tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post7549573742198626325..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: What killed our seriesBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82528095341715920362020-01-11T04:37:16.769-08:002020-01-11T04:37:16.769-08:00Just came across this blog almost 4 years after th...Just came across this blog almost 4 years after the last entry. (Talk about being late to a party!) Almost Perfect was one of the best series on TV. My personal binge list includes MASH, Scrubs, My Name Is Earl, Big Bang Theory and Almost Perfect. Beyond that, there were few that even come close.<br /><br /><br />Nancy and the supporting cast were so enjoyable. The chemistry with Kevin and with her co-workers was so much fun to watch. Nancy came across as such a REAL person. If you have any doubt, fast forward to the end of the episode where she and Kevin are at a restaurant table and they realise they are exclusive in their relationship. Nancy leans across the the table, grabs Kevin's hands and exhuberantly exclaims "I've got you now!" with her trademark 'laughing smile.' She was altogether sincere, adoreable and loveable right there and that persona worked throughout the series. <br /><br />Lost my personally recorded VHS tapes of every show, but the episodes are still etched in memory.<br /><br />-Michael (mike@tappanhill.com)Michael Falsettanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-63976956745695689712017-02-23T14:39:24.642-08:002017-02-23T14:39:24.642-08:00Thank you so much, Ken! The episode 'Your Plac...Thank you so much, Ken! The episode 'Your Place or Mine' still makes me laugh until I cry. Great show, well done. :-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02089099600980964363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88063110468830946722017-02-20T18:35:40.145-08:002017-02-20T18:35:40.145-08:00Lizzy,
There are several episodes on YouTube. Ch...Lizzy,<br /><br />There are several episodes on YouTube. Check 'em out. Thanks for liking the show. :)<br />By Ken Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71919176190573642402017-02-20T18:25:19.487-08:002017-02-20T18:25:19.487-08:00I'm about three years late reading this, but c...I'm about three years late reading this, but can one buy the series anywhere now? I would dearly love to see it again. Loved it so much!<br /><br />Cheers<br />LizzyAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02089099600980964363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50643692821297755282016-09-10T18:21:27.341-07:002016-09-10T18:21:27.341-07:00Don't know if anyone will see this comment,but...Don't know if anyone will see this comment,but I really liked this show. I liked all the actors, especially the ones who played the writers and,of course Nancy Travis is great! I was really pissed when this show was cancelled and from time to time I will find an episode on YouTube and watch it again.Oh well, leave it up to network executives to screw things up.They did the same thing with "Smash". Great first season, networks come in,fire everyone ,hire new writers and kill show. Why do they do this? For God's sake if something Isn't broken----don't fix it!!!!!!!!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01450768041717698736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-12130353698246197902016-07-17T17:38:55.527-07:002016-07-17T17:38:55.527-07:00Another Writer says...
I loved the show. I record...Another Writer says...<br /><br />I loved the show. I recorded and watched many episodes while spooning baby food into my baby's (now 16 years old!) mouth. Maybe it's because I, too, am a writer. Maybe it's because every single actor/actress was PERFECT for their part and every show flowed and had wit and was Just. Plain. Funny. My husband and I still recite lines from our favorite episodes and burst out laughing. You had a good thing. Waiting for it go come out on DVD. :)Heidi O.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-4916313023232739082015-04-14T00:35:47.782-07:002015-04-14T00:35:47.782-07:00Just saw this. Caught a few eps on youtube. Funny ...Just saw this. Caught a few eps on youtube. Funny series. Bot talented actors. Any chance there might be an almost perfect reunion? I think it would be great! I cant speak for kevin , but i think he would do it (I talk to him on twitter a fair bit). as for nancy i dont know. But i think this idea should be considerd Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65563708223895951972014-07-09T13:38:34.668-07:002014-07-09T13:38:34.668-07:00Here's one: it wasn't good.Here's one: it wasn't good.Mark Neasenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-67617915661894351012014-06-20T07:48:53.628-07:002014-06-20T07:48:53.628-07:00What killed "Almost Perfect" was it was ...What killed "Almost Perfect" was it was yet another, stupid, formulaic sitcom that wasn't funny.<br /><br />"Last Man Standing" is a funny sitcom (coincidentally with Nancy Travis, who I don't prefer, but she's not bad in this show, though still by far the weakest of around 10 characters; her biggest laughs are when she's caught laughing at something Tim Allen said).