC that the cow had died several days previously and Clarkson had caused no harm or injury to it.[46]

text: Episode five of series nine was criticised for Jeremy Clarkson's reconstruction of a train crash that occurred in Hibaldstow, North Lincolnshire, near Scunthorpe. The incident was mainly criticised due to its insensitivity regarding the Cumbria train crash that occurred only two days earlier. The reconstruction, which was organised by Network Rail as part of its Don't Run The Risk campaign, was criticised by Anthony Smith, chief executive of the rail watchdog Passenger Focus, who said: "We need to raise awareness of the issue, but now is not the right time."[47]

text: It was reported that the item had already been delayed several times, due to an earlier fatal level crossing crash. The BBC defended their decision to broadcast the episode, claiming that "with only one programme remaining in the series, and the frequency of level crossing accidents, it may have been considered that there was no "appropriate" time to show the film without it "offending" somebody.[48] A repeat of the episode was due to be aired on 1 March 2007, but due to the earlier complaints, and another death on a level crossing earlier that morning, was replaced with a new edition of "The Best of Top Gear".

text: During the show's Polar special at the end of series nine, Jeremy Clarkson was shown drinking gin and tonic while driving through an ice field in the Arctic. Despite the producers' and Clarkson's claims that they were in international waters at the time, the BBC Trust found that the scene could "glamorise the misuse of alcohol", and that the scene "was not editorially justified in the context of a family show pre-watershed".[49]

text: Series 10[edit]

text: During the show's Botswana special, a spokesperson for the Environmental Investigation Agency criticised the BBC for leaving tracks in Botswana's Makgadikgadi salt pan. The BBC denied that they had gone near any conservation areas, and asserted that they had followed the advice of environmental experts.[50]

text: Series 12[edit]

text: Following the first episode of series 12, Jeremy Clarkson was criticised for making a joke regarding lorry drivers killing prostitutes, thought to be alluding to the Ipswich 2006 serial murders,[51] although it is more likely that Clarkson was referring to the Yorkshire Ripper. Ofcom received over 500 complaints, but say that the remark was not in breach of the broadcasting code. Afterwards, Labour MP Chris Mole wrote a "strongly worded" letter to the BBC, saying that Clarkson should be sacked regarding the remarks.[52] In response to the complaints on the show, Clarkson announced he would apologise, but later revealed that he was, in fact, apologising for not posting the lap time of a car that was shown on the previous episode. The incident was referenced when Stephen Fry appeared as the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car in July 2009. Clarkson introduced the interview by stating that Fry had "begun his career with a Lorry (Laurie), so the one thing we can be certain he hasn't done is killed a prostitute".

text: Series 13[edit]

text: During the final episode of series 13, Clarkson and May were assigned to produce a spoof advert for the new Volkswagen Scirocco. However, one of their spoof ads saw crowds of people leaving Warsaw in terror on buses and trains, because of the imminent German invasion of Poland. At the end of the advert, Clarkson announced "Volkswagen Scirocco TDI: Berlin to Warsaw in one tank". The advert was uploaded to YouTube minutes after its broadcast, spurring angry comments from Polish viewers. A spokeswoman for the show told the Daily Mail that the BBC had only received a handful of complaints, but complaints submitted to national broadcast watchdog Ofcom were expected to be higher.[53] Complaints were also received for three other incidents in the programme: a remake of a VW advertisement, in which a suicide is shown on-screen; Clarkson mocking people who have autism, and the use of the word "pikey", which Clarkson claims to be someone who sells "pegs and heather" to describe drivers of the Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst.[54]

text: Series 15[edit]

text: In a conversation about women distracting the presenters while driving, Clarkson said he recently saw a woman wearing a burka who "tripped over the pavement" and revealed a "red g-string and stockings". Hammond said that this "did not happen", but Clarkson maintained that it was true.[55][56] A Mediawatch spokesperson said Clarkson "should learn to keep quiet".[57] However, one reporter defended Clarkson.[58]

text: Series 16[edit]

text: The BBC received 600 complaints[citation needed] following the third episode of series 16, following an incident in which the presenters 'murdered' a fat Albanian and attempted to find out which of three car boots he would fit into the best. The episode was also criticised for its stereotypical views on Albania, claiming it is a nest for Albanian mafia car thieves.[59]

text: Series 17[edit]

text: This episode showed Clarkson and May parking their electric cars in disabled parking spaces. Later the BBC defended its stars, stating that they had permission from the owners to park in the disabled spaces. A later scene showed people pushing the electric Nissan Leaf up a street while Clarkson made jokes about it having run out of charge. Nissan later discovered from onboard data logging that before the "test drive" its charge had been run down to only 40% capacity. Since then Top Gear has received criticism from electric car enthusiasts, newspapers, celebrities, and Nissan in response to their view on electric cars.[60]

text: Series 19[edit]

text: In an unaired version of Jeremy Clarkson reviewing the Toyota GT86 and the similar Subaru BRZ, he uses the eeny meeny miny moe rhyme to pick between the two cars, which has historically included the word "nigger". He mumbles through that part of the rhyme, and the Daily Mirror accused him of mumbling "nigger". In the aired version of the review, he says the word 'teacher' instead of the racial epithet.

text: After denying the incident, once video evidence surfaced, Clarkson issued the following apology, though maintaining that he did not use the word.

text: "Ordinarily I don't respond to newspaper allegations but on this occasion I feel I must make an exception. A couple of years ago I recorded an item for Top Gear in which I quote the rhyme "eeny, meeny, miny, moe". Of course, I was well aware that in the best-known version of this rhyme there is a racist expression that I was extremely keen to avoid. The full rushes show that I did three takes. In two, I mumbled where the offensive word would normally occur and in the third I replaced it altogether with the word teacher. Now when I viewed this footage several weeks later I realised that in one of the mumbled versions if you listen very carefully with the sound turned right up it did appear that I'd actually used the word I was trying to obscure. I was mortified by this, horrified. It is a word I loathe and I did everything in my power to make sure that that version did not appear in the programme that was transmitted."

text: "I have here the note that was sent at the time to the production office and it says: "I didn't use the N-word here but I've just listened through my headphones and it sounds like I did. Is there another take that we could use?"

text: Though this incident happened before the 'slope' comment in the Burma special, it did not surface until afterwards and the combined complaints caused many public figures to call for Clarkson to be fired and ultimately resulted in a 'final warning' from the BBC regarding racist remarks.[62]

text: Series 21[edit]

text: The Top Gear presenters go across Burma and Thailand in lorries with the goal of building a bridge over the river Kwai. After building a bridge over the Kok River, Clarkson is quoted as saying "That is a proud moment, but there's a slope on it." as a native crosses the bridge, 'slope' being a pejorative for Asians.

