The New Adventures of Old Christine-related stories
Posted Nov 19th 2009 12:18PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S05E08) Ah, Dave Foley. His sad sack Tom has been good for a laugh more than a few times, and he was used to good comic effect again this week. In the double blind-date scenario with Christine and Richard, his counterpart was the lovely Jennifer Grey, real-life wife to Clark Gregg.
The New Adventures of Old Christine is a rare comedy in that it can work in guest stars like this without it detracting from either the ongoing character moments, or taking the spotlight away from the main cast. Too often when a show gets deeper into its run, like
Will & Grace in its final years, it becomes a cavalcade of celebrity guest-stars, as if the writers have run out of ways to keep things fresh with their own core group.
Christine has mixed things up just this season by breaking up Richard and New Christine and having Matthew move in with Richard in a swinging bachelor pad. And they shook it up again this week.
Continue reading Review: The New Adventures of Old Christine - Love Means Never Having to Say You're Crazy
Posted Nov 12th 2009 12:35PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S05E07) I guess the fate of Marion Ross was handled off-screen, because Matthew and Richard are settling into her old digs, and she was nowhere to be seen this episode. Now that I think about it, though, she could be shacking up in Matthew's old digs out in the backyard. It would make for a pretty funny callback to have her character pop back up. Maybe even act as if Christine didn't even know she'd moved in back there.
I wasn't as impressed with the forced obligatory "we're different but now we're roommates" storyline for Matthew and Richard. Hopefully, now that it's out of the way, the writers have some ideas of some fun things they can do with the mismatched pair. In five seasons, we've not seen a great deal of interaction between them, but their differences could make for some good comedy.
Continue reading Review: The New Adventures of Old Christine - Nuts
Posted Nov 5th 2009 12:50AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S05E06) Little Ritchie is growing up so fast! This week he's going to a school dance ... with the most popular girl in school!? Could Christine's whole world be changing? How can the meanie moms be mean to her if her son is dating the most popular girl in school? How can Christine screw this up? By being herself.
Meanwhile, Richard realizes he can no longer live at New Christine's house -- which is really his house -- so he starts to look for a new place to live, and finds a place where I'd sure as hell want to live. But there's a major problem with it, and he and Matthew have to tackle that before anyone can move in.
All in all, I think
Christine is continuing a solid run of quality episodes. It helps that of the shows on ABC's Wednesday night comedy block, this veteran is up against
Hank. And Louis-Dreyfus and friends are doing a fine job of beating it week after week.
Continue reading Review: The New Adventures of Old Christine - The Curious Case of Britney B
Posted Oct 28th 2009 10:56AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, House, How I Met Your Mother, The Office, 30 Rock, Dexter, Reality-Free, Mad Men, The Mentalist, TV Squad Ten, Glee
Rules are meant to be broken... especially for these ten television characters. For them, the rest of the world has one standard to live by and they have another. It makes them interesting and fun to watch... you just wouldn't necessarily want to be the person having to deal with them because they could drive you to distraction. Here's my ten pack of characters who live in a world of their own, according to no rules except their own. From the not-too-bad to the really bad.
10. Patrick Jane, The Mentalist
You would think that as a consultant to the CBI -- California Bureau of Investigation -- Patrick Jane would be compelled to uphold the rules and regulations of the department. However, Jane is a free spirit when it comes to office protocol. He does his own thing. For instance, bugging the office of a CBI higher-up is definitely not kosher. Jane doesn't care; he did it anyway and will probably get away with it.
Continue reading TV Squad Ten: TV's biggest rule breakers
Posted Oct 22nd 2009 3:28AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S05E05) This could turn out to be the single most important episode of
The New Adventures of Old Christine. Dare I say it was "a very special episode of"
The New Adventures of Old Christine? Oh, who am I kidding, things will never change, but isn't that why we love it.
It was a lot of fun seeing Eric McCormack as Matthew's mentor in therapy, as well as his office-mate. That's an easy way to set him up for a recurring role on the show for awhile. And they gave him a shady past, which is an easy way to write him off the show at a moment's notice.
He was there to give Christine someone new to bounce her craziness off of. I absolutely loved their first scene together. Christine all hopped up on diet pills from the '70s, dressed like
Maude and working as a temporary fill-in as Matthew's secretary. Every week Julia Louis-Dreyfus cracks me up with just how undignified she's willing to look for this role.
