The Marriage Ref

I caught the premiere of "The Marriage Ref" after the Closing Ceremony of the Vancouver Games, and I am hooked. Not your typical reality dreck at all. Fast paced, funny and real. Great to see Jerry Seinfeld back on TV, but it's not all about him. The burden will be on the producers to find ammunition for the panel in the form of squabbling couples, and I don't think it's a problem. I'm sure there are no shortage of them, and plenty of stars who will be pleased to appear on this fresh, fun show. Pretty harmless, but deadly funny!

Unlike typical reality schlock, this show is quick, entertaining and to the point. One half of the show is devoted to each of two couples resolving issues, like, one partner wanting a recently deceased dog stuffed and placed in the home and the other partner disagreeing. Awesome! Tom Papa is a great host/referee. If they can keep the momentum going, this might make it. Great idea, great show.

Like many, I saw the ads during the Olympics. I also saw Seinfeld was attached to it, which, IMHO, gave me hope. So I decided to tune in. I thought I would like it, at least a little. A "guilty pleasure", if nothing else. It seemed a concept which had potential.

When I heard the cacophonous canned laughter which roared at every line, I felt myself tense up a little. Usually, the louder the canned laughter, the weaker the material. As I heard the script, the knot in my stomach only got worse.

The lines were insincere and contrived. The humor and jokes hackneyed. The situations unbelievable and ridiculous.

I honestly don't know what Jerry Seinfeld was thinking. While he contributed a scant bit of amusing banter in the pilot episode, it wasn't nearly enough to rescue what was otherwise a train wreck.

I wasn't expecting too much. As I wrote; I expected it to be cheap thrills and "guilty pleasure" material. That shouldn't have been too hard to achieve. Yet it failed to rise to even this level.

Maybe if they didn't try so hard, it would be better. This show seemed too desperate to scream "LAUGH AT US! PLEEEEAAASSE"! It's a sad waste of a concept with good potential and a waste of what could have been a good idea.

I guess it COULD get better with time, if it's completely re-vamped. But I'm not holding my breath.

Who's the sound person? The canned laughter is louder than the commentary. Several times I couldn't hear the joke. It might have been funny, who knows.

And who's in charge of the editing? Some of the conversation was actually going somewhere and all of a sudden it was just over, queue the host. Huh?

Also, two many couples. The results definitely felt forced. Just when everyone hit their timing they were on to the next couple. Maybe three but more than that? Send it to Short Attention Span Theater.

It has potential and seems like the hosts are giving their real opinions not what they think the "popular" answer should be. Not to mention that Seinfeld is bringing in A-list guests. Where would you see Larry David, Ricky Gervais, and Madonna discussing relationships? I want to see that.

First things first: fix the sound and editing and try again. It might be actually be a good show if you can hear it and potentially funny parts aren't edited out.

UPDATE 3/16/10: Saw the Larry David, Ricky Gervais and Madonna episode and laughed my butt off! What a great combination of people. And I could hear what they were saying besides which really helps.

I think that the guests will make or break the show. Put the the three above together and they've struck gold.

Now I'm waiting for the third show because that's a potential tie-breaker. Right now though? Love it.

I love this show. It reminds me of all of those silly and funny game shows of the 70s. Yes, not crazy about the host but he may get better with time. This show does not pretend to be anything else. I like the idea of different panels. Again its like Match Game or one of those. They need to have Betty White on it, she was queen of those shows. I grew up on those shows and they were always fun to me with their "Whoopie" comments and innuendos. These other reviewers take themselves way too seriously. It is just meant to be silly fun. I do think they will run out of people but then again everyone in America seems to love airing their dirty laundry.

I am a big Jerry S. fan and when I heard he was doing a new show, I was really looking forward to seeing it.

After watching the first two episodes, I have to say it's a pretty good idea and it is really enjoyable too.

Basically, three celebrities gather each week and they are presented with a few couples arguing about some unusual thing. Each celebrity takes a side (the husband's or the wife's) and after that, the argument is ended. The one who is right is the one who has two or three of the celebrities on their side. A simple idea but fun nonetheless.

The show is funny and it's nice to watch it with your family as it might be more fun if you would comment with them on the side of the show.

Of course, as most of the shows, it's not perfect. The presenter, Tom Papa, is a bit annoying in my opinion but it doesn't matter as the guests speak most of the time. Also, the crowd's laughter is sometimes a bit too loud and you might not hear the couple's presentation or what the guests say.

All in all, a good show. I hope its small flaws will disappear and it will become even better in time. 9/10