Easy to Assemble
Easy to Assemble is a Webseries created by and starring Illeana Douglas, and sponsored by furniture store IKEA. Douglas plays a fictional version of herself trying to quit acting and work a "real job" at the IKEA in Burbank, CA. She soon finds she cannot leave Hollywood behind when fellow actress Justine Bateman starts an internet talk show called "40 and Bitter" on the floor of IKEA. The series has had several notable guest stars, including Jeff Goldblum, Keanu Reeves, Jane Lynch, Justine Bateman, Tim Meadows, Cheri Oteri, Tom Arnold, Ed Begley, Jr., Kevin Pollak, Fred Willard, Daryl Sabara, Ricki Lake, David Henrie, Patricia Heaton, and Eric Lange.
Returning from Sweden, and determined to get past the her breakup with Paul, Illeana prepares for her first day back at work. She is bursting with optimism and can't wait to begin her newest project: replacing Justine Bateman as host of IKEA's in-house talk show. Skeptical neighbor (Laraine Newman) is not at all impressed. As she rides her bike to work, Illeana gets an inspirational pep-talk from her ghost/mentor S. Erland Hussen (Ed Begley, Jr.). Little does Illeana know that a new corporate manager named Grover, sent from IKEA HQ, is determined to stop her new show.
Illeana's first day back to work is turned upside down when she finds out she's going to have to work with a "professional" producer to help run her new talk show, now called, "This Side Up." As Manager Erik (Eric Lange) prepares for his forced paternity leave he hires "professional" producer Howard Friske to help out Illeana. Illeana meets the enthusiastic Manager Marcus (Wayne Federman), a show-biz trivia buff who was recently transferred from the Carson store. Marcus loves the "sparkle" in Burbank and is thrilled to meet Illeana. Marcus volunteers to help run the IKEA'S GOT TALENT show.
Illeana's new talk show seems doomed after meeting her new producer, Howard Friske (Roger Bart). The two have nothing in common except an instant dislike for each other. Howard tries to convince Illeana that working together could be a great opportunity. He pleads for a chance to prove his worth. Illeana is shocked to learn of Manager Grover's scathing secret report entitled, "The Effects of Illeana Douglas on IKEA." Grover cannot understand how in-store romances, talk-shows, and Tom Arnold videos will help sell IKEA furniture. He remains determined to shut down Illeana's dreams.
A broken-hearted Illeana, still wounded from her breakup with Paul, learns that she and her "producer" Howard Friske have more in common than either would care to admit. Grover reveals some devastating background information about Howard Friske's past. But the embarrassing disclosures have the opposite effect on Manager Marcus when he realizes that Howard produced his favorite failed reality rodeo show. Faced with replacing her house band Illeana reaches out to the Rascal Flatts... and gets a surprising answer.
Desperate to keep this job, Howard Friske pleads with Illeana to trust him. She relents and the two begin to build a fragile working relationship... and maybe a touch of romance. Howard's first idea is to bring in two IKEA copywriters- Yolanda (Kate Micucci) and Kianoosh (Paiman Kalayeh) to punch up her jokes for "This Side Up". Illeana is not sure how writing unforgettable furniture gags for the IKEA catalogue will help her show.... but she has no choice.
Manager Erik, on forced paternity leave, writes a very popular Daddy Blog. He gets so distracted by his new internet success that he may have forgotten to do something very important with the baby. Howard and Illeana struggle to find the right tone for "this Side Up." One of the writers Kianoosh, the self proclaimed "Persian Don Draper," is not sure he has the skills to update Illeana's stuck-in-the-90's image.
Howard and Illeana are going to have to pull an all-nighter to complete the "This Side Up" monologue forcing a showdown between Lance and Illeana. Illeana must choose between her friendship with Lance over her future relationship with Howard. Grover keeps a more than watchful eye over Illeana and Howard as they work into the night, and a fateful phone call from Sweden and a ghost named Erland may play a role in Illeana's fate. Lance oversees IKEA game night for the missing Illeana and Lance's pretty sister Reece catches the eye of Manager Grover.