text: Top Gear Executive Producer Andy Wilman responded:

text: When we used the word slope in the recent Top Gear Burma Special it was a light-hearted word play joke referencing both the build quality of the bridge and the local Asian man who was crossing it. We were not aware at the time, and it has subsequently been brought to our attention, that the word slope is considered by some to be offensive and although it might not be widely recognised in the UK, we appreciate that it can be considered offensive to some here and overseas, for example in Australia and the USA. If we had known that at the time we would not have broadcast the word in this context and regret any offence caused. [63]

text: Series 23[edit]

text: The BBC came under criticism for filming near the London Cenotaph but defended the decision to film there by saying "The filming took place a respectful distance away from the Cenotaph and it was all agreed with Westminster council in advance." [64]

text: Dismissal of Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear[edit]

text: In March 2015, the BBC announced Jeremy Clarkson had been suspended for an alleged 'fracas' and that the remaining episodes of the series would not be broadcast.[65] In response to this, over 1,000,000 people signed an online petition to try to get the BBC to reinstate Clarkson.[66] Perry McCarthy, a former Stig, criticised the BBC's decision to pull the next episode from the schedule.[67] On 25 March, the BBC announced that they would not renew Clarkson's contract which finished at the end of March 2015.[68]

text: The show received widespread criticism after Jeremy Clarkson's contract wasn't renewed, and subsequent departure of James May and Richard Hammond, after the new episode hosted by Chris Evans was widely deemed sub-standard.[69][70][71]


document_title: Sexual Harassment (The Office)

question_text: when did michael scott first say that's what she said

question_tokens: when did michael scott first say that 's what she said

root

text: Sexual Harassment (The Office)

text: Plot[edit]

text: Michael Scott's (Steve Carell) "best friend forever" Todd Packer (David Koechner) offends the staff with crude gossip about an upper management scandal. Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein) informs Michael that he will conduct a review of the company's sexual harassment policies because the CFO resigned after allegations made by his secretary. Michael's indignation that this will put a damper on his easygoing office environment rises to outrage when he learns that the corporate headquarters is sending down a lawyer to talk to him. Michael and the warehouse staff mock the sexual harassment video, but the crude remarks come to a screeching halt when Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin) and the lawyer arrive from Corporate.

tag: p

text: While Michael angrily announces that he can no longer be friends with his staff and that he will never tell another joke again, Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) goads Michael into breaking his vow immediately, to the approval of Packer. Michael's attitude suddenly changes when he realizes that he is not in trouble, and that the lawyer's job is to protect him. After Packer tells a crude joke at the expense of Phyllis, Michael defends her, telling the entire office that he finds Phyllis attractive and that the only thing he worries about when he's near her "is getting a boner".

text: Meanwhile, Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) waits with anticipation for her mother (Shannon Cochran) to arrive from out of town. Pam's mother arrives and asks in whispers (shushed by an embarrassed Pam), "Which one is Jim?" Michael stops Packer when he tries to share another inappropriate joke and concludes with his misguided thoughts on sexual harassment.

text: Production[edit]

text: "Sexual Harassment" was written by B. J. Novak, who also acts on the show as Ryan Howard. The episode was the third entry of the series directed by Ken Kwapis.[2] Kwapis had previously directed "Pilot" and "Diversity Day".[3] The inspiration for the episode was the NBC sexual harassment seminar that the cast and crew had to attend before the series began.[4] Having both worked in office environments prior to filming The Office, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey both noted that on the days of sexual harassment seminars, they would be harassed by their co-workers as a joke. This experience was added to the script for the episode.[5] "Sexual Harassment" introduces Michael's catchphrase "That's what she said," which writer B. J. Novak says was something he heard repeated in college. The "What has two thumbs and X? This guy" joke also comes from Novak's college days.[6] Jenna Fischer later revealed that a good majority of Dwight's exchange with Toby about female anatomy was improvised.[7]

text: When it came time to cast Todd Packer, the crew's first choice was David Koechner, who had starred alongside Carell in the hit 2004 comedy movie Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Production for the episode had to be delayed so that Koechner could be secured for the part. Novak noted that Koechner was one of the few actors who was "talented enough to make Steve Carell break up on set", a feat that he notes was "worth" the delays.[8]

text: When deciding what car Packer would own, writer B. J. Novak wanted to use a Mustang, but none were available. Producer Kent Zbornak decided to get Packer a red Chevrolet Corvette, which Novak now admits is "even better".[9] This episode aired with a warning that it contained adult content and subject matter, which is rare for a network comedy. Novak explained that he had to fight NBC to get the word "boner" on the air because the replacement—"schwing"—didn't have, according to Novak, "the same redemption for Michael at the end." The disclaimer was a compromise. A station in Kentucky nevertheless refused to air this episode.[10] Pam's mother was played by Shannon Cochran in this episode of the series, in the first appearance of the character at this point in the show.[2] Cochran was unable to return to play the character for the season six episode "Niagara", due to scheduling conflicts with a year-long theater contract, and was thus replaced by Linda Purl.[11]

text: Cultural references[edit]

text: Michael forwards Jim a joke chain-email entitled "Fifty Signs Your Priest Might Be Michael Jackson". Michael later compares the members of the office to the cast of Friends, saying that he is both Chandler Bing and Joey Tribbiani and Pam is Rachel Green. He claims that Dwight is Cosmo Kramer, failing to realize that he is a character in the sitcom Seinfeld and not Friends. Todd Packer's license plate reads "WLHUNG", a reference to a large penis, but Ryan interprets it to mean he is a fan of singer William Hung. Darryl asks whether Michael got his pants at "Queers R Us", a reference to Toys R Us. The episode is the first to feature what would become Michael's catchphrase: "That's what she said."[12]

text: Reception[edit]

text: "Sexual Harassment" originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 27, 2005.[13] The episode was viewed by 7.13 million viewers.[14] The episode ranked as the sixty-third most-watched episode of television for the week it aired.[14] An encore presentation of the episode, on May 31, 2006, received 2.2 rating/6% share and retained 100% of its lead-in viewership from My Name is Earl among 18- to 49-year-olds. The encore presentation was viewed by over 4.5 million viewers.[15]

text: "Sexual Harassment" received moderately positive reviews from critics. Michael Sciannamea of TV Squad wrote that the episode "was OK, nothing great." Sciannamea went on to explain that the "subject was funny, but I thought the writers were trying too hard to push the envelope", making the episode "uneven".[16] "Miss Alli" of Television Without Pity gave the episode a "B+" grade.[12] Erik Adams of The A.V. Club awarded the episode a "B–" and called it "a slightly above average episode", but that its greatest success was its ability to reach "some of its greatest heights on a moment-by-moment basis", similar in style to vignettes.[17] Adams was slightly critical of the main plot, noting that the show had "difficulty maintaining the comedic momentum", but he reasoned that this was probably largely due to "Michael-on-defense" being a "difficult character to write", because "there aren’t many good ways of displaying his humanity while he’s also fighting for the right to be an asshole."[17]

text: TV Fanatic reviewed several quotes from "Sexual Harassment", and rated several of Todd Packer's lewd jokes, as well as Michael's "You wouldn't arrest a guy who was just passing drugs from one guy to another" monologue 5 out of 5.[18] Entertainment Weekly named Michael Scott's line, "Toby is in HR, which technically means he works for corporate. So he's really not a part of our family. Also, he's divorced, so he's really not a part of his family," one of "TV's funniest lines" for the week ending October 3, 2005.[19] Dan Phillips from IGN named "Michael's Boner" the tenth most awkward moment of the show, noting that, "The camera holds the others' reactions just long enough to drive home the awkwardness of the scene, making you want to crawl inside of a hole along with the rest of the cast."[20]


document_title: Alpha (film)

question_text: what year does the movie alpha take place

text: Alpha (film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: In Upper Paleolithic Europe, 20,000 years in the past, a small tribe of hunter-gatherers prepares for an expedition to hunt for the coming winter's food. Tau, its chief, trains his adolescent son Keda, accepting him and another boy to join the hunting party. His wife Rho worries that Keda is not ready, but Tau believes he is and the hunters set out.

