Okay, this writer’s contact information is at the end of the article if you want to complain or give him a list of George Michael’s hits: Dave on Demand: George Michael visions

The show certainly represents an image upgrade for George Michael. The last time we saw him in prime time, in the series finale of Extras on HBO, he was playing himself, cruising a park in London for anonymous gay sex.

In Eli Stone he gets to play his old pop-star self. But I can’t help but wonder: If they use one of Michael’s songs each week, won’t they run out of hits pretty fast? By next month, I’m afraid there will be episodes of Eli Stone set to claptrap like “The Strangest Thing” and “Flawless (Go to the City).”

Not even the streets of San Francisco can redeem that.

“Eli Stone” kept most of the “Lost” audience, according to Nielsen Ratings.  It’s interesting that in the following article, George Michael is being credited as being a draw for “Eli Stone.”

Nielsen Ratings – Jan 31, 2008: ABC Gets LOST

More surprising to me was the performance of the premiere of ABC’s Eli Stone following the Lost premiere.  The results for the first half hour will likely change some as Lost technically ran past 10pm, but Eli averaged ~12.5 million for the first half hour and 10.75 million in the second half hour.  This is not dramatically great performance, but given the George Michael tie-in, many more gave it a chance than I would’ve thought. 

E! Online has a new poll for Eli Stone.  You can Save It or Sink It: Eli Stone.

 At this moment, here are the results:

• 67.3% Save it
• 9.3% Sink it
• 23.4% Haven’t seen it yet

Yes, we all know George Michael is irreplaceable.  And I still want him in MY living room (aka the office of Yours Only George)!  From: On the Futon With … Eli Stone Co-creator

Brian Ford Sullivan: Let’s start with the question on everyone’s minds – why George Michael?

Marc Guggenheim: [Laughs.] Oh God. You know, let me explain, I’ll answer the question by explaining what life was like without George Michael. Because we wrote the show with George Michael in mind. And we wrote it basically like, we picked George because of a lot of different reasons I’ll get to – but we picked him sort of knowing that he probably wouldn’t do it… wouldn’t do it in a million years. So we wrote George Michael, we got word back from his agents saying that he wasn’t interested. So then we went about the part of trying to find a replacement. And through the process of finding a replacement, we learned – or rather, really saw – it was impossible to replace him. Because no one had the right mix of ’80s icon, but not overexposed today… fun, the right song, the right name, there were like all these elicit elements that worked perfectly with George. [There were] like five elements, another artist would satisfy maybe three out of the five. George was just perfect from day one. And I don’t think we realized how perfect he was until we tried to replace him. Luckily, a different agent of his learned about the script and said, “You know, I think this is something that George would like to do.” And he went to George – and George is a big television fan, a total TV-ofile. Even when he’s in England he downloads everything off of iTunes and watches a lot of American television. And he really responded to it – as a show, as something he wanted to do – so we really got lucky because I think I did four of five drafts for different artists and they were never as good as the original one we had for George.

BFS: And he comes back beyond the pilot?

MG: Yup. We bring him [back] in episodes seven, nine and 13. And in episode nine actually he appears, not as a vision, but actually as his flesh and blood self, and wants Eli to represent him in a legal case.

There are many reviews of “Eli Stone” online today, most of which just in passing mention George Michael.  I’ve selected a few that go into more detail (good and bad.)

‘Eli Stone’: Spiritually, law and a few laughs

The show has whimsical touches. Michael appears as himself in four episodes as part of Eli’s visions and, in one, as a client.

‘Eli’ is great

Eli Stone (Jonny Lee Miller) is a tough, successful lawyer who starts having hallucinations. Who wouldn’t be unsettled if George Michael was suddenly singing “Faith” in their living room?

‘Eli Stone’ needs some tuning

Eli’s first vision – ominously, for all – is George Michael singing “Faith.”

‘Eli Stone’ goes for quirky, ‘Ally McBeal’ style, but after a while, kooky can start to get irritating

If Ally (McBeal) had her dancing baby, Eli has his George Michael.

Yes, that George Michael.

Don’t even ask why Thursday’s pilot essentially revolves around Michael singing “Faith” in the main character’s living room or why the two episodes ABC sent along with it are called “Freedom” and “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go.” Berlanti, who created “Everwood” and is also an executive producer on ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters,” apparently has a soft spot for the former Wham! frontman, solo artist and troubled celebrity. He’s also, judging from the ABC schedule, insanely creative and overworked.

