The Odd Couple

I remember watching the 70s incarnation of The Odd Couple with Tony Randall and Jack Klugman and to me it was one of my favorite sitcoms.

I also remember with the New Odd Couple with Ron Glass and Demond Wilson and it wasn't very good since many of the episodes were remakes of the Randall-Klugman series.

Now, more than 30 years later, The Odd Couple is back, with Thomas Lennon as Felix and Matthew Perry (who is also the executive producer) as Oscar. It doesn't look a lot like the first two versions since there is a different supporting cast. Instead of the poker gang of Speed, Vinnie and Roy and also the Pigeon Sisters, there's Dani, Oscar's assistant played by Yvette Nicole Brown and Lindsay Sloane as their upstairs neighbor Emily.

The one character that's absent from this version is Murray the Cop. Al Molinaro made the character famous in the original and John Schuck took over the role in the Glass-Wilson version.

Also, Oscar is no longer a sportswriter, he's a sports radio talk show host. Felix is still a commercial photographer.

On the plus side, Lennon and Perry have good chemistry as Felix and Oscar. On the minus side, the episodes have a lot raunchier humor than the Randall-Klugman version.

The one thing the producers did right was bringing in Garry Marshall, who produced the first two versions as a consultant. With The Big Bang Theory as a lead in, it has been even more successful in the ratings than the first two versions. But can it sustain itself without Big Bang?

When you try to recreate something that some people are considering it a classic, obviously you are going to get bashed. How about when that something tries to recreate two "classics"? So. There is a 1968 American black comedy film written by Neil Simon,and starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. AND...a 1970 TV series starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman! Both are considered as "classics". (Also there was a play back in 1965 and a ...cartoon with the same characters) Haven't seen the movie and I barely remember the series (except the characteristic music theme) so I'm not going to compare them with the 2015 incarnation.

It's about Felix and Oscar. Two divorced men. Felix is neat and tidy while Oscar is sloppy and casual. They share a Manhattan apartment, and their different lifestyles inevitably lead to conflicts and laughs.

Obviously such a premise is not as modern as it might looked half of a century ago but there is still enough material to create some comical situations.

In the 2015 version Thomas Lennon stars as the neat Felix and Matthew Perry as the loose Oscar. I'm now watching the 11th episode and I can say that after a slow start, it is getting better. There is some chemistry between the 2 actors but is Thomas Lennon that holds the show in my opinion. Perry is a great comedian but here is mediocre. As Oscar, the only feeling I get from him is that he cares about Felix. Otherwise the comedic elements are less prominent.

The script in the latest episodes is good. Some of the secondary characters get more plot lines and that benefits the show. Especially Lindsay Sloane who plays Emily a bartender who is in love with Felix.

There is a fake laugh track that I always consider a minus.

Overall: It's OK. Not bad. I'll keep watching. I know there is some hate but IMO don't take it into any account. It's possibly because there is the recreation of 2-5 classics and maybe because Matthew Perry has many haters. For me it is lighthearted and enjoyable.

The laugh tracks they always put in comedy shows is so awful , just for that alone I don't want to watch this show. But I do like Perry shame he has another flop on his hands . I think he tries to hard to be funny and it just does not work . I could not even watch the show all the way through the darn laugh track really put me off. I did not laugh at all . So will try again with next episode , but do not hold out much hope . But as usual you have to write more lines for it to be published which is absolutely stupid. Anyway I was sitting her in the dark and right beside me this giant cockroach just crawled up the wall eeek , Well I am use to them so I just swatted him with my fist , so I generally need to go wash my hands now .

Matthew Perry hasn't had a lot of luck since 'Friends' ended. It's not for the want of trying. 'Studio 60' failed due to script issues, 'Mr Sunshine' wasn't given enough time by ABC, and 'Go On' felt too much like 'Community' to last. But to Perry's credit they were all shows that tried to be different.

It's strange then that 'The Odd Couple' is the only one to make it to season 2 and beyond, because it's as unashamedly retro as you can get.

Perry makes a convincing Oscar, and is ably supported by Thomas Lennon, who steals most of the scenes he is in. There's an all-star writing team behind the cameras, and a decent supporting cast in front too, so while this show will never be a classic in the way that 'Friends' was, it's a solid enough sitcom.

I've seen that the ratings for Season 3 have been quite low, so I think sadly it might not be long before Matthew Perry has to look around for another show once more.

first of all they should lose the laugh track even though I am a fan of it but I think it does not fit here . I really like Matthew but to be honest he is not doing so well here especially in the first half of the season. it feels like he is reading from a paper he really can do better and he is always stressed and often kind of screaming, he needs to be more comfortable. but overall the script is good and really funny and just with some improvements this show can be great. Thomas Lennon is doing really good and I like him the most in the show. I am looking forward to the next season and I think it is going to be really good. I give it a 6 of 10