Shit My Dad Says is a Twitter feed started by Justin Halpern, who, at the time, was a semi-employed comedy writer.[1] It consists of quotations made by Halpern's father, Sam, regarding various subjects.[2] Halpern started the account on August 3, 2009, soon after moving from Los Angeles back to his parents' house in San Diego. He intended it only as a storage site for his father's salty comments, but a friend posted a link to it. Comedian Rob Corddry then tweeted the link, and that really "jump-started it" according to Halpern.[3] In less than a month, the page was mentioned by The Daily Show, a popular San Francisco blog called Laughing Squid, and actress Kristen Bell.[4] As of February 2024[update], the feed has 2.1 million followers. The account has largely been inactive since 2014, with only two tweets since then and none after 2017.
Adaptations
editBook
editIn September 2009, Halpern found an agent and started sifting through book deals.[4] He signed an agreement with HarperCollins in October 2009.[2] The book based on the feed, titled Sh*t My Dad Says, was co-written with Halpern's longtime writing partner Patrick Schumacker,[5] and was released on May 4, 2010.[6] During its first week, the book reached #8 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover nonfiction.[1][7] For six weeks after its release, the book was #1 on the bestseller list.[8]
Television series
editIn November 2009, CBS announced that it was developing a television sitcom based on the Twitter feed, which would star William Shatner.[2][9] The series, officially titled $#*! My Dad Says (spoken as Bleep My Dad Says), was green-lighted by CBS in May 2010 and began airing on CBS on Thursday nights.[10]
On May 15, 2011, CBS announced that it had canceled $#*! My Dad Says,[11] despite winning the People's Choice Award for Best New Comedy.
References
edit- ^ a b Schuessler, Jennifer (2010-05-13). "Inside the List". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ a b c Hart, Hugh (2009-11-10). "Shit My Dad Says: Twitter Got Me a Sitcom Deal". Wired News. Condé Nast Digital. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
- ^ Webley, Kayla (May 21, 2010). "Justin Halpern, Author of Sh*t My Dad Says". Time. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
- ^ a b Milian, Mark (September 2, 2009). "When Moving In with Your Parents Can Land You a Book Deal". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
- ^ Riemer, Emily (November 12, 2009). ""Shit My Dad Says" Creator Justin Halpern Talks Book Deal, TV Show". Paste. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
- ^ Halpern, Justin (4 May 2010). Sh*t My Dad Says – Hardcover. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0061992704.
- ^ "Best Sellers: Hardcover Nonfiction". New York Times. May 13, 2010. Archived from the original on May 19, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
- ^ "Best Sellers: Hardcover Nonfiction". New York Times. June 11, 2010. Archived from the original on June 17, 2010. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ "Twitter To TV: 'Shit My Dad Says' User Gets CBS Comedy Deal (PHOTOS, NSFW)". The Huffington Post. November 10, 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
- ^ "CBS Announces 2010–2011 Primetime Schedule". The Futon Critic. May 19, 2010. Retrieved May 19, 2010.
- ^ TV by the Numbers