Eli Stone: Jonny Lee Miller Takes a Leap of Faith

“I used to be able to fill places like this!” shouts George Michael as he looks out at the middling crowd inside the Wil­tern Theatre in Los Angeles. In fact, there’s not a single paying customer in the house: The people here are extras, crew members on the new ABC series Eli Stone and connected folks who’ve wrangled an invite. (Yep, that’s Bo Derek sitting in a chair by the railing.)

But this afternoon’s shoot, one of several appearances Michael will make during the season, centers less on the singer on stage than the guy in a dark suit who sits at a table watching him. Eli Stone, played by British actor Jonny Lee Miller, is an ethically challenged San Francisco lawyer who’s told he has a brain aneurysm and suddenly begins to have visions, many involving the pop idol known for a string of No. 1 hits in the ’80s and an infamous scandal a decade later.

 ‘Eli Stone’ explores new life inside his head

There are two explanations for everything, Chen tells Eli, “the scientific and the divine.” But as is usual in our sentimental world, the divine is given the edge here. Chen’s pidgin injunction to “Make peace George Michael,” for instance, later turns up in a wall of alphabet blocks that a client’s autistic son is building. And the client, who has convinced Eli to take her case — a lawsuit against a vaccine manufacturer represented by his own company — also happens to be the woman to whom he lost his virginity, while a George Michael tape played in the background. Everything is connected.

Victor Garber, who plays Eli’s boss, Jordan Wethersby, on “Eli Stone” said the following in ‘Eli Stone’: A Supernatural Comedic Legal Drama?

Garber has seen his share of legal roles, including Fox casualty Justice. “I didn’t need to play another lawyer,” he says. But, for an actor with a Broadway background, “a lawyer who bursts out into song? A George Michael song? That’s up my alley.”

Eli Stone: The Complete First Season is available on Amazon.com

Eli Stone is the story of a lawyer who suddenly starts have hallucinations … of George Michael. It starts out with George Michael singing “Faith” on his coffee table. What’s so fun about the first season of this television show is that George Michael makes multiple appearances. All of the show titles are George Michael or Wham! songs, and many of the musical numbers are also George Michael songs.

Make sure to follow Yours Only George on Facebook and X, and join our mailing list for the latest news on George Michael.

The initial page on the official George Michael web site is promoting George Michael’s performance on “Eli Stone” with a photo from the show.

Natasha Henstridge talks about George Michael in Natasha Henstridge puts ‘Species’ behind her as she debuts two new TV roles:

Henstridge said Michael was affable on set and even joked around after suffering an embarrassing fall.

“He took a little trip once on the stage,” said Henstridge, who has a cottage in Triton, N.L.

“There was a stage built for one of the scenes and he had a little trip. Everybody else around him … made such a big deal about him being there and yet he was the most humble of them all which is really funny. We had a good time.”

The Access Hollywood web site has an interview of George Michael on his part in “Eli Stone.”

George Michael cast in “Eli Stone” says to tune into the television program “Extra” today.  It also quotes George Michael as saying:

“I said yes the minute I heard. They said they wanted to name each episode after a song of mine. It’s all flattering to the ego, isn’t it?”

Admitting he wasn’t the show’s first choice, Michael says, “Apparently, the studio didn’t think I’d say yes. They wrote it again for, I think, Phil Collins.”

Not only does Michael belt out his tunes, his co-stars sing his songs as well. “I think Loretta Devine sings One More Try… Victor Garber gets to sing some of them which he says is very nerve wracking,” Michael says.

ABC.com now has a 7-minute clip of the pilot for Eli Stone, which includes the clip of George Michael singing “Faith” in Eli Stone’s living room.  It is available under full episodes.

Also, there is one photo of George Michael in the photos section for Jonny Lee Miller.

Okay, everyone!  Let’s show ABC that we love George Michael on Eli Stone by nominating the Yours Only George news blog as your favorite Eli Stone fan site! From the ABC site:

What’s your favorite Eli Stone fan site?   Nominate your favorite Eli Stone fan site and share the love!   We’ll feature the top fan sites in an upcoming feature on ABC.com.

You can vote for Yours Only George (https://www.yogworld.com/blog/category/eli-stone/) on the ABC site:

http://abc.go.com/primetime/elistone/index?pn=mb&cat=76380&tid=189500

Let’s show ABC that we want to continue to see George Michael on Eli Stone!