The Naked Truth

This was one of the best shows on the air. It had a good concept, funny story lines, and funny actors. Despite this, it didn't have a chance of making it. After the 1st season on NBC, they moved it out of it's Thursday night slot and took it off the air. As they did with LateLine, they brought it back weeks later on with almost no advertisements and almost no way for anyone to know that it was back on the air. By the time people began to realize it was back on, they moved it again, and again, and again, giving it less than a fighting chance to survive. They, eventually cancelled it, in the summer of 1998, showing the last episode, in which Nora and the cast all die at sea in a Hot Air balloon. It later came back in syndication on the USA network, where you can still see reruns of the show.

Tea Leoni plays Nora Wilde, a serious photographer, who is going through a bad divorce. She wants her freedom but it comes at a cost. She wants to legitimate photography but is hired to work for the tabloids as a paparazzi. Her boss is played by the wonderful and divine Holland Taylor. The show was well-written most of the time. TEa's Nora was beginning to develop into quite a memorable character but the network just didn't support comedy and they still don't. Even when they brought in George Wendt from Cheers, they made unnecessary changes in casting and characters. The show was fine in the beginning and the audience was getting used to it but then the network botches it up like a bad plastic surgery.

The ABC version of "The Naked Truth" is a cute, quirky comedy about Nora (Leoni) becoming a tabloid journalist after divorce. I enjoyed watching Nora and the gang get caught in awkward situations while trying to photograph celebrities. The NBC version is definitely less funny. But Tea Leoni shines in this series.

This is the only way I can describe the 3 seasons of this show. As with other shows that aren't in a league with "Friends" and "Frasier", the Powers That Be 'retooled' the show after the first season (the Good). Then the show just went from Bad to Ugly and was gone. I became a fan of Téa Leoni because of this show--back then, she was correctly described as "a cross between Lucille Ball and Sharon Stone"--and I was very disappointed when they 'retooled' and eventually cancelled the show (by that time, I was just happy they put it out of it's misery). This is a classic example of If-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it Syndrome. (And, by the way, calling Mark Roberts' character 'Stupid Dave' was funny!!!) I'm still a fan of Téa's (and her husband--I think his name is David-something;~}), and if this was the show that put her on the map, then it was worth it.

The first season of this show was brilliant! It was edgy, and took pot-shots at popular celebs. Unfortunately ABC canceled it. NBC picked it up, but destroyed it. They changed the tabloid to a magazine, made George Wendt the owner of the magazine, and immediately took the edge off (NBC can't be edgy at all, I think it must be in their charter). The show then sucked until the final episode, which took place in a hot air balloon. It was one of the only series finales that actually ended with style.