Samantha Qui?

Recently rewatched this as I remembered quite liking it the first time around. The whole cast compliments each other well, but in my opinion Jennifer Esposito steals the show in every scene she's in. Her portrayal of Andrea is hilarious. Why this show didn't last beyond two seasons is beyond me.

The show only lasted 2 seasons and probably could've only really eeked out another season or 2 on the premise it had. But for what it was it was very entertaining when it did last. Christina Applegate is in her best role since being Kelly Bundy on Married with Children. Christina is far better and more charming in this role then she is in her current role on Up All Night. Melissa McCarthy and Jennifer Esposito are also really good in their roles as her best friends with Kevin Dunn and Jean Smart both really solid in the roles of Samantha's parents. The show was good since you could see Samantha really making an effort to change her life but you also got to see flashbacks of when she used to be a total b*tch.

The series was unusual in tackling the issue of original sin, or of free will. Is Samantha born to sin as the sparks fly upward? And the issue was handled with a good comic touch; quite a few good and original lines of dialog. Not surprisingly considering his track record of first-class work, Kevin Dunn managed to satisfactorily fill out an underwritten part-- the series is presented from a woman's point of view and there is little character behind the men's predictability or unpredictability. Maybe the biggest mistake was allowing time to pass at real average rate of a year per year, because the possibilities are greatest when Samantha's awakening is recent. After a while, the series begins to cast her in the same gags as the visitor from space-- Mork, or Alf (who is name-checked in one episode), or Dick Solomon-- who is surprised to be experiencing human life. Also, with time, the rules of behavior keeping the good friend good and the evil friend evil begin to crack a little. But the dynamic with the parents looked like the life raft that might-- who knows?-- have rescued the series for another season.

Here is an original idea. What if we all had the chance to forget the transgressions we committed in our life up to this time? What would happen if you woke up from a coma not knowing the first thing about your past? Such is the premise of "Samamtha Who?", a charming fantasy-comedy starring Christina Applegate, formerly of "Married...With Children". I suspect that most of us, given the chance, would probably not like a few things about our past lives, but Samantha, pre-amnesia, was a bit more unlikeable than most. Miss Applegate has progressed quite a bit as a comedic actress over the years, and her character here gets a chance to show her considerable comedic talents. Her reactions and expressions remind one of the early Marlo Thomas in the "That Girl" series. This series deserves a chance to succeed, if only the writers can keep up the writing end, not running out of ideas based soley on the amnesia gag. There is promise here.

Initially I was drawn to this programme purely for Christina Applegate because she has been hilarious in EVERYTHING! but after watching this I have realised it's not just her but in fact the whole cast that attribute to the comedy of the programme- Andrea's harsh bluntness, her parents extreme inappropriateness and Dena's general personality. As a combination, the cast creates a sweet programme filled with both laughs and a essentially poignant question- If we could, would we go back and change the people we are? The only possible problem I could have with the programme is actually how short it is, because sometimes i felt as though they could increase the comedy in situations. However, Fantastic stuff, please keep it up!