text: Tau tests Keda by having him kill a boar they've caught, but Keda balks. One night, the party's fire draws the attention of a Machairodus, which lunges through their circle, snatching Keda's friend. Hearing the fatal struggle in the darkness, the tribe gives him up for dead. The member is given a memorial service in the form of placing rocks to symbolize the passing of one's spirit to the afterlife.

text: The hunters eventually reach a herd of steppe bison, which they attempt to stampede off a cliff in relative success. Amidst the chaos, a bison rushes Keda and throws him over the edge, leaving him gripping the rough cliff edge with his hand. Keda loses grip and falls to a further ledge where he appears to break his leg and is knocked to unconsciousness. Tau attempts to climb down to him, but he is stopped by another member of the tribe who assures him in good faith that Keda is dead and there would be no way to reach him nonetheless. The tribe leaves and Tau performs another funeral ritual, stricken with grief.

text: Keda awakes and tries to climb the rest of the way down the cliff. A sudden heavy rainfall causes the ravine below to flood. Losing his grip, Keda jumps into the water. He survives and splints his injured foot before returning to the top of the cliff. Seeing the memorial cairn left by his tribe, he realizes he must trek back to the village by himself.

text: He is attacked by a pack of wolves, but escapes up a tree, wounding one of them which the others leave behind. Keda takes pity on it and cares for its injury. Gradually gaining the wolf's trust, he gives it water and then food, establishing himself as dominant by feeding himself first. He sets out for the village without the wolf, but it follows him. Their companionship grows, and they learn to hunt small boar together. Along the way, Keda names the wolf Alpha.

text: One night, they are approached menacingly by a pack of wolves. They hesitate upon seeing Alpha, who steps forward and greets them. The pack runs off and with Keda's blessing, Alpha joins them.

text: Keda continues his journey alone as the season changes to winter. On a frozen lake, he encounters a pack of wolves feeding. Recognizing Alpha, he runs to them, but the ice breaks and he falls through. Alpha helps rescue him and they are reunited.

text: Continuing the journey together, they find a man who has frozen to death outside his tent and scavenge a bow and arrow from it. Later, they take refuge from cave hyenas in a cave where they are attacked by another Machairodus. Alpha and the Machairodus fight, and Keda kills the Machairodus with the arrow. However, Alpha is badly injured and now travels with difficulty. Meanwhile, Keda begins to cough up blood. When Alpha finally cannot walk, Keda carries the wolf.

text: Keda eventually finds the village and reunites happily with his parents, who are amazed and proud of him. As the village healer tends to Alpha's wounds, the wolf delivers a litter of pups to Keda's surprise. Alpha and her pups are formally welcomed into the tribe and grow up in the care of Alpha and Keda.

text: In time, the tribe becomes one of both humans and domesticated wolves, hunting together.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Kodi Smit-McPhee as Keda
Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Tau
Natassia Malthe as Rho
Leonor Varela as Shaman
Jens Hultén as Xi
Mercedes de la Zerda as Nu
Spencer Bogaert as Kappa
Chuck as Alpha

tag: ul

text: Production[edit]

text: The film was first announced in September 2015, with Albert Hughes as director, produced by Studio 8. The film uses the IMAX 3D format.[7] Kodi Smit-McPhee was confirmed as its star in November 2015,[8] and other casting was finalized the following February.[9]

text: Filming took place in Drumheller, Burnaby, and Vancouver,[10] where a large set was built in Boundary Road near East Kent Avenue. Filming in Vancouver took place from February to May 2016, and at Dinosaur Provincial Park near Patricia, Alberta in April 2016,[11] and in Iceland.[12]

text: The production was investigated after five Alberta bison were allegedly killed in the making of the film.[13] Following an investigation, the American Humane Association denied its "No Animals Were Harmed" end-credit certification to the production.[14] Two days before the film's release, PETA called for a boycott of the film.[15]

text: Release[edit]

text: In June 2017, the film's title was changed from The Solutrean to Alpha. The term Solutrean is derived from Solutré. Initially set for a September 2017 release date, it was pushed back to March 2018.[16] In December 2017, it was again delayed, this time to September 2018.[17] In April 2018, the release date was moved up to August 17, 2018.[18]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: As of  September 25, 2018[update], Alpha has grossed $35.3 million in the United States and Canada, and $55.4 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $90.7 million, against a production budget of $51 million.[5]

text: In the United States and Canada, Alpha was released alongside Crazy Rich Asians and Mile 22, and was projected to gross $7–9 million from 2,719 theaters in its opening weekend.[19] It made $3.4 million on its first day, including $525,000 from Thursday night previews at 2,303 theaters. It went on to debut to $10.3 million, finishing fifth at the box office.[20] In its second weekend the film dropped to seventh place, making $5.6 million.[21]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 80% based on 111 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Well-acted and beautifully filmed, Alpha offers a canine-assisted epic adventure that blends rousing action with an extra helping of canine charm."[22] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[23] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[20]


document_title: Madam Secretary (TV series)

question_text: when does madame secretary come back on 2017

text: Madam Secretary (TV series)

text: Synopsis[edit]

text: Madam Secretary explores Secretary Elizabeth McCord's life as the determined United States Secretary of State. McCord drives international diplomacy, battles office politics, and circumvents protocol if needed as she negotiates worldwide issues. The show also focuses on the personal lives of the characters. McCord is also a college professor and a former CIA analyst who left the agency for ethical and personal reasons. The President values her apolitical leanings, deep knowledge of the Middle East, flair for languages, and ability to not just think outside the box, but to not even know there is a box.[4][5]

