The Paula Poundstone Show

My memory is this show was among the first aired with a network producing it after the FCC lifted the ban on doing such (prior to 1970 many shows were produced by TV networks -- Gilligan and Wild Wild West being two examples from that era; Viacom was formed by taking the rights of the many shows CBS owned and had to divest). The buzz was ABC put it on their schedule because they owned it only to have it turn out there really was nothing beyond a title and a star attached to it. The show ended up being an uneasy hybrid that suffered from its creative uncertainty. To this day there is a suspicion that networks are biased toward shows they also produce; George Lopez complained that his show's cancellation was partly because ABC didn't have a stake in it and therefore wanted to make room for its own shows.

If there ever was a visual equivalent of hemorrhoids, The Paula Poundstone Show would certainly qualify. I have never seen her stand-up comedy routine, so I can't really compare it to this, but after sitting thru this painful attempt at prime-time programing, I have no desire to find out how she stacks up to the likes of Jerry Seinfeld. The two examples that stand out are, a) a video tour of the outside of Leslie Nielsen's home, which, apparently was taken after dusk, as nothing could be seen, and b) a reading of "Where The Wild Things Are", which made absolutely no sense. The good news is that the viewing public was spared any more TV Torture Time since the network canceled the series after the first episode.

Rating: 0 out of *****

i was 11 years old when i remember having to sit and watch this show. i remember it being absolute torture still to this day. its 2012 now and i am almost 30 and the memory of how awful this show was remains with me. i looked it up on IMDb to see what other thought because i was 11 at the time and i figured maybe i just couldn't comprehend. i didn't know it was canceled after that 1 episode i just happened to endure. surely if you are reading this now it is because you where either part of the making of this crap and have done nothing else with your life and wanted to reflect or like me hated it so much so long ago that you wanted to check just to make sure it wasn't just a nightmare you had. IT REALLY HAPPENED!

This series is Paula's six-episode HBO show. The other reviewers are leaving comments about her ABC show from 1990. This show was charming, with a healthy dose of her standup in each episode and excellent music. (The ABC show had great music as well.)