La cruda realidad

This was one of the best shows on the air. It had a good concept, funny story lines, and funny actors. Despite this, it didn't have a chance of making it. After the 1st season on NBC, they moved it out of it's Thursday night slot and took it off the air. As they did with LateLine, they brought it back weeks later on with almost no advertisements and almost no way for anyone to know that it was back on the air. By the time people began to realize it was back on, they moved it again, and again, and again, giving it less than a fighting chance to survive. They, eventually cancelled it, in the summer of 1998, showing the last episode, in which Nora and the cast all die at sea in a Hot Air balloon. It later came back in syndication on the USA network, where you can still see reruns of the show.

27 year old Nora Wilde (Téa Leoni) divorces her cheating newspaper magnet husband Leland Banks. She proclaims that she doesn't want a dime and gets back only her name. He blackballs her as a photojournalist from the industry and she can only get a job on a tabloid. Camilla Dane (Holland Taylor) is her new boss and Nicky Columbus is a fellow photographer. Chloe Banks (Amy Ryan) is her step-daughter.

The first season has Leoni trying to be the new Lucille Ball with some success. Holland Taylor is great. The premise should allow for celeb cameo like Extras. Nicky is a problem but Chloe is a bigger problem. Amy Ryan is in her late 20's and she has always seem like an older spirit. She's only two years younger than Leoni in real life. The role fits more as a younger flakey spoiled rich girl. Non of that screams Amy Ryan. At least, she should be Nora's roommate or get a job at the Comet to piss off her father. The first season is a zany single gal sitcom. It has its moments and has some fun.

The show moved from ABC to NBC for the second season. Amy Ryan gets faded out. Some retooling is tried like adding Norm from Cheers except he's mean but not mean enough to be funny. Stupid Dave is now just Dave. He turns from loveable idiot to stupid weirdo. While Nick is not that good, the rotating door of bad dates is worst. Mark may as well be a blank. Her new home is more homey. Her first season home is an empty Laverne & Shirley L.A. apartment which is interesting and a little quirky. NBC turns the show into a more standard 90's network workplace sitcom. It loses a bit of spice but probably fits better with the rest of the network comedies. The show gets a nice bump from the network change.

The retooling continues in the third season. Only Nora, Camilla, and Dave survive the purge. Dave is the best secondary character but Dave stops being stupid and stops being fun. Holland Taylor is the other important actress. They join another paper with a whole new cast. Jake is a lesser Nicky but at least, he's more than Mark. The show loses its chemistry. Leoni even tries changing her hair. The viewership takes a nosedive and the show gets cancelled. It's a failure in retooling.

This is the only way I can describe the 3 seasons of this show. As with other shows that aren't in a league with "Friends" and "Frasier", the Powers That Be 'retooled' the show after the first season (the Good). Then the show just went from Bad to Ugly and was gone. I became a fan of Téa Leoni because of this show--back then, she was correctly described as "a cross between Lucille Ball and Sharon Stone"--and I was very disappointed when they 'retooled' and eventually cancelled the show (by that time, I was just happy they put it out of it's misery). This is a classic example of If-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it Syndrome. (And, by the way, calling Mark Roberts' character 'Stupid Dave' was funny!!!) I'm still a fan of Téa's (and her husband--I think his name is David-something;~}), and if this was the show that put her on the map, then it was worth it.

I completely agree! I loved this show. I think it could have been around for a long time if the network didn't screw up so bad. My husband and I watched it the first time around and the second time. the other thing the network did was they changed her hair color. I think they thought she needed a makeover but the truth is all the show needed was a good time slot.

Thursday nights was perfect. Tea Leoni is awesome, of course so is her husband! I hate when they finally come up with a great show concept and then don't support it. Sometimes it takes awhile for a show to catch on anyway. Who would have thought Friends was going to be so big? And Cheers?

Seinfeld? My family used to watch another great show that never stood a chance. Early Edition. We loved it but now we watch it on reruns.

I stumbled across rerun syndication of this show several years ago, and fell in love with it. It features Téa Leoni and Holland Taylor and kept me laughing, one episode after the next. I guess it didn't make it so big, and was cancelled after a few seasons, but I believe it was a good run, and would suggest watching it...if the opportunity arises.