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Téa Leoni as Elizabeth "Bess" Adams McCord, the United States Secretary of State. She spent twenty years as a CIA analyst before becoming a professor of political science at the University of Virginia. She was selected by her old boss, Conrad Dalton, who is now the President of the United States, to replace Secretary of State Vincent Marsh, who died in a plane crash.
Tim Daly as Henry McCord, Elizabeth's husband of 25 years. A former Marine Captain aviator during Operation Desert Storm and theology professor, he provides a unique blend of skills that serve well as an operative of the National Security Agency in combating religious extremism. At the end of season 3, Henry is named the Head of the CIA Special Activities Division.
Bebe Neuwirth as Nadine Tolliver (seasons 1–4), Elizabeth's chief of staff who had a six-year affair with the deceased Secretary of State, Vincent Marsh, beginning when he was a senator. Originally extremely resentful of the new Secretary of State, Nadine and Elizabeth have since cultivated a strong working relationship. In season 1, Nadine slowly began to date again, romancing the Administrator of NASA, Glenn, and later falls into a relationship with the recurring political consultant Mike Barnow. Nadine leaves the state department wanting to spend more time with her family in Season 4 Episode 3.
Željko Ivanek as Russell Jackson, White House Chief of Staff.[6] His primary objective of keeping the President politically secure at home and abroad sets him up for occasional confrontation with Secretary McCord's unorthodox diplomatic manoeuvring.
Erich Bergen as Blake Moran, Elizabeth's personal assistant, and the only member of her staff that she hired rather than inherited. After Nadine leaves in season 4 he becomes Elizabeth's acting chief of staff.
Patina Miller as Daisy Grant, Elizabeth's press coordinator. Daisy dates Matt during season 1 but goes on to date other men following their breakup. In season 3 she dates "Kevin" from Budget and Planning, who turns out to be an undercover operative for the CIA investigating the State Department. He is killed in a weapons-trafficking conspiracy, but Daisy finds herself to be pregnant with his child.
Geoffrey Arend as Matt Mahoney, Elizabeth's speechwriter. Matt and Daisy dated during season 1, but ended things.
Wallis Currie-Wood as Stephanie "Stevie" McCord, Elizabeth and Henry's older daughter. Stevie attended Lovell University until dropping out. After moving back in with her parents and working for some time, she eventually returned to her education at Georgetown University and is applying to Harvard Law school. Stevie serves as an intern to Russell Jackson and was engaged to Jareth Glover. The engagement was called off.
Kathrine Herzer as Alison McCord, Elizabeth and Henry's younger daughter. Alison plans to attend Rafferty College to pursue her dreams of Fashion and Design.
Evan Roe as Jason McCord, Elizabeth and Henry's 13-year-old son, a self-proclaimed anarchist. Jason is very critical of political systems in general, however in season 1 he was expelled from his school for punching a student who insulted Elizabeth.
Keith Carradine as Conrad Dalton (recurring season 1, main seasons 2–), the President of the United States. Before going into politics, Conrad was the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency during Elizabeth's time at the CIA. In "Unity Node", he reveals that he served in the United States Marine Corps as a Second lieutenant during the Vietnam War. In the third season Dalton secures his reelection as an independent president after failing to secure his party's nomination, partly due to a controversial change in policy championed by Elizabeth McCord. He offers Elizabeth the role of Vice President during his campaign, but eventually names someone else in order to further his campaign. Elizabeth remains Secretary of State.
Sebastian Arcelus as Jay Whitman, Elizabeth's current chief of staff and previous senior policy advisor (recurring season 1–2, main season 3–). In season 3 it is revealed that Jay's busy schedule working for the Secretary has strained his marriage. He is currently separated from his wife Abby who maintains custody of their daughter Chloe. Jay gets promoted to chief of staff in season 4 ep. 4 "Shutdown".

text: Recurring[edit]

text:
Johanna Day as Ellen Hill, a retired admiral and the National Security Advisor. She was the first female Chairwoman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff prior to being appointed National Security Advisor.
Tony Plana as Ed Parker, an admiral and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Francis Jue as Ming Chen, China's Foreign Minister and Elizabeth's Chinese counterpart.
Mandy Gonzalez as Lucy Knox, President Dalton's aide.
Mike Pniewski as Gordon Becker, the United States Secretary of Defense.
Kevin Rahm as Michael "Mike B." Barnow, a political official who is said to drift between the United States Cabinet departments. It is mentioned that he is a Rhodes Scholar, who turned his brilliant legal career into a promising political career that was cut short by a scandalous divorce six years prior to his first appearance before settling into his current job. He is often seen assisting Secretary McCord.
Jason Ralph as Harrison Dalton, son of President Dalton and long-time friend of Stevie McCord. In season 1, it is revealed Harrison has a drug addiction and is color blind (seasons 1–2).
Cotter Smith as Darren Hahn (seasons 1–2), President Dalton's first known National Security Advisor.
Patrick Breen as Andrew Munsey, the Director of the CIA and a protégé of President Dalton (season 1).
Nilaja Sun as Juliet Humphrey, a former CIA analyst, friend and colleague of Elizabeth and Isabelle (season 1; guest season 3).
Usman Ally as Zahed Javani, Iran's Foreign Minister and Elizabeth's Iranian counterpart (season 1).
Dion Graham as Fred Cole, the Bureau of Diplomatic Security Head Agent who served as Elizabeth's principal bodyguard (season 1).
Josh Hamilton as Arthur Gilroy, Stevie's 39-year-old microloan employer and ex-boyfriend (season 1).
Anna Deavere Smith as Mary Campbell (season 1), the United States Attorney General.
Marin Hinkle as Isabelle Barnes, a CIA analyst and Elizabeth's close friend, who assists the McCords with the investigation of the death of Secretary of State Vincent Marsh (season 1).
Yorgo Constantine as Anton Gorev, Russia's Foreign Minister and a friend of both Secretary and Dr. McCord (seasons 1–2).
Clifton Davis as Ephraim Ware, Director of National Intelligence (season 2–).
Julian Acosta as Craig Sterling, a former US Department of Defense official, he becomes National Security Advisor in season 2 much to Elizabeth and Russell's dismay, and rival of Elizabeth's (season 2).
Alex Fernandez as Mark Delgado (season 2), the Vice President of the United States.
Angela Gots as Maria Ostrova (season 2), the President of Russia and widow of late Russian President Pavel Ostrov.
Leslie Hendrix as Louise Cronenberg (season 2), the United States Attorney General.
Jill Hennessy as Jane Fellows (season 2), Henry's DIA superior, and a member of Murphy Station; the first Ishbal Jahed task force.
Kobi Libii as Oliver Shaw (season 2; guest season 3), the Cybersecurity Coordinator. Shaw looked into the attack against Air Force One and is the love interest of Daisy Grant in the second season.
Chris Petrovski as Dmitri Petrov (seasons 2 & 4; guest season 3), a 24-year-old Russian Army captain who studied at the National War College. He was recruited by Professor Henry McCord (on behalf of the DIA) to become an American spy in exchange for getting his sick sister medical care in Stockholm, Sweden. Dmitri is captured by the Russians and eventually exchanged to the Americans for another traitor to the state. Following his capture Dmitri feels abandoned by Henry and is very angry and bitter toward him. He is placed into a witness protection program under the name Alexander (Alex) Mehranov. In season 4, he gets recruited by the CIA as an analyst.
Masha King as Talia Petrov, Dmitri's sister who was placed into witness protection with her brother and is now his roommate.
Carlos Gómez as Jose Campos (seasons 2–3), an Ishbal Jahed task force member.
J. C. MacKenzie as Sam Evans (season 3), the governor of Pennsylvania and the presidential nominee for Dalton's party. Evans is particularly vindictive during the campaign and, following Dalton's victory through a vote in the House of Representatives, threatens to have the vote overturned due to little-known law he claims Elizabeth broke. However, he is manipulated into accepting the terms of the vote after Russel Jackson threatens to expose him for having a gene that makes him likely to develop early-onset Alzheimer's.
René Auberjonois as Walter Novack (season 2–), a State Department analyst with the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation.
Christopher O'Shea as Jareth Glover, Stevie's fiance from England. He gave up a fellowship at Oxford to return to America to be with Stevie after she had trouble adjusting to life in England. His family is a member of the upper class and even nobility in England.
Justine Lupe as Ronnie Baker (season 3), a United States Army captain assigned to United States Cyber Command who assists Elizabeth on several occasions.
Eric Stoltz as Will Adams, Secretary Elizabeth McCord's younger brother and a member of Doctors Without Borders.
Jordan Lage as Kohl, a United States Army general.
Sam Breslin Wright as Dylan Larson, an ex–Army Ranger who has been working for the CIA for seven years as of the start of season 4.
Christine Garver as Molly Reid, a career CIA agent, starting her career as a field agent in Chechnya. She is pregnant and due in a couple months from the start of season 4.

