FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE

Article first published as TV Review: FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE on Seat42F.

First, there was Seinfeld. Then It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Happy Endings. Now, we have FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE, premiering tomorrow on Netflix.

FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE is another comedy about a group of pals who aren’t all that likeable, and yet, because of terrific actors and magnetic, entertaining personalities, we’ll want to keep watching them, if not rooting for them.

This series isn’t a retread, though; it’s the natural evolution of the trend. Seinfeld was a light, fun, nonsense sitcom, and proud of it. Sunny took it a bit dirtier, while Happy Endings matured the emotional heft. FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE deals with real issues and isn’t laugh-a-minute with one-liners, but it is amusing, and it does feel like a premium cable comedy, something that would also be at home on HBO, as well as its berth on Netflix.

We begin with Ethan (Keegan-Michael Key, Key and Peele) and Sam (Annie Parisse, Person of Interest), carrying on an affair they’ve been having since college. Both are married, but both unions have some serious problems, so they regularly hook up when they can. It’s that not often, since they live in different cities. As the pilot begins, Ethan announceshe’s moving back the Big Apple, restoring their friend group from their Harvard days, but complicating the tryst.

Ethan and Sam are the most central characters at first, so even though they may not be likeable, they need to be people we can relate to. And they are. Ethan loves his wife, but he doesn’t always want what she wants. He’s an author considering breaking into Young Adult fiction, tired of his award-winning novels not selling, but detests the genre for reasons that perfectly describe him. Sam thinks her husband is dumb, and is a little more desperate for escape, though she clearly likes her (rarely seen on screen) children.

Yes, these are people with arrested development, lacking the emotional maturity they need to progress. We all remember times like that, or may still be struggling with some of the emotions (although hopefully making different choices). I am eager for the affair to become public knowledge to see what happens, but at the same time, I worry what that would do to the friend group at the center of FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE.

The other four primary players are: Ethan’s wife, Lisa (Cobie Smulders, How I Met Your Mother), who has just taken a job at a horrible hedge fund; rich trust fund lothario Nick (Nat Faxon, Married); aspiring (and failing) actress Marianne (Jae Suh Park, The Big Short); and oft-overlooked book agent Max (Fred Savage, The Grinder, Wonder Years). Lisa has the most material of the four in the first half of the season, and Cobie excels at it, but Max has the funniest bits, and Marianne seems like a simmering cauldron ready to erupt.

Yes, they are all too involved in one another’s lives, and it’s not entirely realistic they are all still so close, but it’s a premise one can overlook to enjoy all of these great actors playing together. Toss in Max’s partner (Billy Eichner, Difficult People), who doesn’t like Max’s friends, and Sam’s husband (Greg Germann, Ally McBeal), who seems to have levels that haven’t yet been explored, and this is the makings for a long-term series I’d enjoy watching. I hope Eichner and Germann are promoted to series regular in season two, as I love how they are outsiders who don’t get the friend group, which is a valuable thing to have when telling this story.

While this may not be completely original territory, and as I’ve said, it’s hard to like most of the characters, I could not stop watching, plowing through half the season before pausing to write this review, and eager to watch the second half as soon as I’m done. This is a great cast, and the story, while at times frustrating, is compelling. I hope it runs a good, long time.

FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE will release all eight episodes of season one tomorrow exclusively on Netflix.

YOU'RE THE WORST Is About "Fists and Feet and Stuff"

Article first published as 'You're the Worst' Season Finale Review on Blogcritics.


FX’s You’re the Worst stars the best four-man comedy team since Seinfeld went off the air. This week’s first season finale, “Fists and Feet and Stuff,” picks up not long after the group had imploded two weeks earlier (last week was mostly flashback), all four of them separate and alone and miserable. It is inevitable that they must come back together, as they all belong together, but the question is how it will happen and what their quartet will ultimately look like.

