What About Joan

Joan Gallagher (Joan Cusack) is a Chicago high school teacher. She is shocked when her banker boyfriend Jake Evans (Kyle Chandler) surprises her with a marriage proposal. Her fellow teachers friends Betsy Morgan (Jessica Hecht) and Mark Ludlow (Wallace Langham) are secretly dating. She befriends new teacher Alice Adams (Kellie Shanygne Williams). Her other best friend Dr. Ruby Stern (Donna Murphy) is an expert therapist. The second season loses Betsy and gains Steinie (Jeff Garlin) who owns Jake's favorite bar.

I don't remember this and there's a good reason for that. The first season is actually fine. I always like Joan Cusack. Normal single gal network sitcoms usually have a super cute girl who can't find a boyfriend for some unfathomable reason. Joan has never been the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. While she does Manic, mostly she's the quirky best friend. There are other minor issues but it's a fine network sitcom. The second season falters with some of the changes. Most of all, the network threw it out there less than a month after 9-11. I remember those times as being very trying. Comedy had a tough time and standard sitcoms became even more disposable. What About Joan came and went without making a mark.

I wish Joan had more time as a single gal. She's missing the will they or won't they part of the romance. Kyle Chandler is good as usual and they have some fun chemistry. She even gets her real sister Ann Cusack an episode to play with. There is an issue with Ruby Stern. She has no natural direct connection to Joan other than being a friend. They don't hang out in a repeated spot. She's not a teacher so she can't hang out at the school. At the very least, Joan could be living in her spare bedroom so they have natural time together. The show tries to make Steinie's bar as the hangout spot in the second season. I don't think it works. The teachers' lounge is great but that's the only repeated spot that works. It's questionable whether Joan Cusack is a good lead at this type of network sitcom and the aftermath of 9-11 finished this off.

I gotta tell ya. I just love Joan Cusack anything she is in I'll watch. And let me tell you this show is hilarious. This going to be a big hit. The show just works. The cast, the writing all are just brilliant.

The episode with the father in law where she's flipping out behind the couch was one of the funniest things I ever saw on TV, with the father in law's punch line something like, "impolite is one thing but this broad's just rude." I only saw it that one time, so I forget some of it, but I remember the tears in my eyes, and how it went to commercial after that and I was still laughing when it came back. Oh, man! Too bad she's selling phones or something, instead of making more comedy like that. That show is up there with the Frasier "Buttons And Bows" scene, Sanford And Son in the traffic court, and some great Taxis and Odd Couples, among other programs and episodes that will come to me later. If someone remembers more of that one, post it here, or tell me if someone has a DVD of it.

This show could really have been something. It has got good actors/actresses, especially Joan Cusack and Kyle Chandler, but the writing is lousy! I didn't laugh a single time when I watched an episode of this show. Sure, you might think that it is too early to decide about a show after one episode, but I'm telling you, I won't watch another episode without a fat paycheck. Don't waste your time on this one!

"WHAT ABOUT JOAN," is my opinion, is a pretty good ABC sitcom. I don't think I've seen every episode, but I still enjoyed it. It's hard to say which episode was my favorite. However, I think it was always funny when a mishap occurred. I always laughed at that. Despite the fact that it was a short-lived series, it was nice that all the main characters stayed with the show throughout its entire run. It seems that no one stays with a show throughout its entire run. Everyone always gave a good performance, the production design was spectacular, the characters and everything about them were well-designed, and the writing was always very strong. In conclusion, I hope some network brings it back on the air for fans of the show to see.