text: Guest stars[edit]

text:
Yuval David appears as Matvey Sokolov (season 4), a Russian special agent.
Louis Gossett, Jr. appears as Laurent Vasseur (season 1, episode 6), a Catholic priest and an old friend of Henry's.
William Allen Young appears as Steven Cushing (season 1, episode 12), the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State.
Tom Skerritt appears as Patrick McCord (season 1, episode 13), Henry's father.
Bob Schieffer, former moderator of Face the Nation, appears as himself (season 1, episode 17).
Morgan Freeman, the show's executive producer, appears as Frawley, the Chief Justice of the United States (season 2, episode 1; season 3, episode 1; season 4, episode 1).
Madeleine Albright, the first female U.S. Secretary of State, appears as herself (season 2, episode 2).
Kate Burton appears as Maureen McCord-Ryan (season 2, episode 13), Henry's sister.
Jane Pauley appears as herself (season 2, episode 18; season 3, episode 1).
Shivam Chopra appears as Sanjay (season 1, episode 7).
Stephanie J. Block, real-life wife of Sebastian Arcelus, appears as Jay's wife, Abby (season 3, episode 13). Mirroring real life, Block had previously given birth to their daughter while Arcelus was filming season 1, episode 17, where Jay's wife also gives birth to a daughter.
Joel de la Fuente appears as Datu Andrada (season 3, episode 15), the President of the Philippines. Andrada's election is not well-received by the Dalton Administration, and Andrada's erratic behavior destabilizes a deal Elizabeth McCord has just developed in Southeast Asia when he comes to power. Elizabeth visits him to attempt to bring him back on board with the program, and he makes unwanted advances toward her. Elizabeth fears an international incident after she punches him in order to defend herself, but he does not address the incident and blames his wound on a sparring partner. Elizabeth discovers evidence of Andrada paying off several female employees after suspected assault, and uses it to regain Andrade's collaboration. She does not go forward with the story of her attack but promises Andrada that she will when the time is right.

text: Dalton Cabinet and principal advisors[edit]

text:
The Dalton Cabinet

Office
Name
Term

President
Conrad Dalton (Keith Carradine)
2013–

Vice President
Mark Delgado (Alex Fernandez)
2013–2017

Teresa Hurst (Jan Maxwell)
2017–

Secretary of State
Vincent Marsh (Brian Stokes Mitchell)
2013–2014

Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni)
2014–

Secretary of Treasury
Max Quinn (Michael Cumpsty)
2013–2014

Secretary of Defense
Gordon Becker (Mike Pniewski)
2013–

Attorney General
Mary Campbell (Anna Deavere Smith)
2013–2015

Louise Cronenberg (Leslie Hendrix)
2015–2016

Unknown (Shown in "French Revolution")
2016–2017

Nolan (John Bolton)
2017–

Chief of Staff
Russell Jackson (Željko Ivanek)
2013–

National Security Advisor
Darren Kahn (Cotter Smith)
2013–2015

Craig Sterling (Julian Acosta)
2015–2015

Ellen Hill (Johanna Day)
2016–

Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff
ADM Ellen Hill, USN (Johanna Day)
2013–2015

GEN Kelsey Reeves, US Army (Ralph Byers)
2015–

Director of National Intelligence
Ephraim Ware (Clifton Davis)
2013–

Director of the
Central Intelligence Agency
Andrew Munsey (Patrick Breen)
2013–2015

Sean Williams (Larry Pine)
2015–2015

Dennis Ellerman (John Doman)
2015–2016

Hugh Haymond (Michael Gaston)
2016–

Director of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Neil Hendricks (Wayne Duvall)
2013–2016

Keith Doherty (Michael Boatman)
2016–

tag: table

text: Other officials[edit]

text:
Office
Name
Term

Chief Justice of the United States
Frawley (Morgan Freeman)
2013–

Deputy Secretary of State
Steven Cushing (William Allen Young)
2013–

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
Susan Thompson (Tonya Pinkins)
2014–

United States Ambassador to Yemen
Paul Wellington (Tim Guinee)
2013–

United States Ambassador to Myanmar
Arlen Maxwell (David Rasche)
2013–2014

United States Ambassador to Algeria
Roy Curtis (Dakin Matthews)
2013–2016

Deputy Director of the FBI
Marguerite Sanchez (Rosyln Ruff)
2013–

Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Glenn (John Pankow)
2013–

Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board
Humphrey Nelson (Alfredo Narciso)
2013–

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
Season
Episodes
Originally aired

First aired
Last aired

1
22
September 21, 2014 (2014-09-21)
May 3, 2015 (2015-05-03)

2
23
October 4, 2015 (2015-10-04)
May 8, 2016 (2016-05-08)

3
23
October 2, 2016 (2016-10-02)
May 21, 2017 (2017-05-21)

4
TBA
October 8, 2017 (2017-10-08)
TBA

text: Broadcast[edit]

text: In Canada, the series airs on Global at the same time as the original broadcast.[7] In Finland, it premiered 1 January, 2016 on MTV3.[8] The series has been popular in Finland: 11% of Finnish people watched the first episode.[9] In Australia, it premiered on October 2, 2014 on Network Ten.[10] On October 23, 2014, it was announced that it will air on Sky Living in the United Kingdom, along with new formats to air TV3 in Ireland, and other international channels.[11] The series launched in the United Kingdom on 23 April 2015.[12] It is broadcast on Sony Channel Asia.

text: Reception[edit]

text: Ratings[edit]

text:
Season
Episodes
Timeslot (ET)
Original airing
Rank
Viewers
(in millions)

Season premiere
Season finale
TV season

1
22
Sunday 8:00 pm
September 21, 2014
May 3, 2015
2014–2015
No. 10
14.17[13]

2
23
October 4, 2015
May 8, 2016
2015–2016
No. 14
12.39[14]

3
23
Sunday 9:00 pm
October 2, 2016
May 21, 2017
2016–2017
No. 18
10.92[15]

4
TBA
Sunday 10:00 pm
October 8, 2017

2017–2018

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: Madam Secretary has been met with generally positive reviews from TV critics. On Metacritic, the show has a score of 66 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16] On Rotten Tomatoes, the show holds a rating of 66%, based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The site's consensus reads, "Bolstered by Tea Leoni's strong central performance, Madam Secretary is a solid but unspectacular political drama."[17]

text: Criticism[edit]

text: Three women have served as Secretary of State to date: Madeleine Albright from 1997 to 2001 under Bill Clinton, Condoleezza Rice from 2005 to 2009 under George W. Bush, and Hillary Clinton from 2009 to 2013 under Barack Obama. Shortly after the series' debut, Fox News asked if the show therefore served as a campaign ad supporting Hillary Clinton, but quoted the Los Angeles Times saying the lead character was "no Hillary knockoff" and a New York publicist calling the casting of a woman "simple business and smart on CBS' behalf". Conservative activist organization Culture and Media Institute, however, said the connection was clear, citing the women's blond hair and pantsuits.[18]

text: When the trailer of the fifteenth episode of Season 3 (Break in Diplomacy) was released showing McCord punching fictional Philippine president Datu Andrada to the face as a response to the latter making sexual advancements to the protagonist, it became controversial in the Philippines due to what was seen as Andrada having parallelism with real-life President Rodrigo Duterte who was known for making inappropriate and sexist remarks. [19] The Philippine Embassy in Washington even published a statement protesting the negative depiction on its Facebook page.[20]

text: The first episode of the fourth season News Cycle led to a hard protest from East Timor's Minister of State and Nobel Peace Prize laureate José Ramos-Horta. "It's a slander against a country that only shows ignorance and racism," he explained. The TV show used the border dispute between Australia and East Timor in the Timor Sea (The dispute is transferred in the TV show to the South China Sea, although neither Australia nor East Timor is bordering to it) as background story. East Timor is shown as a country controlled by a Mexican drug cartel and used for drug transfer. US Secretary of State McCord is asking China to take measures to prevent the leader of the drug cartel from making a narco-state out of East Timor.[21]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
Year
Association
Category
Nominee(s)
Result