Continue reading Review: The New Adventures of Old Christine - Dr. Little Man
Posted Sep 30th 2009 2:38AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Jay Leno
I'll give Leno credit for getting creative in the ways he's starting to incorporate celebrities into bits and segments. It fills time for him and gives them their plug opportunities. Tonight, he trotted out three of
The Real Housewives of Orange County for a "Battle of the Jaywalk All-Stars Challenge." And ... wow.
I don't watch
The Real Houswives of anywhere, but if this is the intellectual capacity of their "stars," then I'm glad I don't. I couldn't tell if they were putting on an act or if they were being themselves. Either way, it was obnoxious and I wanted to reach through the screen and strangle each of them. The blondes were enforcing stereotypes left and right!
If it was all an act, then that's even more unfortunate, because it means they're playing characters rather than being themselves. What? A reality show that's less than real? It was funny that their first reaction to seeing a picture of Nancy Pelosi was that she needed botox. And of course, they had no idea who she was, or anyone else.
Continue reading The Jay Leno Show: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Posted Aug 17th 2009 10:02AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, OpEd, Lost, Heroes, Reality-Free, Gone Too Soon
Long-time readers of this site might remember the recurring feature "
Short-Lived Shows." While this column may bear a resemblance to that beloved early
TV Squad staple, there are notable differences. In particular, I'll be going much more in-depth about the show's fate, its cast, continuing fan support, and possible story continuations in different mediums.
Also, to make this column, a show must have actually been good. Shows that are canceled and deserve it certainly aren't "Gone Too Soon." They're perhaps not gone soon enough. Furthermore, a GTS could just as easily have been on the air for years before ending abruptly. If I'm sitting here wondering what happens next and now I'm never going to find out, that's gone too soon.
Which brings us to our first entry. HBO is known for groundbreaking television, but even they didn't know how much ground they broke with
Carnivàle in September 2003. On the surface, it was yet another brilliantly produced period piece, perfectly capturing the look and feel of the Great Depression era United States. Underneath, it was nothing short of the epic struggle between good and evil.
Continue reading Gone Too Soon: Carnivàle
Posted Jul 15th 2009 2:31PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Celebrities, Awards, Weeds, Emmys, Reality-Free
Let's be honest. There are really only four or five real contenders for this category, and most of them were nominated last year. But it's not like the talented Tina Fey (
30 Rock), Mary Louise-Parker (
Weeds), Julia Louise-Dreyfus (
The New Adventures of Old Christine) and America Ferrera (
Ugly Betty) don't deserve the recognition. They all fit the bill, and most of their shows were damn good this year.
I'd be happy to see any one of them go home with the gold on Emmy night. I'd also love to see some recognition for Christina Applegate's work in
Samantha Who?, a great show that got the ax earlier this year.
Continue reading Emmy Wish List: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Posted May 19th 2009 5:02PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Pickups and Renewals, Upfronts, Reality-Free
Looks like Samantha Who? won't be making it after all. They were negotiating to
reduce costs on Christina Applegate's sitcom to try and keep it on the air, but apparently that didn't work out. I really thought quality-wise
Samantha was one of the stronger sticoms on the air. I can certainly think of quite a few that are still hanging in there that couldn't come close to matching it.
This does mean that Christina Applegate is available for other work now, though. What a revelation she's become as a comic actress. We've known she's had chops (and other assets) since her days as Kelly Bundy and even on *ahem*
Jesse she was charming, but she really came into her own with this show. I hope she doesn't stay absent from our screens too long. Maybe she could be the mother on
HIMYM? Or get together with Alyssa Milano on a new show and watch all the guys who grew up in the '80s and '90s squeal in unison like little girls. It wouldn't even matter what it was about, but I recommend something on a beach.
Posted May 5th 2009 3:28PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Upfronts, Reality-Free
If this doesn't put a nail in the coffin of the
Seinfeld curse (does anyone still buy into that?), then nothing will. If CBS decides not to give
The New Adventures of Old Christine a fifth season pickup -- and right now they're not committing either way -- ABC is going to add Julia Louis-Dreyfus and company to its roster.
This was rumored a few weeks ago, but now it's confirmed.
ABC has sealed the deal to give Christine 22 episodes in a back up guarantee with Warner Brothers TV .
