American Idol 2008 - Jezebel James is proof that sitcoms are in need of great ideas
‘Jezebel James’ is proof that sitcoms are in need of great ideas
Fox rolls out a new sitcom tonight that has a pretty good pedigree, but it makes you wonder what has happened to TV comedy over the decades.
“The Return of Jezebel James,” co-starring Parker Posey and Lauren Ambrose, makes its debut with back-to-back episodes at 8 and 8:30.
The sitcom is the creation of Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband, Daniel Palladino. They were responsible for “Gilmore Girls” on CW, which the critics loved but which was ratings-challenged and ultimately axed.
“The Return of Jezebel James” finds the Palladinos once again focusing on a family relationship, only this time it’s between sisters rather than a mom/daughter kind of thing like in “Gilmore Girls.”
The story line revolves around Sarah (Posey), who is a perfectionist, germ-obsessed children’s book editor. She’s in her 30s and hears the biological clock ticking loudly — especially since her live-in boyfriend of almost a decade has flown the coop. So she decides to have a baby on her own until her doctor tells her she can’t.
Then Sarah comes up with the idea of having her estranged sister, Coco (Ambrose), carry a baby for her. Coco looks like a refugee from an Army surplus store. She dresses grunge style and has an attitude to match. But she’s out of work and without a place to live, so she and her sister are going to be bunkmates for at least nine months.
There you have the plot for the six-episode series, which was cut back from 13 episodes and shifted at the last minute to the Friday night no-man’s land of reruns and wrestling. Both moves indicate Fox must be having second thoughts about the show. There’s good reason for misgivings.
“The Return of Jezebel James” just isn’t that funny or touching, if that’s what it’s supposed to be. Posey is completely unconvincing, especially in her sobbing scenes. Ambrose is a little better, but neither one acts like she wants to be there.
Anyway, “The Return of Jezebel James” makes you wonder what happened to the days when great sitcoms ruled the airwaves.
A little over a decade ago four of the top-five shows were comedies. In the 1994-95 season, 12 out of 20 were comedies. Last season there were no sitcoms in the top 10 and only one (”Two and a Half Men”) in the top 20.
Gone are the days when “Seinfeld” drew 33 million people weekly in 1998 as the most-watched series. Not so long ago “Frasier,” “Friends” and “Home Improvement” had near “American Idol”-like ratings.
You don’t have to go back that far, though. “Everybody Loves Raymond” was a hit in the 2005-06 season.
Of course, the golden days of comedy were the 1970s and ’80s when great sitcoms such as “M*A*S*H,” “Mary Tyler Moore,” “Cheers,” “All in the Family” and others were huge hits.
Or return to the days of “The Andy Griffith Show” or “The Honeymooners.” There’s a reason why many of those sitcoms are still airing today. They were funny, well-written and well-acted. Top-drawer stuff never gets old.
So what’s happened today? Why are we asked to yuk it up over “Cavemen,” “Carpoolers” and so many other losers? Why is “The Return of Jezebel James” so predictably blah?
Have we forgotten how to laugh? Or have the networks lost their ability to make us smile? America hasn’t lost its sense of humor, but the TV networks may have.
The recent writers’ strike should remind us that you can have a big budget, a great cast and even the best of time slots, but if you don’t have a terrific idea and somebody who can put the right words in the actors’ mouths, you ain’t got a thing, as the old song said. All of which makes “The Return of Jezebel James” a bit of a mystery, since the Palladinos are supposed to be a top-notch creative team.