2014
TV Guide Award
Favorite New Show
Madam Secretary
Nominated

2015
American Cinema Editors Awards 2015[22]
Best Edited One-Hour Series for Commercial Television
Elena Maganini and Michael D. Ornstein
Nominated

41st People's Choice Awards[23]
Favorite Actress in a New TV Series
Téa Leoni
Nominated

Favorite New TV Drama
Madam Secretary
Nominated

Publicists Guild of America
The Maxwell Weinberg Publicists Showmanship Television Award
CBS Television Studio/Madam Secretary
Nominated

2015
Humanitas Prize
60 Minute Network or Syndicated Television
Madam Secretary
Nominated

2016
CBS MVP Awards[24]
Best Motivational Speech
Téa Leoni
Nominated

2016
Humanitas Prize
60 Minute Network of Syndicated Television
Madam Secretary
Nominated


document_title: Geography of Georgia (country)

question_text: the continent that georgia is a part of

question_tokens: the continent that georgia is a part of

text: Geography of Georgia (country)

text: Location[edit]

text: Georgia is located in the mountainous South Caucasus region of Eurasia, straddling Western Asia and Eastern Europe[2] between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.  Georgia's northern border with Russia roughly runs along the crest of the Greater Caucasus mountain range – a commonly reckoned boundary between Europe and Asia.  In Philip Johan von Strahlenberg's 1730 definition of Europe, which was used by the Russian Tsars and which first set the Urals as the eastern border of the continent, the continental border was drawn from the Kuma-Manych Depression to the Caspian Sea, thereby including all of Georgia (and the whole of the Caucasus) in Asia.

text:
Georgia's proximity to the bulk of Europe, combined with various cultural and political factors, has led increasingly to the inclusion of Georgia in Europe.  Some sources place the country in that region;[2] as well, Georgia has joined European organizations such as the Council of Europe, and is seeking membership in NATO and accession to the European Union.
Georgia is on the same parallel as Naples, Madrid, Istanbul, New York, Chicago, London, Toronto (Canada), Omaha (USA), Eureka (USA), Odate (Japan), Shenyang (China) and Tirana.

text: Topography[edit]

text: Despite its small area, Georgia has one of the most varied topographies of the former Soviet republics. Georgia lies mostly in the Caucasus Mountains, and its northern boundary is partly defined by the Greater Caucasus range. The Lesser Caucasus range, which runs parallel to the Turkish and Armenian borders, and the Surami and Imereti ranges, which connect the Greater Caucasus and the Lesser Caucasus, create natural barriers that are partly responsible for cultural and linguistic differences among regions. Because of their elevation and a poorly developed transportation infrastructure, many mountain villages are virtually isolated from the outside world during the winter. Earthquakes and landslides in mountainous areas present a significant threat to life and property. Among the most recent natural disasters were massive rock- and mudslides in Ajaria in 1989 that displaced thousands in southwestern Georgia, and two earthquakes in 1991 that destroyed several villages in northcentral Georgia and South Ossetia.

text: Georgia has about 25,000 rivers, many of which power small hydroelectric stations. Drainage is into the Black Sea to the west and through Azerbaijan to the Caspian Sea to the east. The largest river is the Kura River, which flows 1,364 km from northeast Turkey across the plains of eastern Georgia, through the capital, Tbilisi, and into the Caspian Sea. The Rioni River, the largest river in western Georgia, rises in the Greater Caucasus and empties into the Black Sea at the port of Poti. Soviet engineers turned the river lowlands along the Black Sea coast into prime subtropical agricultural land, embanked and straightened many stretches of river, and built an extensive system of canals. Deep mountain gorges form topographical belts within the Greater Caucasus.

text: Coastline[edit]

text: The coastline of Georgia is 310 km long. Out of the Georgian coastline, 57 km is the coastline of Ajaria (Ajara),[3] and 200 km is the coastline of Abkhazia.[4] The Encyclopedia of the Nations lists the total length of the coastline as 315 km long.[5]

text: Climate[edit]

text: Georgia's climate is affected by subtropical influences from the west and continental influences from the east. The Greater Caucasus range moderates local climate by serving as a barrier against cold air from the north. Warm, moist air from the Black Sea moves easily into the coastal lowlands from the west. Climatic zones are determined by distance from the Black Sea and by altitude. Along the Black Sea coast, from Abkhazia to the Turkish border, and in the region known as the Kolkhida Lowlands inland from the coast, the dominant subtropical climate features high humidity and heavy precipitation (1,000 to 2,000 mm or 39.4 to 78.7 in per year; the Black Sea port of Batumi receives 2,500 mm or 98.4 in per year). Several varieties of palm trees grow in these regions, where the midwinter average temperature is 5 °C (41 °F) and the midsummer average is 22 °C (71.6 °F).

text: The plains of eastern Georgia are shielded from the influence of the Black Sea by mountains that provide a more continental climate. Summer temperatures average 20 °C (68 °F) to 24 °C (75.2 °F), winter temperatures 2 °C (35.6 °F) to 4 °C (39.2 °F). Humidity is lower, and rainfall averages 500 to 800 mm (19.7 to 31.5 in) per year. Alpine and highland regions in the east and west, as well as a semi-arid region on the Iori Plateau to the southeast, have distinct microclimates.

text: At higher elevations, precipitation is sometimes twice as heavy as in the eastern plains. In the west, the climate is subtropical to about 650 m (2,133 ft); above that altitude (and to the north and east) is a band of moist and moderately warm weather, then a band of cool and wet conditions. Alpine conditions begin at about 2,100 m (6,890 ft), and above 3,600 m (11,811 ft) snow and ice are present year-round.

text: Environmental issues[edit]

text: Beginning in the 1980s, Black Sea pollution has greatly harmed Georgia's tourist industry. Inadequate sewage treatment is the main cause of that condition. In Batumi, for example, only 18 percent of wastewater is treated before release into the sea.[when?] An estimated 70 percent of surface water contains health-endangering bacteria to which Georgia's high rate of intestinal disease is attributed.

text: The war in Abkhazia did substantial damage to the ecological habitats unique to that region. In other respects, experts considered Georgia's environmental problems less serious than those of more industrialized former Soviet republics. Solving Georgia's environmental problems was not a high priority of the national government in the post-Soviet years, however; in 1993 the minister for protection of the environment resigned to protest this inactivity. In January 1994, the Cabinet of Ministers announced a new, interdepartmental environmental monitoring system to centralize separate programs under the direction of the Ministry of Protection of the Environment. The system would include a central environmental and information and research agency. The Green Party used its small contingent in the parliament to press environmental issues in 1993.