Becca (Janet Varney) and Vernon (Todd Robert Anderson) throw a party, the vehicle for the reunion. It’s funny that they are the two doing so because they sure want to be included in something, but aren’t a part of the main ensemble in You’re the Worst, nor does it look like they have a core gang of pals. Their wedding is also the setting of the pilot, the place our romantic leads, Jimmy (Chris Geere) and Gretchen (Aya Cash), first meet, so there’s a beautiful symmetry in bringing us back to the kooky, recurring players now.

As viewers may remember, Gretchen breaks up with Jimmy because she finds an engagement ring in his drawer. She is terrified of commitment, and they haven’t been dating that long. She doesn’t feel like she knows Jimmy very well, and she probably doesn’t, though the audience won’t expect Jimmy to make such a gesture, and as one might surmise, it’s actually left over from when Jimmy dated Becca. But while the catalyst for the split may not be anything new, their relationship is a fresh take on the romantic comedy, so they must reunite.

The other two leads, Edgar (Desmin Borges) and Lindsay (Kether Donohue), are also in a bad place. Lindsay has found her sex addiction again, causing her to cheat on her boring husband, Paul (Allan McLeod), and Edgar, despite getting a job, is living in his car. Neither Edgar nor Lindsay are happy with Jimmy and Gretchen, respectively, so it’s all quite a big mess, that of course comes to a head with fisticuffs and secrets coming out and chaos.

At the end of the climax, most of the party-goers leave disgusted not only with the hosts, but also with our central foursome. That’s OK. At least three of them are the worst, as the title indicates, Edgar excepted. But while they may not be right for society at large, they are right for each other. That’s not say they treat one another the way they deserve be treated, but there is love there, and at the end of the day, they will each overcome their failings in order to make things right with their friends. This group can never be apart for long.

One wonders if Lindsay and Paul might reunite. She dumps on him for so long that he’s fully justified in calling things off. But Lindsay has never been good at letting go of things, even those she doesn’t really want in the first place. I could see You’re the Worst trying to get them back together, and I sort of hope this happens. “Fists and Feet and Stuff” dangles the possibility of a Lindsay / Edgar hook up instead, but I don’t think either character is anywhere near ready for that, a possibility best preserved until Jimmy and Gretchen work their stuff out first.

As the episode winds down, Gretchen turns down Jimmy’s offer to live together, only to be forced to take him up on it after burning her apartment down. This isn’t exactly the way things are supposed to happen, but it seems right for the two, an unconventional pair if ever there was one. Would it have taken something on the level of a fire to get them to ever move forward? Might one argue that Gretchen subconsciously started the flame in order to push herself along? One may never know, but it doesn’t matter. The last shot, their faces full of dread as the fantastic theme song starts up again, is ripe with promise. What matters is we get to see them take this messed up relationship to a whole new level, assuming the series is renewed, which I sure hope happens.

You’re the Worst is excellent from start to finish, without a single bad episode in the ten-week run. It is funny and smart and fresh, each half hour providing rich characters and new twists on classic situations. It’s hard to do the rom-com in any way that doesn’t seem tired these days, unless it just oozes charm and cheese, but You’re the Worst manages it. It may be called You’re the Worst, but it’s kind of the best.

When Good Shows Go Bad

Article first published as When Good Shows Go Bad on Blogcritics.


NBC's The Office was once one of the most praised, funniest sitcoms on network television. Community, on the same channel, was a brilliant, creative, original show that broke all the traditional bounds of what sitcoms were capable of. FOX's House was an intelligent character study wrapped in a medical procedural. What do these all have in common? They were great shows that fell apart in the end.

Although I list House, which I still enjoyed through to the end, even if I admit I see the point many make about the creative sagging of the final couple of years, this is usually more of a sitcom problem. A show that is funny and beloved will frequently age and tarnish. I think it's something about a certain type of comedy that just begins to wear thin over time. Jokes are only good for so long, and then they stop getting a laugh out of us. If a comedy series doesn't adapt and grow with its audience, rather than deliver the same thing over and over again, it begins to wither and die.