This isn't the first time ABC has offered to be
Christine's home. It made a similar offer last season, then CBS decided they did want Julia's sitcom after all. Apparently ABC's head man Steve McPherson is a big fan of the show.
Continue reading Old Christine is in a win-win situation for renewal
Posted Apr 17th 2009 11:08AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: The Office, 30 Rock, Chuck, Reality-Free, The Mentalist, The Big Bang Theory, TV Squad Ten
If we all lived in the box -- you know, the TV box -- life would be a hell of a lot easier. Taxes would be paid with ease. Mortgages would be managed. And even the lowliest job would be more than enough to maintain a respectable lifestyle, one that looks quite comfortable in fact.
Despite the grim economic news we hear every day, the characters on television have been able to survive -- indeed, thrive -- in some of the crappiest jobs in the universe.
An editorial assistant at a fashion mag, like
Ugly Betty, finds a way to keep a Manhattan studio apartment, and commute home to Papi in Queens. Running a gym is a breeze for
Old Christine, because she doesn't really work. And even without an income,
Samantha Who? is never without her Jimmy Choos.
Continue reading TV Squad Ten: Low-paying jobs that apparently pay great on TV
Posted Apr 17th 2009 11:08AM by Allison Waldman
10. Samantha Newly,
Samantha Who? - Real Estate
9. Christine Campbell,
The New Adventures of Old Christine - Gym Manager
8. Jim,
The Office - Salesman
7. Betty Suarez,
Ugly Betty - Editorial Assistant
6. Chuck Bartowski,
Chuck - IT Guy
5. Kenneth Parnell,
30 Rock - Page
4. Gary Barnes,
Gary Unmarried - House Painter
3. Susan Mayer,
Desperate Housewives - Children's Book Author
2. Adrian Monk (
Monk); Shawn Spencer (
Psych); Patrick Jane (
The Mentalist) - Police Consultants
1. Penny,
Big Bang Theory - Cheesecake Factory waitress/aspiring actress
Want to see the pictures or leave a comment? Click here.Posted Apr 1st 2009 10:01AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Late Night, Celebrities, Reality-Free
Aside from being a very funny performer, nobody would ever accuse
Wanda Sykes of being a shrinking violet. She's a strong, determined and no-nonsense woman and if I was in a foxhole, I'd want her with me.
Therefore, it's my belief that
Sykes' deal with Fox for a Saturday night late night show will succeed. It won't be easy, going up against the giant of Saturday night comedy
Saturday Night Live, but Wanda's a good bet to give them a good challenge.
Continue reading Wanda Sykes heading to Fox
Posted Feb 16th 2009 11:09AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, OpEd, American Idol, How I Met Your Mother, Judges, TV Squad Lists, Chuck, Reaper, Reality-Free, The Big Bang Theory, TV Squad Ten
So what's a second banana? Well they're certainly not second best. No, in fact they're often the main reason to tune into a particular show. Not because the show's major plotlines revolve around them, in fact they generally don't, but because they liven up every scene they're in. Virtual show-stealers, a good second banana can turn a generic sitcom or drama into television gold. The ultimate wingman on television, there was no greater second banana than my man Barney Fife, brilliantly played by Don Knotts on
The Andy Griffith Show, and later
Mayberry R.F.D.
When it came time to put together this list, I wondered if I'd be able to find ten viable and qualified bananas on the airwaves today. But I guess I needn't have worried. It looks like Barney was an inspiration (in more ways than one) to the current crop of second bananas. They litter their peels all over the television landscape, leaving us to trip over in laughter time and time again at their antics. But how do they stack up? Who's the biggest fruit in the tree? There's only one way to find out!
Continue reading TV Squad Ten: TV's top second bananas
Posted Feb 13th 2009 9:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, OpEd, Reality-Free
The New Adventures of Old Christine is one of my favorite sitcoms and last night's episode included what I saw as a tribute to TV icons Lucille Ball and Mary Tyler Moore, as well as
Seinfeld. Yes,
Julia Louis-Dreyfus had a true Elaine moment that was not only hilarious, but a real wink to her
Seinfeld fans.
The CBS sitcom came up with a doozy of a situation, although it felt familiar to me, which I'll explain why in a moment. Christine was determined to prove that she was not afraid of living alone and wound up locked out of her house. She climbed back in through a bathroom window and got her foot stuck in the toilet bowl!
Continue reading Christine's adventure includes nod to Seinfeld
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