Skip to main content

I’m Mad About Mad About You


Multiple outlets are reporting Sony is in talks to revive the 1990s NBC sitcom MAD ABOUT YOU.  Created by Paul Reiser and Danny Jacobson, the show starred Reiser and Helen Hunt as married couple Paul and Jamie Buchman. The series, which ran from 1992-1999 and won multiple Emmy’s, is the latest 90s comedy to potentially get a revival and frankly I'm not mad about it, I'm disappointed.  

Nobody is asking for more of this tripe.  The show was neither a ratings hit nor a critical darling.  It’s highest rated season was the 1994-1995 season when it was #11 in the Nielsen Ratings, averaging a 15.2 share with an average audience size of 14.5 million people.  The show didn’t crack the top 20 in any other season during its run and finished a dismal 85th in its final season, with just 9.1 million viewers. If Mad About You could somehow pull in 9.1 million viewers today it would be a hit; in fact, it still runs in syndication, both domestically and internationally, so there’s some reason to think there may be an audience out there for the show’s blend of tired one-liners and hackneyed observations about marriage.  However, in an era in which everything gets a second life on streaming platforms, Mad About You is conspicuously absent from Netflix or Hulu.  And, to me, there’s the rub. 

My guess is nobody is actually talking about remaking Mad About You.  After the utter failure that was 2010’s The Paul Reiser Show, which was cancelled after just two episodes, Paul Reiser’s profile has been upped a bit by roles on Stranger Things and in a couple of films but that hardly seems to warrant bringing a D List 90s sitcom back from the dead. More likely, Sony is in talks to renew the syndication rights to the series and possibly considering selling distribution rights to Hulu.  They leak a story about a possible revival to gauge audience interest and potentially drive up their price by creating the illusion of demand for something nobody truly believes would be a commercial or artistic success. 

Here is a brief list of NBC sitcoms I’d rather see revived than Mad About You:

NewsRadio:  Obviously the show was never the same show after Phil Hartman was murdered but the core cast of Dave Foley, Maura Tierney, Stephen Root and Joe Rogan are all still working regularly and the creator, Paul Simms, was an EP on ATLANTA, so he might have some contemporary insight to bring to the revival. 

Wings: Before LA to Vegas took flight, Wings was your hilarious look at the misadventures of an airline.  Starring Tim Daly, Steven Weber, Thomas Haden Church and Tony Shalhoub, the cast has some legitimate acting chops and it could be fun to see them all back together again. 

The Single Guy: Is Jonathan Silverman still alive? 

Veronica’s Closet:  Same question but about Kirstie Alley. 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Another Week, Another "#PilotFight" on (last week's) La To Vegas.

On the February 27 episode of LA to Vegas, “#PilotFight,” Ronnie deals with a toothache, Captain Dave agrees to fight his nemesis and Artem and Nichole take bets on the bout.   I’m writing recaps and reviews of this show and I kinda forgot about it.  That’s probably not a good sign. BEGIN SPOILAGE   Ronnie has a toothache and goes to see a Dentist, who turns out to be Artem.   After a few funny scenes between Captain Dave and Copilot Alan in which they play the hand slap game and elude to going to couples therapy together, which is a funnier story than the one we have this week, we reveal one of the passengers is disgraced Pilot Steve, played by Dermot Mulroney.   Steve is there to pick a fight with Captain Dave. The two agree to fight later at the Vegas airport.   When they land in Vegas, Ronnie’s toothache is out of control so Artem does some improvised dental surgery. Colin, who is a university-trained boxer, attempts to teach Dave how to fight but Dave ca
Post a Comment
Read more

LA to Vegas Takes Flight Early on Hulu

LA to Vegas is a Fox single-camera workplace comedy about the Jackpot Airlines flight crew and passengers who regularly fly from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and back again.   The show is created by HAPPY ENDINGS, UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT, I'M SORRY scribe Lon Zimmet, who conceived the series after ending his long time writing partnership.   Zimmet executive produces along with Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Steve Levitan, who also directed the first two episodes. THIS RECAP CONTAINS SPOILERS.  SCROLL DOWN TO THE REVIEW.  The pilot episode opens with Ronnie, played by Kim Matula, making her way to the airport. A sense of mystery about her purpose and great use of obstacles help us bond with her as she leaves a voicemail inquiring about another job while rushing through airport security, then changes into her flight attendant uniform as she dashes through the terminal, flashing other passengers in the process. Once on the plane, she greets the passengers warmly and banters
Post a Comment
Read more

How'd This Get on the Air? LA to Vegas

Development is the name given to the process of metamorphosis an idea for a TV show undergoes as it moves from a writer’s head to becoming a produced episode of television. During the development process, the show transforms from a rough sketch or pitch to words on a script page to dialogue in an actor’s mouth to a completed episode, replete with slick edits and a killer soundtrack.   This process is one of both change and collaboration, as the network executives work with creators to bring the most artistically sound, most commercially viable ideas to light. Examining the development process provides a fascinating opportunity to see the crossroads of art and commerce where network television is born.   The Fox sitcom LA to Vegas provides an interesting case study.   Pilot season is the time during which network executives look for new shows.   Pilot season usually begins two summers before the autumn in which the shows will debut. So, the shows which debuted in Autumn o
Post a Comment
Read more