This isn't a new phenomenon. Many criticized Friends as it approached its end, frustrated with an unrealistic Joey / Rachel romance. The Seinfeld series finale is renowned for how much it disappointed fans. But it's also not going away, as The Office and Community prove. A show that once delighted can go sour.

Perhaps it's a lack of passion. A new show runner may feel edgy and their creative juices may flow, but they can get tired after awhile of working with the same characters and premises. Or new writing staffs may come in and just not understand what makes the characters tick.

The latter is definitely true for Community. Abed used to be the linchpin that made the series work. Even in the installments that could be considered filler, his keen eye and specific viewpoint always made things rise above what seemed to be happening on the surface. Now in its fourth year, with series creator Dan Harmon ousted from the project, Abed is easily the worst character in the ensemble, and the show suffers mightily for it. It may go off the air for good this week, with no fanfare and a very unsatisfying ending.


The Office, on the other hand, is taking its victory lap. It struggled to find its way after losing the star of the show, Steve Carell, and his wonderful Michael Scott. After over a year of floundering, the team threw in the towel and began gearing up to send the characters grandly off into the sunset. It's made the show seem a little better, with the players having some direction and the plot getting movement. But it's curtain call, which, while well deserved, should have come much earlier.

A series can pull itself out of a creative rut. After several strong initial seasons, CBS's How I Met Your Mother spiraled into unfunny drivel for a few years. It clawed its way back to being good by adding emotional heft. This was present in the beginning of the show, of course, before disappearing, but now it's the bread and butter of every installment, with the drama being of a far better quality than the comedy. Even as the final push begins, as next season will be its last, all the major stories are based on pathos, not gags.

But reinvention isn't always possible. Sometimes it's better just to end things, whether the show's story gets tied up or not. NBC pulled Heroes after a fourth season cliffhanger, and ABC didn't give Brothers & Sisters its due five years in. But neither of these series were worth watching anymore, and the networks decided to cut their losses and move on. This outraged fans, but most soon forgot about it.

Maybe we'll never know exactly why our favorite shows can't remain our favorite shows forever. For every Lost and Battlestar Galactica, which maintained quality through the finish line, even with polarizing swan songs, there are plenty like The X-Files or Veronica Mars, which just never recaptured what once made them so special. I'm sorry Veronica Mars fans, I've donated to the Kickstarted campaign and am greatly looking forward to the film, but it's true that each of the three seasons was weaker than the one before it. Storytelling is a tricky thing.


I do think series tend to be better if they maintain one creative vision. Gilmore Girls and The West Wing faltered after losing their guiding person (though the latter eventually found its stride again). A single voice having control allows better consistency than a production team; ask George R.R. Martin. However, if The Walking Dead can continue to thrive, even though it is now on its fourth show runner, this can't adequately explain away the phenomenon.

Taste is not only varied, it is fickle. Catching lightening in the bottle takes a high degree of skill and luck, but to cultivate that lightening and to not let it burn out for one hundred and fifty or two hundred episodes is a very rare feat. Maybe this could be solved with shorter seasons, like the cable channels tend to do, as you'll notice I've mainly talked about programs on the broadcast networks. But systems are slow to change, and there doesn't seem to be movement on that front.

Awesome television that doesn't age well will always be a part of life, sadly. For now, I guess we just enjoy what's good while it lasts.

Community invaded once more by Germans

Article first published as Community invaded once more by Germans on TheTVKing.

NBC's Community has floundered quite a bit in its fourth season, coming up with stories that generally fit in the tone and scheme of the series overall, but feeling a bit hollow underneath, the characters just not being as smartly written as they are before, and the plot not quite as tight.

I'm happy to report that this week's installment, "Alternative History of the German Invasion," is the first episode to overcome these problems and deliver. I won't claim it's the most creative or funniest installment of Community, but it does get everyone right, is just weird enough to work, and there aren't all the obvious holes I've been able to poke in the other three chapters this year.