Illeana gets the "Friske Touch". An unlikely partnership between Howard and Illeana is forged that could be romantic but Howard's past may be keeping him from the true love he doesn't feel he deserves. Illeana is cut from the same cloth as Howard and her own fear of commitment stands in her way Over an unconventional but romantic dinner they share their stories and their bond deepens. These two have never been good at "co-anything" and they know it, but that never stood in their way before. The clock ticks into the wee hours of the night as Howard and Illeana realize the show may be finished but they are just getting started
Illeana begins to see a real future with Howard , both in work and in love may be possible. Judging by the winking and knowing looks, coworkers John and Karin see it too.Time stands still as Illeana and Howard imagine a shared past they may have had together. In a musical sequence Illeana fantasizes about the kind of women she wishes she could be. Game night for the coworkers brings up unexpected feelings for Manager Grover when he meets Lance's sister Reece for the first time. Lance is happy he has his best friend back, and now needs to concentrate on getting his sister Reece a job on Illeana's show. Manager Marcus wants all this talk of work to stop so they can go back to having fun.
Illeana starts her talk show "This Side Up" live from IKEA and gets some unexpected career advise from her first guest. Howard Friske has a show stopper of his own, and although Illeana knows that "love doesn't come with instructions" she may have finally put it all together here at IKEA. The audience is not the only one loving "This Side Up". Illeana's agent Ben Rand is back and ready to negotiate. Manager Grover decides it may be a good "IKEA" to stay in Burbank and produce "This Side Up" especially if Lance's pretty sister Reece is involved.
Tom Arnold begins his judging duties on IKEA'S GOT TALENT much to the delight of Illeana and fellow judges Manager Marcus and Illeana's agent Ben Rand. IKEA coworkers strut their stuff proving that IKEA Burbank really is, "The home of the show biz sparkle" and as we wrap this season Yolanda reminds us that she's simply " A Girl Who Works at IKEA"
The IKEA coworkers have arrived on their mystical adventure in Sweden, and while some are tucked away in their hotel rooms getting ready for their journey's others like Illeana and Paul are becoming more than coworkers. Manager Erik has some love trouble of his own when brother Sung catches sister Sam getting a handball lesson from him in the middle of the night! Meanwhile Lance preps Illeana for their big bike ride to Uppsala.
Lance and Illeana have left on their journey to Uppsala and Paul disappoints Pete when he tells him he's going to skip Illeana's, "Coworker of the Year" ceremony in Upsalla because Justine needs their band The Traveling Lingonberry's to rehearse in Stockholm. Meanwhile coworkers John and Karin sneak into Bjorn Epstein's room to try to track down the elusive band Sparhusen who may be in Gothenburg.
Justine sends her assistant home to America because she left her dream catcher on her bureau and retains a Swedish assistant named Abby to help prepare Justine for her "40 and Bitter" talk show in Stockholm. While Justine gets ready for her big day Abby lets in a strangely seductive room service waiter named "J". Justine is shocked to find out he is no ordinary Swedish waiter, and Abby may have accidentally changed the course of Justine's journey in Sweden.
Illeana and Lance take a wrong turn and meet up with a group of Swedish birdwatchers in the forest and are persuaded to stay and have a picnic. Lance reveals to Illeana he may not actually be Swedish and Illeana delights her new friends Gala and Henrik with tales of Hollywood while they share some Swedish folk tunes with her.
Illeana entertains the Swedish Birdwatchers but when she boasts about her Hussen invention, The Meatball Delivery System, Henrik tells her he thinks that famed IKEA designer S.Erland Hussen was an oddball not a designer. While Gala and Henrik rekindle their love, Illeana discovers a note from Paul that changes their destiny and leads her deep into the forest.
IKEA coworkers Ethan and Wayne try to impress their new Swedish girl friends Ebbe and Signe with their knowledge of Swedish films but the girls soon realize they may have fallen for a case of mistaken identity and are not happy about it. Meanwhile next store famed Swedish director Stig Martinson is trying to cast his film,"48 Hours of Daylight", but just can't seem to find the right type of American actor, and while assistant Monika finds out what the noise next door is about, the case of mistaken identity may lead to starring roles for Wayne and Ethan.
