The Odd Couple

I remember watching the 70s incarnation of The Odd Couple with Tony Randall and Jack Klugman and to me it was one of my favorite sitcoms.

I also remember with the New Odd Couple with Ron Glass and Demond Wilson and it wasn't very good since many of the episodes were remakes of the Randall-Klugman series.

Now, more than 30 years later, The Odd Couple is back, with Thomas Lennon as Felix and Matthew Perry (who is also the executive producer) as Oscar. It doesn't look a lot like the first two versions since there is a different supporting cast. Instead of the poker gang of Speed, Vinnie and Roy and also the Pigeon Sisters, there's Dani, Oscar's assistant played by Yvette Nicole Brown and Lindsay Sloane as their upstairs neighbor Emily.

The one character that's absent from this version is Murray the Cop. Al Molinaro made the character famous in the original and John Schuck took over the role in the Glass-Wilson version.

Also, Oscar is no longer a sportswriter, he's a sports radio talk show host. Felix is still a commercial photographer.

On the plus side, Lennon and Perry have good chemistry as Felix and Oscar. On the minus side, the episodes have a lot raunchier humor than the Randall-Klugman version.

The one thing the producers did right was bringing in Garry Marshall, who produced the first two versions as a consultant. With The Big Bang Theory as a lead in, it has been even more successful in the ratings than the first two versions. But can it sustain itself without Big Bang?

Matthew Perry hasn't had a lot of luck since 'Friends' ended. It's not for the want of trying. 'Studio 60' failed due to script issues, 'Mr Sunshine' wasn't given enough time by ABC, and 'Go On' felt too much like 'Community' to last. But to Perry's credit they were all shows that tried to be different.

It's strange then that 'The Odd Couple' is the only one to make it to season 2 and beyond, because it's as unashamedly retro as you can get.

Perry makes a convincing Oscar, and is ably supported by Thomas Lennon, who steals most of the scenes he is in. There's an all-star writing team behind the cameras, and a decent supporting cast in front too, so while this show will never be a classic in the way that 'Friends' was, it's a solid enough sitcom.

I've seen that the ratings for Season 3 have been quite low, so I think sadly it might not be long before Matthew Perry has to look around for another show once more.

This show has grown on me. The first season seemed not so funny, but as I have allowed the characters to grow, the show seemed to get funnier. Thomas Lennon has really been showing his acting attributes, and looking back on his other movie and TV roles, he is a pretty funny guy. Good chemistry between Thomas and Matthew. Wish it would ha e done better for them.

this contains all the right elements to make a good show , including the hit play , the great actors and the writers. but it doesn't bode well for the series that the pilot was so forced . the jokes and the dialog is just too fast and cramped . the whole writing seems forced . it looks like that the no of jokes that can be included are more important than timing , delivery or in some cases , even the quality.

the plot is just all too clear and the larger story seems likely to be non existent . the places to explore from hereon seems all too predictable and all too " so what else is new ?"

i don't personally have a problem with laugh tracks ( most of my favorite comedy shows have had them) . but at least nowadays,they do not seem necessary . i mean if the audience is not getting your joke without the track telling them , then it probably isn't that great . the pairing of the perry and Lennon is good and has a lot of potential but seriously , they need to put their hearts in and not increase the no of jokes just for the sake of it.

The laugh tracks they always put in comedy shows is so awful , just for that alone I don't want to watch this show. But I do like Perry shame he has another flop on his hands . I think he tries to hard to be funny and it just does not work . I could not even watch the show all the way through the darn laugh track really put me off. I did not laugh at all . So will try again with next episode , but do not hold out much hope . But as usual you have to write more lines for it to be published which is absolutely stupid. Anyway I was sitting her in the dark and right beside me this giant cockroach just crawled up the wall eeek , Well I am use to them so I just swatted him with my fist , so I generally need to go wash my hands now .