The premise is that the study group begins their alternate history class with their new professor (Malcolm McDowell, Franklin & Bash, Entourage), only to find out that the Germans they tussle with in the past are also taking the class. The Germans' new leader (Chris Diamantopoulos, 24, The Office) takes over the group's usual meeting room, and then even their table, too. But when our heroes try to reclaim their designated spot, they learn that the rest of the campus sees them as the villains.

It's interested to get this flipped view of the main cast. We are so used to the story being focused on them, it's odd to step back and see that all of the people around them are sick of it. I guess, in the real world, we would also object to their egocentricity and the tightness of the impenetrable clique. The scenes where the action flashes back to previous episodes, demonstrating how Jeff (Joel McHale) and the others treat their classmates, is eye opening, and will change the way I view Community from here on out.

But beyond that, this plot also ties into the title of the episode and the new history class they have just started, so much so that they assume that the professor is just trying to teach them a lesson, making them seem even more self-involved than they already are. It's a neat trick, looping back in on itself, and something Community has a track record of excelling it, even if they haven't lately.

I love that the Germans are the choice to use as the bad guys because, not only do we get some wonderful Hogan's Heroes (or Hogan's Villians) callbacks, the latest in a long line of TV references the show makes, but it's so unexpected. When reduced to goofy stereotypes with thick, fake accents and fiendish conquering attempts, viewers' minds will automatically pigeonhole the modern day German students into the same category as the wartime enemy of the 1930s and '40s. Thus, when the twist is revealed, it's all the more surprising and brilliant.

Add to that the forbidden friendship that Abed (Danny Pudi) strikes up with one of the rivals (Alex Schemmer, Weeds), and Shirley's (Yvette Nicole Brown) running gag of trying to get home to her kids, only to be blown off on a suggested outing after the conflict, and there are some great layers to the half hour, too.

At the conclusion of season three, Jeff realizes its OK to be nice. He has been trying for the last few episodes to stick to those guns, but without the support of his friends, he has no chance. Thus, it's gratifying to see them all coming 'round once they realize their mistakes, painting and fixing up other study rooms so that other groups on campus might have the same kind of special thing that they have. It's a love letter to Greendale and the fans, and it might just mean that Community leaves these characters as beloved alumni, rather than Seinfeld-esque jerks.

Though, they haven't completely learn their lesson yet, as we see when Abed and Troy (Donald Glover) refuse to do the nice German's podcast in the tag at the end.

I would like (OK, like is the wrong word here) to mention that Pierce (Chevy Chase) seems more and more checked out with each passing week. He is already separating himself from the group and their reality, which is a nice, if regrettable, set up to his impending departure. At least it can be written in a way that makes sense, rather than his absence being sudden and jarring.

Elsewhere, the Dean (Jim Rash) is tasked with caring for Chang (Ken Jeong) during his Changnesia. At first, the Dean doesn't buy that "Kevin" is reformed, assuming this is some evil plot by Chang. Then, when Kevin turns himself in to the police for the past wrongs the Dean tells him about, the Dean finally buys his story, happy to help work with Chang if he has really turned over a new leaf.

I keep waiting for the reveal that this all an elaborate scam by Chang, and I do think that it probably is. But I applaud the way "Alternative History of the German Invasion" keeps us guessing. Even if Chang is the ultimate bad guy, he has gone so far that something like this is necessary to bring him back into the fold, so he gets to show off his genius as well as his ugly intentions. Plus, when the Dean judges Chang for putting his name into words, it's an ironic ball of humor that I cannot get enough of.

Jeong does make some interesting choices in the way that he plays the seemingly brainwashed Chang. Why does he pull the stuffing out of the Dean's pillow? I don't know. But it's these small touches that make the overall picture more odd and enjoyable.

