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?

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

The man is a comedy actor who simply cannot shake a depressive streak off his back. It simply plagued his other attempts at comedy series. This one, though, got the right combo to allow laughs that were not undermined by some sad backstory. It did not have the ambitus nor time to become an A cathegory series, but it reminds of Frasier, and it is an enjoyable B series, who should not have been cancelled.

this contains all the right elements to make a good show , including the hit play , the great actors and the writers. but it doesn't bode well for the series that the pilot was so forced . the jokes and the dialog is just too fast and cramped . the whole writing seems forced . it looks like that the no of jokes that can be included are more important than timing , delivery or in some cases , even the quality.

the plot is just all too clear and the larger story seems likely to be non existent . the places to explore from hereon seems all too predictable and all too " so what else is new ?"

i don't personally have a problem with laugh tracks ( most of my favorite comedy shows have had them) . but at least nowadays,they do not seem necessary . i mean if the audience is not getting your joke without the track telling them , then it probably isn't that great . the pairing of the perry and Lennon is good and has a lot of potential but seriously , they need to put their hearts in and not increase the no of jokes just for the sake of it.