Old Christine

I am an idiot! I, apparently like many viewers, did not give this show a chance during its first run. I recently discovered it in reruns at 11:30 p.m. and fell in love with the show. Have you seen any of the current sit-coms? None of them (at least with my minimal cable access) can even elicit a smile out of me, and I'm a fairly easy audience. "Christine" is so refreshing, and now it's gone! I can't find it on anywhere, but I couldn't let it go without giving it my applause in print. What this show had was a great comedic cast, and what made them great was their dialog AND delivery. Few entertainers have what I call good comedic timing. It's the difference between Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, and I don't think it can be taught. For the actors on "Christine," the comedy seemed to come naturally, and the timing was perfect. I'm sorry it took me so long to pay attention, and I'm so grateful for all the laughs. If I can buy these shows on DVD, I'll just have to re-re-re-re- run them all.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays the titular "old Christine" in this sitcom about a mother who struggles with day to day issues, mostly because of her own foibles. If you like Elaine in "Seinfeld", you will probably enjoy JLD's portrayal of Christine, which is similar to Elaine if Elaine had a kid and an ex-husband and owned a business.

She is surrounded by cast members whose characters serve as mirrors to her simple neuroses, even if she doesn't want to see them. Clark Gregg, as the ex-husband, has moved on romantically, but he is still in her life and willing to point out her shortcomings matter-of-factly. Wanda Sykes is a friend who also acknowledges Christine's personality shortcomings, but is willing to be her business partner.

But it is Ms. Dreyfus who drives this comedy, with her usual self-deprecating style and the ability to hold an entire show together with her personality and style.

I really enjoyed this show! The entire cast was great and played so well off each other. The last season did get a little odd as sitcoms often do when they run out of fresh ideas, but then it sort of bounced back. I'm assuming it was cancelled without warning due to the last episode not really tying any loose ends up. You would never know it was the final episode. In fact it seemed as if they were setting up the next season which sadly never happened. Damn these networks!

This show is a mixed bag, its likable characters managing to prop up its dramatic emptiness an often flat writing.Julia Louis-Dreyfus has aged well, and still can steal a scene with smile or eye roll. Her character here is raunchier than the refined Elaine of Seinfed days. Hamish Linklater and Clark Gregg provide likable foils as Christine's brother and ex-husband. Both have a knack for allowing space for Dreyfus's out sized overacting. The other characters are less successful. Emily Rutherfurd'a new Christine character is somewhat undefined and largely unlikeable. I would have thought the show would center around a counterpoint of new and old Christine, but new Chistine seldom interacts with Louis-Dreyfus at all, and often seems a dramatic after thought. Wanda Sykes plays old Chistine's friend and business associate. Her classic black sitcom stylings seem a little out of place in this white bread comedy. But she gets good lines and proves a likable--if not lovable-- curmudgeon. Its not Seinfeld, but its not bad either.

Couldn't help but notice that nobody's commented on this show yet so I thought I would. As far as I know it's doing pretty well in the ratings so far and I'm glad to hear it. I think Julia Louis Dreyfus may finally have a shot at stomping out the Seinfeld curse.

I'll start by saying the premise won't blow anyone off their ass. Christine (Dreyfus) has been divorced for a little while but she has a good relationship with her ex and together they juggle the responsibilities of their son together, focusing obviously more on Christine who the kid lives with. Christine has a brother that lives in the guest house who serves as a nanny (or as he prefers, manny) and her ex has a new girlfriend named Christine, or new Christine, hence the title. The premise struck a resemblance to Reba pretty quickly, but the characters, particularly Julia herself more than make up for the familiar premise. She's got enough of Elaine injected into her personality to satisfy Seinfeld fans like myself but changed enough to carry on a new show. She can be ditsy and over the top like Elaine but she's always concerned in the end about doing the right thing, even if it doesn't always turn out that way. The characters are good too and play off each other pretty well, but I won't get into breaking them down too heavily.

A big plus for the show so far is it hasn't gotten sappy at all. It's a little early to make that comment but I will anyway, so far so good. I hate when sitcoms have those heartfelt moments, they should save that crap for full house reruns. I thought I might be in for some of that stuff given that it's about a divorced mom, but it pokes fun at pretty much every potentially sappy moment, and in the end that's what makes it worth while. It's definitely not Seinfeld but as long as people give it a chance to develop I think it could have a pretty long shelf life.