"Alternative History of the German Invasion" may not rank among the best episodes of Community at this point, but I would argue it's the best of the season so far. If it's taken three weeks for the writers to get into the groove, minus those of their number they have lost, that's an acceptable sacrifice, especially if they keep up the consistency and quality going forward. I am happy to let a bit of my pessimism about this season fade away, and am very much anticipating the next zany adventure.

Community airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Don't cry for the Veep

HBO's Veep rounded up its freshman run with "Tears." Flying to Ohio (where else?) to endorse a gubernatorial candidate, Selina (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) learns that her poll numbers are bad. Suddenly, her endorsement is not needed, and in fact, Roger Furlong (Dan Bakkedahl, Community) threatens retribution if Selina does throw her weight behind him. Mike (Matt Walsh) gets the idea that Selina, overly emotional, could save face if she just shows a little emotion, so he manipulates her into crying during an interview. Suddenly, Furlong wants her by his side again. Then he doesn't. Then he does. The he vows vegeance.

Veep is, more than anything, a very smart comedy of errors. Louis-Dreyfus is her typical, brilliant, comedic self in this role, finally allowed to unleash her profanity amid her stumbles, unlike on her network series. No matter how hard Selina tries, nothing goes her way. She often reacts badly to these negative turns of events, but though she does some ugly things, she remains likeable because of Louis-Dreyfus' subtle depth of personality.

The actress, surely an Emmy nominee this year, is surrounded by an absolutely terrific supporting cast, whose characters are mostly as genuine, sympathetic, and bumbling as she is. Mike is an idiot, but he finally has a great idea, which then backfires. Selina orders Amy (Anna Chlumsky) to fix her poll numbers, which Amy takes completely in stride, even if she has no idea where to even begin with that request. This comes a week after Amy willingly takes the fall for her boss, without coming across as a weak-willed toady. Gary (Tony Hale) keeps Selina on task, such as letting her know that she only has four seconds with a hotel manager.

Then there's Dan (Reid Scott). Dan is not yet a fully accepted part of Selina's work family. He deals with Furlong through most of "Tears." At first, Dan supports Selina, but then is willing to betray her when his own reputation is threatened. Looking good at the end of the day, he is excited by his promotion, and issues a press release within seconds, only to see things come crashing down around him. He may seem smooth, but he's just as much a screw up as the rest. His personal agenda, though, makes him less trustworthy than the other, more earnest members of the group. Which is why he stands out, and is so essential to the show.

"Tears" is a wonderful showcase of so many great things about the series. There are fantastic lines, such as Mike talking of tweaking Selina's "tear nipple," and Selina scolding her people for putting her on stage while she is an emotional wreck. This is followed up by Selina' realization that the job is killing her mental state, and she soon loses the ability to cry, a set of circumstances that lets Louis-Dreyfus slay viewers. The wry writ, all around commitment to the characters and premise, and amusing weekly stories, which do not veer into too goofy a territory, make the entire package work beautifully.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what is so funny about Veep. There aren't many laugh out loud moments, but rather, a slow build up of fun elements that leave one with an overwhelming feeling of joy. The series did not grab me right away, but each episode drew me further into the story and the characters. Part schadenfreude, part wonder at the talent displayed, each half hour leaves one with an overall sense of entertainment. What more could you ask for in a television show? That's why season two, which will probably reveal the results of Furlong's wrath, should be much anticipated.

Seinfeld curse? What Seinfeld curse?

Veep will return to HBO next year.

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Hot in Cleveland Season 2 Premiere Sizzles

      I liked TVLand's Hot in Cleveland last summer. It was a little corny, but felt like so many other classic sitcoms on the network, that it fit right in. Nice job to the network for making a new series that feels old, but in a good way. Last night was the second season premiere, and things have only improved during the break. The writing is tighter, the cast is more confident in their characters, and the humor got a little racier. Now if only they'd get rid of, or at least turn down considerably, that annoying laugh track!