The sun is setting and deep in the woods of Uppsala Illeana's journey takes an awe-inspiring turn when a mysterious man, playing the violin, leads her to the water in order to wash away all of her troubles. Back at the 40 and Bitter set in Stockholm, Paul regrets how he handled his relationship with Illeana and turns to his friend, Pete, to help him find her before it's too late.
At the 40 and Bitter set in Stockholm, Justine's Swedish assistant, Abby, arrives backstage and greets a nervous Director Folke and Justine's ardent suitor, Olle. Abby takes control and barks orders on behalf of Justine, but she may have taken on a bigger role than Justine had expected. Meanwhile, back at the hotel, "J" Bateman is getting ready to ship a very heavy package back to the US, and the contents may change the journey for all the IKEA coworkers in Sweden.
At the Gothenburg Opera House, Karin and John sneak in to watch as Bjorn Epstein works on his rock opera, Scorpio Rising with temperamental singer, Lars St. Claire. While they take a break, Bjorn discovers the intruders who beg for permission to stay and watch rehearsal in the hopes that they can finally meet Sparhusen. Mysterious Lars seems to cast a spell on Karin and John begins to consider that he may have feelings for her. Back in the woods of Uppsala, Lance anxiously searches for the missing Illeana, and the musical interlude that ensues while John watches Scorpio Rising reflects the journey that Illeana is now facing.
Manager Erik's journey changes forever when Sam reveals she may want to be more than Erik's "super good friend." Erik is nervous about meeting Sam's mother Mrs. Hullestaad at Sung's handball game. And while they travel through the Swedish countryside Pete and Paul continue to search for Illeana who is missing.
Coworkers Ethan and Wayne educate director Stig Martinsson and Monika on how to make an American buddy cop movie but Ethan's flirting with Monika may cost him a role in "48 hours of Daylight". Meanwhile Manager Erik and Sam arrive late to Sung's big handball game in Trosa and find Mrs. Hullestaad fuming at a bad call by Iceland.
Over dinner at the family's restaurant," Asia Tiska", a secret Sam has been keeping may not escape mamma Hullestaad as she reminisces over the adoption of Sam and Sung to manager Erik. The mythical IKEA figure S.Erland Hussen speaks from the heart and reveals he may have been guiding this Swedish journey all along. As Pete, Paul and Lance frantically search for a still missing Illeana, Hussen reminds all the lost coworkers that they are never truly lost and he may have been watching out for them all along.
Illeana hitches a ride to the IKEA in Uppsala with friend and ghost S.Erland Hussen to collect her Coworker of the Year prize from the head of the company Sigvard Thorsten but tells her journey is just beginning. Like a Russian novel nothing turns out the way Illeana thought it would and while the coworker she meets teaches her to "keep learning" Illeana comes to accept that being a cog in the wheel of a workplace may in fact lead to her true vocation.
Lance, Pete and a heartbroken Paul discuss the best way to tell manager Erik they may have lost coworker Illeana in Sweden. Back in Stockholm, American comic Sammy Salt finds out he may need to resort to magic tricks while Director Folke and the anxious 40 and Bitter audience waits for a very late Justine Bateman.
Co-workers Lance, Pete, and Paul are reunited with a "reborn" Illeana but need to get back to Stockholm in time for Justine's show. Meanwhile, MC Sammy Salt vamps while director Folke searches for a still missing Justine, and coworker's John and Karin face down manager Bjorn Epstein in Gothenberg to find IKEA's favorite elusive Swedish band, Spärhusen!
While the audience of "40 and Bitter" impatiently wait for the arrival of Justine Bateman backstage, Jebedehia Bateman may be experiencing his first celebrity meltdown. Meanwhile, Illeana and Paul, while returning from Upsula, have some sad realizations about their relationship.
In the season finale, manager Erik calls upon Co-Worker of the Year, Illeana, to decide, once and for all, which road she will take.
Illeana and Tom Arnold realize a fake relationship works better for them than the real thing. Erik urges Illeana and Justine to come up with inventive ideas to compete for IKEAs coveted co-worker of the year award.
