Hot in Cleveland

Love this show. Watched for the first time as streaming video from Netflix. Betty White steals the show. Actually, I laughed out loud for the first time when she said her first line in the pilot. I've lived in California so I know how plastic it is. Three women of a, ahem, "certain" age are on their way to Paris for fun and men when their plane makes an emergency landing in Cleveland. They go to a bar and find that "real" men are giving them the eye. There are some really funny lines in relation to that scenario ("They're looking at me and not through me!") - so true after you hit a certain age. Anyway, the Valerie Bertinelli character decides to rent a Victorian house for a monthly rent that would be the amount charged in LA for one night and stick around a while. Betty White's character comes with the house as the caretaker. It's a fun show, especially for women of a "certain" age who can relate.

Wendy Malick, Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Betty White are "Hot in Cleveland" in this new TV Land series produced by "Will and Grace" star Sean Hayes.

It's a slim premise - a soap star (Malick) whose show has been canceled, a new divorcée (Bertinelli), and a makeup artist (Leeves) set off for Paris from Los Angeles only to be grounded in Cleveland. With bleak prospects waiting for them back home, and noting the attentive looks they get from men in a local bar, they decide to stay a while. The Bertinelli character rents a house, where the caretaker is Elke (Betty White).

So far, this is a very funny show, with marvelous performances. With Malick and Frasier's Daphne starring, that's to be expected. White is amazing - 88 and still going strong and still a master of timing. The weak sister for me is Bertinelli, whose comedy seems forced.

As a baby boomer myself, I like seeing shows relating to my age group featuring older actresses, who, like the Malick character, really do find the going rough in Hollywood, particularly if they're too attractive for character roles. And it is true, particularly in a youth-oriented town like L.A., older women are pretty much invisible to men their own age. It's probably true anywhere, but particularly there.

I'm really enjoying it, and I hope it's picked up for more episodes.

Hot In Cleveland is certainly the new Golden Girls. They're all smart, funny, beautiful "mature" women who are not ready to fade away quietly just yet. They prove that you don't have to be young to make a hit TV show. And although Betty White does carry a fair bit of the show the other women are vital contributors. There is a lot of comedic talent in this show and the cast and the many celebrity guest appearances only serve to add value.

The premise may be a little odd at first and may not be completely plausible but when you learn to roll with it you can really enjoy all the craziness and zany antics. It brings me back to the times when comedy shows were organic and didn't take themselves so seriously. It's refreshing to see and most importantly makes me laugh.

This is a great show! The three main cast members work perfectly together, and of course Betty White in the show is the VERY sweet icing on this cake. Too bad we only get 8 episodes this season, but that's better than none!

The three best friends land in Cleveland, expecting it to be a boring, uncultured town, and to their delight it's a fun and incredible place with men who find them very attractive, and the feeling is mutual.

They decide to stay, but then they find out that a caretaker named Elka (White) comes with the house. Elka is a perfect foil for the trio.

And all of the women in this new "Fab Four" looking amazing!

Yes, the writing's mediocre, and the laugh track is really annoying - However, there are four actresses here that are fun to watch, and I'd rather watch this than some lame reality show.

When I wake up in the middle of the night and want to watch something I've recorded, I would choose a new "Hot in Cleveland" episode over an episode of something that I've seen three times before. Sure the situations are not realistic, but it's fun to watch Valerie, Wendy, Jane and Betty work at turning those silly scripts into something funny.

P.S. Love the look on Huey Lewis's face as he asks "Victoria":

"Is it magically delicious?"