     Ok, so the laugh track is part of the charm. But when Mary Tyler Moore took the stage in her much-hyped guest star turn at the onset of the episode, it was so loud that it was distracting! I get the audience's reaction; every MTM line was solid gold, especially the immortal "You've got spunk. I can't stand spunk.", which was just one of the references to The Mary Tyler Moore Show, which Betty White also starred with her in. But I wanted to enjoy it for myself. Laugh track aside, MTM's stint was every bit as good as I expected it to be, better even, and I found myself wishing she'd done more than those few moments at the beginning. Repeat, anyone?

     Mary aside, the show also showed wisdom by bringing back neighbor Rick (Wayne Knight, Seinfeld). In this first episode, Rick proposes to Joy (Jane Leeves) so that she can get a green card and stay in the U.S. She blows him off, but after joining Elka (Betty White) in prison, sadly, after MTM is released, Joy gets a bit more desperate. Rick anonymously bails them out, though he does make sure Joy finds out who is to thank, and she is soon on her knees asking for his hand in marriage, an arc that should keep Knight coming back for awhile.

     I was surprised at how risque some of the humor was this week, and not just Joy on her knees. The show does deal with sex plenty, that was always one of its facets, but in "Free Elka", this week's premiere, there certainly seemed to be more of than usual. Rick kept talking about his balls. Elka and Rick admit to an affair, which provides several punchlines. Really, anytime Rick was around, lots and lots of sex talk. Not that I'm complaining.

     Of course, not all of the jokes were of the off-color variety. I laughed quite a bit at poor Pete (David Starzyk), who kept trying to tell Melanie (Valerie Bertinelli) that he loves her, too, as she said to him in last summer's finale. Unfortunately, with Pete frequently arresting Melanie's friends, she doesn't have much patience for him. I found the situation bizarrely amusing. It seems Pete is being set up to stay around for a bit, so I'm glad they worked it out when Pete finally accepted his girlfriend's law-breaking friends, and began to let their behavior slide. I just hope he doesn't lose his job.

     I was also pleased to see Elka show some real compassion. I worship Betty White, and have before it became recently trendy again, but Elka is often portrayed fairly mean-spirited, especially towards Joy, whom she doesn't care for. This week, Elka and Joy used their time behind bars to bond, rather than trade barbs. It was a welcome step towards cementing the friendship of the four central women, as Elka is definitely part of their group by this point.

     Victoria (Wendie Malick) was the lone actress who wasn't really featured as much this week. That's OK; she'll surely get her turn. The series is generally pretty balanced to its four stars, all of which are, in fact, stars. Victoria was around, she just didn't have a rich solo story. I guess with everything else going on, it was just Victoria's turn to take a breather.

     Hot in Cleveland airs on TVLand Wenesday nights at 10 p.m.

Article first published as TV Review: Hot in Cleveland Season 2 Premiere Sizzles on Blogcritics.

For frequent mini-reviews and occasional TV news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

Salute American Dad

    Thank goodness only one of Fox's Animation Domination shows ended as last night, as I have too many other finales to cover from last night.  But American Dad went out on a wacky high with "Great Space Roaster".  Roger the alien (voiced by Seth McFarlane, the show's creator) wanted a roast for his birthday, but he took the family's comments too much to heart, vowing revenge.  After several attempts on their life failed, they fled to space, but Roger followed them up there, too, where he tied them up and made them roast each other, only to realize that he actually was part of the family, and he was loved no matter what they said.

     For awhile last year, American Dad surpassed Family Guy in consistent humor, and while the latter has been doing much better, the former has stayed relevant.  What started out as a cheap copy of a popular animated sitcom has found it's own legs in the last couple of years.  The characters have become better defined, and their antics have gotten more side-splitting.

     Total lack of care about others seems to be the hallmark of comedy today.  From shows like Seinfeld and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, American Dad simply continues a formula that seems to work.  For example, as Roger attacked Francine (Wendy Schaal) and Hayley (Rachael MacFarlane), Stan (also S. McFarlane) got to the escape pod, believing his family a necessary sacrifice to save himself.  This isn't an uncommon scenario on the show, and while the big guy certainly loves his family, they come second to himself.