text: Georgia participates in a number of international environmental agreements. It is a party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, and Wetlands.


document_title: List of longest-running scripted U.S. primetime television series

question_text: longest-running scripted primetime tv series in the us

text: This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: This is a list of the longest-running scripted prime time television series in the United States. Only shows that have aired on a major broadcast network for seven or more seasons are included. Those that moved to a cable network or syndication are noted below.

text: Series shaded in blue are currently in production.

text:
Number of
seasons
Series
Network
First air date
Last air date
Number of
episodes

29
The Simpsons
FOX
1989-12-17
Present
618

21
South Park
Comedy Central
1997-08-13
Present
278

20
Gunsmoke
CBS
1955-09-10
1975-03-31
635

20
Law & Order
NBC
1990-09-13
2010-05-24
456

19
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
NBC
1999-09-20
Present
410

17[1]
Lassie
CBS
1954-09-12
1971-03-21
547

16
Family Guy
FOX
1999-01-31
Present
289[2]

15
NCIS
CBS
2003-09-23
Present
330

15[3]
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CBS
2000-10-06
2015-02-15[3]
335[3]

15
ER
NBC
1994-09-19
2009-04-02
331

15
The Jack Benny Program
CBS (1950–1964)
NBC (1964–1965)
1950-10-28[4]
1965-04-16
260

14
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
ABC
1952-10-03
1966-04-23
435

14
Bonanza
NBC
1959-09-12
1973-01-16
431

14
Armstrong Circle Theatre
NBC (1950–1957)
CBS (1957–1963)
1950-06-06
1963-06-05
370

14
Dallas
CBS
1978-04-02
1991-05-03
357

14
Knots Landing
CBS
1979-12-27
1993-05-13
344

14
Grey's Anatomy
ABC
2005-03-27
Present
293

14
American Dad!
FOX (2005–2014)
TBS (2014–)[5]
2005-02-06
Present
234

13
Criminal Minds
CBS
2005-09-22
Present
277

13
King of the Hill
FOX
1997-01-12
2009-09-13
259[6]

13
Supernatural
WB (2005–2006)
CW (2006–)
2005-09-13
Present
264

12
My Three Sons
ABC (1960–1965)
CBS (1965–1972)
1960-09-29
1972-04-13
380

12
Hawaii Five-O
CBS
1968-09-26
1980-04-26
279

12
Murder, She Wrote
CBS
1984-09-01
1996-05-07
264

12
Two and a Half Men
CBS
2003-09-22
2015-02-19
262

12
NYPD Blue
ABC
1993-09-21
2005-03-01
261

12
Bones
FOX
2005-09-13
2017-03-28
246

11
The Big Bang Theory
CBS
2007-09-24
Present
231

11
Kraft Television Theatre
NBC
1947-05-07
1958-10-01
525

11
The Danny Thomas Show[7]
ABC (1953–1957)
CBS (1957–1964)
1953-09-29
1964-04-27
343

11
Cheers
NBC
1982-09-30
1993-05-20
275

11
Frasier
NBC
1993-09-16
2004-05-13
264

11
Married... with Children
FOX
1987-04-05
1997-06-09[8]
258[8]

11
M*A*S*H
CBS
1972-09-17
1983-02-28
256

11
The Jeffersons
CBS
1975-01-18
1985-06-25
253

11
7th Heaven
WB (1996–2006)
CW (2006–2007)
1996-08-26
2007-05-13
243

11
Happy Days
ABC
1974-01-15
1984-09-24
255

10
General Electric Theater
NBC
1953-02-01
1962-06-03
302

10
Beverly Hills, 90210
FOX
1990-10-04
2000-05-17
293

10
The United States Steel Hour
ABC (1953–1955)
CBS (1955–1963)
1953-10-27
1963-06-12
253

10
Murphy Brown
CBS
1988-11-14
1998-05-18
247

10
Friends
NBC
1994-09-22
2004-05-06
236

10
CSI: Miami
CBS
2002-09-23
2012-04-08
232

10
JAG
NBC (1995–1996)
CBS (1997–2005)
1995-09-01
2005-04-29
226[9]

10[10]
The X-Files
FOX
1993-09-10
Present
208

10
Smallville
WB (2001–2006)
CW (2006–2011)
2001-10-16
2011-05-13
218

10
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
NBC (2001–2007)
USA (2007–2011)
2001-09-30
2011-06-26
195

09
NCIS: Los Angeles
CBS
2009-09-22
Present
192

09
The Middle
ABC
2009-09-30
Present
191

09
Modern Family
ABC
2009-09-23
Present
188

09
The Beverly Hillbillies
CBS
1962-09-26
1971-03-23
274

09
Perry Mason
CBS
1957-09-21
1966-05-22
271

09
The Virginian[11]
NBC
1962-09-19
1971-03-24
249

09
The Love Boat
ABC
1977-09-24[12]
1986-05-24
244

09
The F.B.I.
ABC
1965-09-19
1974-04-28
240

09
The Drew Carey Show
ABC
1995-09-13
2004-09-08
233

09
Falcon Crest
CBS
1981-12-04
1990-05-17
227

09
Roseanne
ABC
1988-10-18
1997-05-20
222

09
Dynasty
ABC
1981-01-12
1989-05-11
220

09
Family Matters
ABC (1989–1997)
CBS (1997–1998)
1989-09-22
1998-07-17
220

09
Touched by an Angel
CBS
1994-09-21
2003-04-27
211

09
The Waltons
CBS
1972-09-14
1981-06-04
210

09
Everybody Loves Raymond
CBS
1996-09-13
2005-05-16
210

09
One Day at a Time
CBS
1975-12-16
1984-05-28
209

09
How I Met Your Mother
CBS
2005-09-19
2014-03-31
208

09
The King of Queens
CBS
1998-09-21
2007-05-14
207

09
All in the Family
CBS
1971-01-12
1981-05-21
216

09
Little House on the Prairie[13]
NBC
1974-09-11
1983-03-21
204

09
Alice
CBS
1976-08-31
1985-03-19
202

09
The Facts of Life
NBC
1979-08-24
1988-05-07
201

09
The Office
NBC
2005-03-24
2013-05-16
201

09
Coach
ABC
1989-02-28
1997-05-14
197

09
CSI: NY
CBS
2004-09-22
2013-02-22
197

09
Matlock
NBC (1986–1992)
ABC (1992–1995)
1986-09-23
1995-05-07
195

09
Night Court
NBC
1984-01-04
1992-05-31
222

09
One Tree Hill
WB (2003–2006)
CW (2006–2012)
2003-09-23
2012-04-04
187

09
Scrubs
NBC (2001–2008)
ABC (2009–2010)
2001-10-02
2010-03-17
182

09
Seinfeld
NBC
1988-09-05
1998-05-14
219

08 [14]
Will & Grace
NBC
1998-09-21
2006-05-18
206 [14]

08
Bob's Burgers
FOX
2011-01-09
Present
129

08
Blue Bloods
CBS
2010-09-24
Present
155

08
Hawaii Five-0
CBS
2010-09-20
Present
168

08
The Vampire Diaries
CW
2009-09-10
2017-03-10
171

08
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
CBS
1951-10-05
1959-03-27
347

08[15]
The Big Story
NBC[15]
1949-09-16
1957-06-28[15]
310[15]

