Nikki

I started watching this show as a progression from "Unhappily ever after" which has a number of hilarious scenes. The one with the rabbit voiced by Bobcat Goldthwait and Geof Piersens "Jack Malloy" trying to leave a message on the answer machine character was hilarious. In that show Nikki Cox plays Tiffany Malloy which became a breakout character later in the show and you could argue that the "Nikki" character is a more humanized version of that character without the assumed success of the Tiffany character. Not really sure I would want to watch a TV show based around the Tiffany characters projected life path really.

The show is based around Nikki and Dwights relationship, where Nikki is a Las Vegas showgirl and Dwight is wrestler. The early episodes open with dance numbers, often in jokingly bad taste but are interesting. The Dwight character is actually quite likable, not the mindless thug one would expect and much of the humour of the show works by challenging the assumptions people would have about the characters. He delivers the line "You know that feeling when someone is screwing around with you but deep down you know they like you. Well, I'm not getting that feeling" about meeting Nikki's father in season one episode 16 "I'll kick your Ass".

I found the support characters interesting Toby Huss's character "Jupiter" has many of the mannerisms of Groucho Marx, obviously without the cigar but in the tradition of a business man/ showman with a sometimes shoddy product. Susan Egans character is a comedic femme fatal character who is cheerfully amoral but we are lead to believe has heart of gold, because although much of the show has a darker gallows humour they are likable characters. Much comedy is about laughing at the darkness.

The first season of this show is absolutely hilarious. Some people don't like the dark ride, as evidenced by the cool reception given to the similarly-themed John Larroquette Show, but I do! The opening dance numbers were delightfully tacky, and the love story of Nikki and Dwight was sweet and sincere. I'm glad actress Nikki Cox continues on TV on NBC's Las Vegas, but it's a shame she couldn't have brought castmates Nick von Esmarch, Susan Egan, and the eternally-underappreciated Toby Huss with her (hang in there, Toby; it took *decades* for Joe Pantoliano to get his due, too). Alas, the good times ended with the second season, with Steve Valentine's exit (to Crossing Jordan), Nikki & Dwight losing their showgirl and wrestler jobs, and the re-focus of the show to the "wacky neighbors" in their apartment building. Huh??! Yuck!! Naturally the few fans the show had acquired left in droves, and the show died a quick death. I see the show has been enjoying distribution all over the world now (Portugal?!). Woe to those who have stumbled upon the later eps -- when they could have been outside watching grass grow, a far more entertaining way to pass the time.

"Unhappily Ever After", the previous Nikki Cox centered program, was an unashamed clone of "Married With Children" with the buxom Miss Cox playing the "Kelly Bundy" role of the pretty young woman, (although played as intelligent and pretty as opposed to Kelly's dumb and pretty). It began with a different premise, (about a talking rabbit puppet and a divorced set of parents) but languished (not surprisingly)and quickly degenerated into a show centered around Miss Cox's character. This was filled with the usual sit-com banalities uttered to the uproarious approval of the laugh track while featuring Miss Cox's formidable figure with leering delight.

The new show (the WB Network must really be hurting) is designed as a vehicle for Miss Cox, and her most noticeable attributes. Sadly, these are her only attributes. Miss Cox is supposed to be a Las Vegas dancer married to a WWF-type professional wrestler. She is far too gawky and clumsy to be a dancer (despite her alleged professional history in dance and the labored and elaborate dance numbers in which she is so prominently featured in the opening credits) and the "wrestler" wouldn't have made the cut at any Division II school; he too is a gawky chump. Neither character is likable and neither is funny, although the husband is not as gratingly unpleasant as Miss Cox. They are sad losers talking about poverty, drunkenness and unemployment. What a barrel of laughs!

We are supposed to be amused by their young-and-in-love antics as they struggle in marriage, but instead are subjected to her shrill rantings and unfunny facial contortions as the usual platitudes of sit-com plots are warmed over and served. The most amazing part of this is that you can tell Miss Cox thinks all she has to do is show up and lumber around the set emoting either of her two unfunny modes of "acting" (the caring wife and aggressive young professional) and people will tune in and laugh, just because it's her, Nikki!. Nobody would watch this show but for a glimpse of Miss Cox's ample cleavage (prominently displayed and sniggeringly commented upon in the scripts) for there is precious little else to see. Two ostensible "friends" have been manufactured for them as foils, but just seem like even bigger jerks than Nikki and her husband. Why would they be friends with these people (a conniving wrestling promoter and fellow dance-girl loser)? The parallel with Married With Children continues as dorky neighbors, an uptight shrew and a dopey meek husband wander by from time to time. Why not just call them Marcy and Steve? (the actress who played Marcy is directing this mess- what a surprise!).

The key of any of the successful TV shows has been that the audience develops an affinity for the lead characters, and likes them. Vehicles pinning their hopes simply on a "celebrity" (particularly a third-rate celebrity) fail without good writing; remember Jenny McCarthy's pathetic attempts?

Spare us from this misery WB, just show the old cartoons or Star Trek (original) episodes you have lying around. Nikki Cox is not funny, and this show just plain stinks.

I don't even have to write a lot to express how I feel about this show!! Actually, I have just two things to say: 1-The show is just one of the best on TV. Just so funny... 2-10 out of 10.

This is on daytime tv here in Aus at the moment, and I have to say that this show is one of the hilights of my daytime tv viewing. I am not a big fan of US sitcoms, but the actors and their characters are actually quite engaging in this one.

That is what makes a sitcom - the actors, and they really are all quite well suited to the characters here. I don't like wrestling, yet I find the wrestling situations funny in this show, I don't particularly like dancing/cabaret shows yet I also find this quite funny in this show. Definitely funny and worth watching.

and to add the lame comment at the end, there a very few actors sexier than that Susan Egan. Phwoarrr :-)