     Hayley in particular has become a more interesting character, though there weren't any great examples of that last night.  She began the series as a liberal counterpoint to Stan's conservatism, but though out they have learned to get along and care about each other, as much as Stan can care about someone.  He did say she was elected 'gun shield' for the family in last night's episode.  But we have gotten to see that Hayley is an open, warm person, as evidenced by her latest relationship with unexpectedly funny koala-spy Reginald (Erik Durbin).

     American Dad has already been picked up for aanother season, and will return to Fox in the fall.

Old Christine headed for new adventures?

    Last night began the first of this year's season premieres.  First up for review is the CBS sitcom, The New Adventures of Old Christine.  The episode was titled "Get Smarter", with Christine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Seinfeld) feeling dumb next to her fiance, Max (Eric McCormack, Will & Grace).  She feels that way because it turns out that Max's ex-wife is a super genius.  Of course, as Max points out, she has no room to be jealous that he still hangs out with his ex-wife, as her ex-husband, Richard (Clark Gregg, Iron Man and the other upcoming Marvel movies), is one of her best friends.

     Perhaps, because it was the series season finale, the other main characters didn't have their own subplots.  New Christine (Emily Rutherfurd) and Ritchie (Trevor Gagnon) didn't even make an appearance, although the two have seemed less visible this past season.

     This sitcom has the ensemble down pat, and the characters fully fleshed out by this time.  It is consistently funny, without being too obnoxious.  Should the show get a sixth season (it has yet to be picked up, but CBS will announce the fall schedule next Wednesday), hopefully Christine will finally grow, get married, and head back to college, as she announced she would in the finale.  More likely, though, things with Max will full apart, and she will drop out of college even more quickly.  The status quo is what works for the series and I wouldn't expect any serious, permanent changes until the series comes to an end, should they have time to write a proper ending.

     Which begs the question, why don't all long-running shows get to do a proper send off?  After give years, Christine has plenty of fans.  But it could easily be among the number of series that are pulled without closure.  At this point in time, it would be rotten for a network to do such a thing.  At least give them a handful of episodes next fall to end things right.

     The New Adventures of Old Christine is far from the best sitcom on television, or even on it's channel, but it has a certain charm and enough humor to earn a season pass on my TiVo.  Please give it a second chance.

Would the real J Peterman please stand up?

     “You most likely know it as Myanmar, but it will always be Burma to me." ~ John O'Hurley as J Peterman, Seinfeld

      I recently had the pleasure, after moving to a new city, to temp for The J Peterman Company. For any of you who remember the classic TV sitcom Seinfeld, J Peterman was Elaine's eccentric boss for several seasons. That person was merely a character, initially created without any input from the actual man, but later done with permission. I got to work for the real deal.

      The real J Peterman, or John as he's known around the small office of about 30 staff members in Lexington, Kentucky, does not seem half as crazy as the one on television. Though I had little interaction with the man himself, mostly a warm handshake and a "Hi, I'm John" everyone I briefly worked with knew and talked about him, and his lovely wife, Audrey, could not have been more welcome and kind. It is definitely one of the nicest companies I’ve ever worked for. The items that they sell are on the odd end, as you'd expect, but I can attest that the quality is fantastic and I would love to own almost everything they sell.

      I'm not writing a commercial for The J Peterman Company. I not on their payroll, and no one in the company even is aware that I am writing this article. The company's reputation, products, and especially the truly unique Owner's Manual catalogue speak for themselves. But it's not every day that you come across an icon known from the television set and see who the real life man that inspired him is. I didn't seek out this temp job, nor do anything just for the purpose of working there or to write this article, but it was one of life's pleasant surprises to be there for a short time, and I thank J Peterman very much for the opportunity.

      “If you haven’t stayed in touch with your dreams, the good news is that it’s never too late to reclaim them.” ~ The Real J. Peterman