08
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
CBS
1950-10-12
1958-09-15
291

08
Wagon Train
NBC (1957–1962)
ABC (1962–1965)
1957-09-18
1965-05-02
284

08
Robert Montgomery Presents
NBC
1950-01-30
1957-06-24
276

08
Dragnet
NBC
1951-12-16
1959-08-23
276

08
The Donna Reed Show
ABC
1958-09-24
1966-03-19
275

08[16]
Mama
CBS
1949-07-01
1956-07-27[16]
261[16]

08
Bewitched
ABC
1964-09-17
1972-03-25
254

08
The Andy Griffith Show
CBS
1960-10-03
1968-04-01
249

08
Ford Theatre
CBS (1948–1951)
NBC (1952–1956)
ABC (1956–1957)
1948-10-17
1957-06-26
245

08
Rawhide
CBS
1959-01-09
1965-12-07
217

08
Home Improvement
ABC
1991-09-17
1999-05-25
224

08
The Cosby Show
NBC
1984-09-20
1992-04-30
225

08
Walker, Texas Ranger
CBS
1993-04-21
2001-05-19
201

08
That '70s Show
FOX
1998-08-23
2006-05-18
200

08
Ironside
NBC
1967-09-14[17]
1975-01-16[18]
196[18]

08
Who's the Boss?
ABC
1984-09-20
1992-04-25
225

08
Mannix
CBS
1967-09-16
1975-04-13
194

08
Full House
ABC
1987-09-22
1995-05-23
214

08[19]
24
FOX
2001-11-06
2010-05-24[19]
192[19]

08
Diff'rent Strokes
NBC (1978–1985)
ABC (1985–1986)
1978-11-03
1986-05-07
222

08
According to Jim
ABC
2001-10-03
2009-06-02
182

08
Desperate Housewives
ABC
2004-10-03
2012-05-13
180

08
Barnaby Jones
CBS
1973-01-28
1980-04-03
178

08
Laverne & Shirley
ABC
1976-01-27
1983-05-10
216

08
Diagnosis: Murder
CBS
1993-10-29
2001-05-11
178

08
The Practice
ABC
1997-03-04
2004-05-16
178

08
Charmed
WB
1998-10-07
2006-05-21
178

08
House
FOX
2004-11-16
2012-05-21
177

08
Castle
ABC
2009-03-09
2016-05-16
173

08
Three's Company
ABC
1977-03-15
1984-09-18
172

08
Wings
NBC
1990-04-19
1997-05-21
172

08
Girlfriends
UPN (2000–2006)
CW (2006–2008)
2000-09-11
2008-02-11
172

08
L.A. Law
NBC
1986-10-03[20]
1994-05-19
171

08
Barney Miller
ABC
1975-01-23
1982-05-20
168

08
The Loretta Young Show
NBC
1953-09-02
1961-06-04
165

08
Magnum, P.I.
CBS
1980-12-11
1988-05-08
162

08
Simon & Simon
CBS
1981-11-24
1989-01-21
219

08
Perfect Strangers
ABC
1986-03-25
1993-08-06
150

08
Quincy, M.E.
NBC
1976-10-03
1983-09-04
148

07
Lux Video Theatre
CBS (1950–1954)
NBC (1954–1957)
1950-10-02
1957-09-12
336

07
Captain Video and His Video Rangers
DuMont
1949-06-27
1955-04-01
273

07
Fireside Theater
NBC
1949-04-05
1958-05-22
268

07[21]
Alfred Hitchcock Presents[21]
CBS (1955–1960)
NBC (1960–1962)
1955-10-02
1962-06-26[21]
267[21]

07
The Philco Television Playhouse
NBC
1948-10-03
1955-10-02
251

07
Melrose Place
FOX
1992-07-08
1999-05-24
226

07
Petticoat Junction
CBS
1963-09-24
1970-04-04
222

07
The Golden Girls
NBC
1985-09-14
1992-05-21
225

07
Family Ties
NBC
1982-09-22
1989-05-14
176

07
Adam-12
NBC
1968-09-21
1975-05-20
174

07
Star Trek: The Next Generation
CBS (Paramount)
1987-01-01
1994-12-31
176

07
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
UPN
1993-01-03
1999-06-02
176

07
Star Trek: Voyager
UPN
1995-01-16
2001-05-23
172

07
Mission: Impossible
CBS
1966-09-17
1973-03-30
171

07
Medical Center
CBS
1969-09-24[22]
1976-09-06
171

07
Empty Nest
NBC
1988-10-08
1995-04-29
170

07
Marcus Welby, M.D.
ABC
1969-09-23[23]
1976-05-04
169

07
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
CBS
1970-09-19
1977-03-19
168

07
Growing Pains
ABC
1985-09-24
1992-04-25
166

07
Mad About You
NBC
1992-09-23
1999-05-24
164

07
Designing Women
CBS
1986-09-29
1993-05-24
163

07
Once Upon a Time
ABC
2011-10-23
Present
133

07
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
ABC (1996–2000)
WB (2000–2003)
1996-09-27
2003-04-24
163

07
Step by Step
ABC (1991–1997)
CBS (1997–1998)
1991-09-20
1998-06-26
215

07
Without a Trace
CBS
2002-09-26
2009-05-19
160

07
Benson
ABC
1979-09-13
1986-04-19
158

07
Boy Meets World
ABC
1993-09-24
2000-05-05
180

07
The West Wing
NBC
1999-09-22
2006-05-14
156

07
Cold Case
CBS
2003-09-28
2010-05-02
156

07
The Good Wife
CBS
2009-09-22
2016-05-08
156

07
Hunter
NBC
1984-09-18
1991-04-26
153

07
Gilmore Girls
WB (2000–2006)
CW (2006–2007)
2000-10-05
2007-05-15
153

07
Fantasy Island
ABC
1978-01-28[24]
1984-05-19
152

07
Trapper John, M.D.
CBS
1979-09-23
1986-09-04
151

07
Malcolm in the Middle
FOX
2000-01-09
2006-05-14
151

07
The Mentalist
CBS
2008-09-23
2015-02-18
151

07
Just Shoot Me!
NBC
1997-03-04
2003-08-16
148

07
The Dukes of Hazzard
CBS
1979-01-26
1985-02-08
146

07
Hill Street Blues
NBC
1981-01-15
1987-05-12
146

07
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
WB (1997–2001)
UPN (2001–2003)
1997-03-10
2003-05-20
144

07
In the Heat of the Night
NBC (1988–1992)
CBS (1992–1994)
1988-03-06
1994-05-11
142

07
Futurama
FOX (1999–2003)
Comedy Central (2008–2013)
1999-03-28
2013-09-04
140

07
MacGyver
ABC
1985-09-29
1992-05-21
139

07
30 Rock
NBC
2006-10-11
2013-01-31
138

07
Medium
NBC (2005–2009)
CBS (2009–2011)
2005-01-03
2011-01-21
130

07
Cagney & Lacey
CBS
1982-03-25[25]
1988-05-16
125

07
Parks and Recreation
NBC
2009-04-09
2015-02-24
125

07
Homicide: Life on the Street
NBC
1993-01-31
1999-05-21
122

07
Cheyenne
ABC
1955-09-20[26]
1962-12-17
108

07
Rules of Engagement
CBS
2007-02-05
2013-05-20
100