Hot in Cleveland

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.

This show is written and produced and STARS all my old favorites. As a woman of "a certain age" I can tell you...I am tired of shows I am embarrassed to watch with my 15 year old or with my mother.

This show reminds me of when T.V. was funny, actors were talented, and t.v. didn't have to be a guilty pleasure. I want EVERYONE to know that I am a Hot in Cleveland fan. And how great is it to see Betty White, yet once again? I hope this show has a great run! One of the posters said she hated that it wasn't on a bigger network, so that it could attract more viewers. I don't. A bigger network would cancel this show in a heartbeat - there are no loud, drunk fistfights, no whorish sluts cursing each other out, no vampires, half dressed girls, no misogynistic men,or gratuitous sex.

For those who don't have the cable network, the way to see this show is to join Netflicks, MegaVideo, or I-tunes. The price is worth it to keep this show coming.

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?"

When I heard about this show, I figured it would be "cute." What I was not prepared for was how spot-on it really is. I've lived in the L.A. area off and on for over 20 years, and all the L.A. references are painfully HONEST.

Wendie Malick, Jane Leeves, Valerie Bertinelli and Betty White are hysterical!

The story lines are very realistic ...L.A. is really a very SADLY over-rated place to live, for many reasons. The sunshine is nice, but even that gets boring after a while. Between the high price of living, the traffic and the shallow people, it's really an awful place to live for any "average" person. Ironically, this show comes at a time in my life when I have decided to relocate to my home town of Chicago.

I routinely experience just about all of the ones depicted on this show whenever I go back to Chicago. While it is true that there are shallow people everywhere in the world, L.A. seems to be the U.S. capital of "the beautiful people." Living here is very exclusionary; everything is about money, status, power and looks. If you have those things, you'll be included; if not, you are SOL, no matter how good or nice a person you are.

It is true that in Chicago - and other Midwestern cities, most of the real men are not salaciously panting after women 1/2 their age. It is true that in other places, mature women are appreciated more than merely discarded after the age of 30.

My only regret about this show is that it is not on a major network ... it would get more exposure that way! So glad that it got picked up for more episodes.

If you're a fan, let's all get the word out and keep this show on the air!

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.