SNLs Tim Meadows stops by to interview for a job at IKEA, while Illeana creates a team building event for her fellow IKEAns in an effort to outshine Justines Forty and Bitter talk show and win Co-Worker of the Year. She and her co-workers quickly discover team building feels a lot like speed dating and thats just awkward. Watch for the first appearance of Sparhusen!
Illeana gets pinched for shoplifting by Lance and her slimy ex-agent, Ben (Greg Proops) when she forgets to pay for snacks during Justine's live 'Forty and Bitter' talk show interview with gossip columnist Spazzy Sheraton.'
In the wake of her embarrassing 'celebrity shoplifter' incident, Erik re-assigns Illeana to the IKEA warehouse. Desperate to get back on track to win 'Co-Worker of the Year,' Illeana hires 'Ask a Ninja's' Kent Nichols and Doug Sarine to produce a campaign video that slings more than a little mud at her competitor Justine Bateman.
In search of ratings (and votes for Co-Worker of the Year), Justine ambushes Illeana with a live 'celebrity shoplifting intervention' on 'Forty and Bitter' and admits she too has taken everything from Jennifer Tilly's suit to pieces of the 'Family Ties' set.
Illeana fears she will never win 'Co-worker of the Year' after Spazzy Sheraton gets a copy of the very private tape she made with Tom Arnold and broadcasts it to the world. Pep talks from Gigi (Cheri Oteri) and Lance (Michael Irpino) inspire her to keep on going.
Illeana thinks she can win IKEA's Co-worker of the Year by reuniting Erik's favorite band: SPARHUSEN!
Spazzy Sheraton learns of IKEAs Co-Worker of the Year competition and will do anything to make his friend Justine the ultimate winner, especially if it calls for slinging more mud at Illeana. Ed Begley, Jr., Ricki lake and Kevin Pollak guest star.
Illeana inches closer to the winner's circle and the arms of work crush Paul (Rob Mailhouse) when she debuts her re-creation of S. Erland Husen's most challenging design: The fabled meatball delivery system.
While awaiting Manager Erik's decision on which one of them will win the title of IKEA's 'Co-worker of the Year,' Illeana and Justine take some time to reflect on their season-long battle and get in a few final punches.
The winner of IKEA's coveted 'Co-Worker of the Year' is revealed, but that's only the beginning. Illeana, Justine and their fellow IKEAns are on a plane bound for Sweden, where new co-workers, new relationships and 'bitter' rivalries combine to re-define 'in-flight entertainment.'
Illeana realizes who her real friends are, while Store Manager Erik (Eric Lange) makes a possible love connection with Sam (Mia Riverton)
The special Flying Solo miniseries concludes with what else? A groovy disco dance number. Shake your groove plane and boogie down to Sparhusen's new single: 'Mile High Club'
Illeana's first day working at at the Burbank IKEA.
To cope with being out of the Hollywood spotlight, guest star Kevin Pollack decides to start the Actors Anonymous support group.
Following an emotionally exhausting Adam Sandler premiere, gossip blogger Spazzy Sheraton discovers the Burbank IKEA is the place to be to see celebrities.
Jeff Goldblum shows up to be a guest on The Justine Bateman Show, IKEA's latest celebrity talk-show. As word gets out that celebrities are working at IKEA, fans start to arrive.
Justine Bateman holds her talk show at IKEA and Jeff Goldblum is the first guest along with Allison Janney....I mean, Illeana Douglas!
Illeana becomes a 'personal shopper' and discovers that Craig Bierko is actually living at IKEA.
Illeana's manager appears at IKEA with his new starlet and, to make matters worse, Illeana gets fired.
Ever seen a choreographed dance number at IKEA? Illeana falls asleep and dreams of dancing blondes.
Illeana's agent wants her back. Will Illeana betray herself and accept a role in the new TV show "Celebrity Bull Riding"? Not if Ed Begley has anything to do with it.
In the Season 1 finale of Easy To Assemble, Ed Begley makes Illeana realize that "art is where you make it."
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Release | 2008-09-22 |
| Producer | My Damn Channel |