Suddenly Susan

After watching reruns of Suddenly Susan over the last couple of months I got strangely addicted to it. I find myself really looking forward to the "new" old episodes every day. I don't usually fall for American sitcoms, I prefer British sense of humour, but I really got to like this show. I love the characters (especially those in the first three seasons), and unlike some other viewers who have commented on it, I think there is real chemistry between Susan and Jack. I also think that Luis is an excellent character.

The one and only reason I ever tuned into this show was to see Judd Nelson on a regular basis. And on that point I was not disappointed. I found him to be charming and engaging and quite funny. And a pleasant surprise was the comedic abilities of the late David Strickland. He had an endearing quality combined with a knack for delivery. The glowing review ends there. Brooke Shields was hit and miss, with a strong emphasis on miss. She could be humorous at times, but it was usually due more to circumstance than her delivery or timing. Kathy Griffin's Vicky had an obnoxious nastiness that could wrangle a snicker out of me every now and again. But, Aundrea Benewald and Nestor Carbonell were forgettable window dressing for the most part. The last season was not pleasant and I think I only suffered through the season opener. I don't try and sit through any of the fourth season re-runs, even if nothing is on but infomercials.

Suddenly Susan is one of my wive's and my favorite series. It always makes us laugh out loud which is unusual of today's sitcoms. We are sorry we didn't discover it until it was on reruns. Of course, some humor is funnier than other and all is subject to the mood and personality of the viewer. In my opinion, Suddenly Susan stands head and shoulders over contemporary sitcoms and also has a little bit more heart than other shows which makes all the difference in the world.

I thought the tribute to David Strickland last night was extremely touching and surprisingly enough very funny. I know in my heart they did David Strickland very well with the tribute and the season finale. There was real emotion and sadness. I did not see anything phony about their sadness, it was truly genuine. On a more personal note, I really thought David Strickland was very funny and very talented. What it really all boils down to is listening to our youth and trying to understand the problems, because no matter what, there are always warning signs.

Brooke Shields was long overdue for recognition when she was finally given her chance to shine in this funny, quiet, unassuming little gem. What people seem to forget was, that it finished its first year in the top 4 in the Nielson ratings. It more than held viewers from the lead in show. Then NBC foolishly moved it. Always the kiss of death...or at least the beginning of the proverbial handwriting on the wall. However, this show defied the odds and improved in years 2 and 3! Thanks mainly to Brooke's self-deprecating humor and delivery which was reminiscent of Mary Tyler Moore. And supporting her was the cast's individual and unique contributions which were also reminiscent of that glorious cast of MTM. Now, in all fairness the shows writing didn't rival the show I have just used in comparison, but it more than surpassed shows that were on TV for triple the number of years than SS. It is more than worth your time for viewing! One day, if she returns to Movies and TV, Mrs. Henchy will receive her long overdue awards of merit to go with her long overdue "awards of motherhood"!