<br /><br />"Two and a Half Men" is not a funny sitcom, it's a bunch of bad dirty jokes strung together week after week. <br /><br />"Mom" is not a funny sitcom, it's yet another, stupid, formulaic show with one or two decent jokes in a half hour. <br /><br />"8 Simple Rules" was not a funny sitcom, it was yet another stupid, formulaic show without one or two decent jokes in a half hour. <br /><br />"Big Bang Theory" is a funny sitcom, with some obvious, seemingly easy-to-fix flaws that they never do fix. But the funny parts are funny, and there are more of them than flaws.Jesse Porternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-26744379873705787942014-06-12T08:46:39.796-07:002014-06-12T08:46:39.796-07:00Never, or at least very rarely, use "myself.&...Never, or at least very rarely, use "myself." <br /><br />Patrick in BaltimoreAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-33290864959261271092014-06-11T10:37:39.197-07:002014-06-11T10:37:39.197-07:00So I've read lots of your posts about AP, and ...So I've read lots of your posts about AP, and this one where it says "it's not about anything" is the one I have the most trouble with. <br /><br />After he leaves, isn't that the premise? Going from Almost Perfect in Year 1, starting to plan for having a future together, thinking "hey, maybe I'm never single again" to figuring out how to be single again in Year 2? You were already dealing with the relationship cycle and this could have been just the next stage? How does she get to the next stage or figure out how to let go and be comfortable enough with living single in a coupled world?<br /><br />Or is that simple too much like real life and not jazz-y enough?<br /><br />PolyWoggPolyWogghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05239033481272527855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-2658190961384406832014-06-11T06:34:44.170-07:002014-06-11T06:34:44.170-07:00hey ken,
thanks for writing such a fun blog every...hey ken,<br /><br />thanks for writing such a fun blog every day. long time fan, occasional commenter.<br /><br />'The moral here – you need your show to have a theme, a purpose, a fresh point of view.'<br /><br />this really resonates with me; i'm grinding away at a making an album, and this week i'm trying to determine what it's about. <br /><br />if you feel like it, i'd be interested in what, if any, process you go thru to get to the bottom of yr premise/story/what have you.<br /><br />thanks again,<br />jbjulianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12543622578318482038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59024867143487627052014-06-11T05:05:28.627-07:002014-06-11T05:05:28.627-07:00I don't know if you are going to see this, Chi...I don't know if you are going to see this, Chip Zien, but I saw you on Broadway in Into the Woods back in the day, and you were amazing. I watched Almost Perfect because I recognized YOU (sorry Ken) and was excited to see you on television.<br /><br />You made me cry really hard during that play. Still one of my favorites.Carolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01202427531137840740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42270436772625276642014-06-10T23:51:25.016-07:002014-06-10T23:51:25.016-07:00I love the fact that shows like "The Office&q...I love the fact that shows like "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation" have gone the other way with this ... and succeeded. Both of them celebrate long-term relationships, even with their ups and downs.<br /><br />I'm sorry the network wasn't secure enough to let you see your concept through!<br /><br />Charlie Rayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03996752215823615541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88643512078372481482014-06-10T18:18:37.220-07:002014-06-10T18:18:37.220-07:00Networks tamper with hit shows, too. ABC overhaule...Networks tamper with hit shows, too. ABC overhauled "Mork & Mindy" in its second season- and it was a top-rated show. It was a disaster, although it recovered enough to run for two more seasons. <br /><br />"Angie" got a new set and characters and time slot for its second season and went from 5th place to oblivion within a year. <br /><br />Do you keep in touch with Nancy Travis?Robnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-50102206659605725592014-06-10T17:53:43.667-07:002014-06-10T17:53:43.667-07:00I know I seem to be one of the few boosters for TH...I know I seem to be one of the few boosters for THE NEIGHBORS, but I mourn its demise. Here was a show that transcended its premise and made several critics retract their knee-jerk responses to the premise rather than the show itself.<br /><br />But even though the series made it to Season Two, it was clear that there was some behind the scenes tinkering. The fantasy was dialed back and their was an obvious effort to make it more like "Modern Family," right down to the soft guitar and the "lesson learned" at the end.<br /><br />The series chugged along nevertheless and what developed was an almost fatalistic attitude that actually became funny in itself. There were countless lines that referred to the low ratings, the fact that moving the show to Fridays was a "mercy move," that maybe they might catch a few viewers that thought they were tuning into Tim Allen.<br /><br />Even with the altered premise, I still loved the show and was hoping it would survive, just as my wife and I did with ALMOST PERFECT, but it was not to be. THE NEIGHBORS was also on the bubble in season two, but clearly the writing was on the wall and the writers just made fun of the situation right there in the script.<br /><br />Was this exchange between George Takei's Zabvronian master character and Simon Templeman's Larry Bird based on a real ABC meeting?<br /><br />TAKEI: What have you accomplished this year? If you are going to stay on Earth against my wishes, at least have something to show for it. Take over a small government. Get a tramp stamp.<br /><br />TEMPLEMAN: We did two musical numbers.<br /><br />TAKEI: Which almost no one saw!<br /><br />TEMPLEMAN (under his breath): It got nominated for an Emmy...Greg Ehrbarhttp://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/category/animation-spin/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-49805055257954286852014-06-10T17:07:23.250-07:002014-06-10T17:07:23.250-07:00(Cheers-related) Friday questions:
From what I...(Cheers-related) Friday questions:<br /><br />From what I've read, the end of Season 7 had two big complications. Rebecca's sister's episode apparently changed at the last minute from a game-changing (according to the internet) Sam falls in love, to a simpler stand-alone episode. Could you talk about this? I've only heard Cheri Steinkellner mention what a nightmare of an episode it was to break.<br /><br />The following episode (the finale) was supposed to feature John Cleese who then apparently dropped out without much warning or explanation. After the trouble with the previous episode, the writers must have been pulling their hair out? (Both turned out to be good episodes though!)<br /><br />Could you talk a little about these struggles?Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-777437071234849452014-06-10T16:51:11.005-07:002014-06-10T16:51:11.005-07:00Much of the creative team for The Mary Tyler Moore...Much of the creative team for The Mary Tyler Moore Show suffered a similar problem at the hands of CBS the prior year, when the network ordered a revamp of the Bob Denver show "The Good Guys" for its second season. That didn't work either, and the show was cancelled in the middle of the 1969-70 season (which, if it hadn't, might have resulted in a much different CBS lineup in the fall of 1970...)<br />Johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-9812899189665751342014-06-10T14:34:40.042-07:002014-06-10T14:34:40.042-07:00Now that I think about it, there were three ex-con...Now that I think about it, there were <i>three</i> ex-cons on "She Spies." Perhaps they were trying to emulate the animated "The Powerpuff Girls" or "Totally Spies!"VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-32520415713885748132014-06-10T14:30:03.979-07:002014-06-10T14:30:03.979-07:00This very much reminds me of what happened to two ...This very much reminds me of what happened to two other series.<br /><br />First, the Tea Leoni mid-'90s sitcom "The Naked Truth." Its first season was on ABC, where her character played a supermarket tabloid photographer, and featured Holland Taylor and some other fine supporting cast members. Leoni was quite good in it, showing off the physical comedy skills that led many at the time to label her that generation's Lucille Ball (OK, a bit too presumptuous, but the talent definitely was there). <br /><br />For some reason, ABC declined to carry it for a second season, and it was shifted to NBC -- in the midst of its run as a sitcom factory affecting nearly every show it ran (aside from "Seinfeld" and "Frasier"). In other words, it was converted into a "Suddenly Susan" clone, closely adhering to network formula, and it became a <i>lot</i> less funny, exchanging Holland Taylor and the rest of the cast for George Wendt, who's a fine comedic actor but was given little to do here. (A few years later, Wendt was in similar territory in the late run of "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.") "The Naked Truth" ran a second season, lost its core fan base and meekly expired. <br /><br />Second, the early 2000s syndicated series "She Spies," starring Natasha Henstridge as one of four ex-cons recruited to handle espionage (one of the others was the actress who portrayed the dimwit blonde White House official on the sitcom parody "That's My Bush!"). It blended detective work with comedy <i>a la</i> "Moonlighting" (though they took entirely different approaches), and the interaction they had with their male, often exasperated boss was among the best things about the series. However, his character was eliminated for the second season and the tone of the show became far more conventional and far less interesting...perhaps one reason it didn't get a third season.VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37925091739148060582014-06-10T14:22:02.240-07:002014-06-10T14:22:02.240-07:00I worked with Kevin Kilner on a CBS movie called T...I worked with Kevin Kilner on a CBS movie called Timepiece - he was one of the nicest and most professional actors I ever worked with. CBS did the same thing to another mid 90's series - American Gothic. We squeaked through our one and only season but we knew we weren't coming back. Craig Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06037542638067599437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-29566400748415516092014-06-10T13:32:19.589-07:002014-06-10T13:32:19.589-07:00I watched all episodes during the first season and...I watched all episodes during the first season and it was one of my favorite new sitcoms back then. Then when it comes back, "revamped", it was a disappointment since Nancy had such chemistry with Kevin. It reminded me of MTM's Phyllis' second season, it seemed like a different show. Hate when that happens. Kleehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14306497851609490015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6319033474626904072014-06-10T13:10:23.203-07:002014-06-10T13:10:23.203-07:00"Television cannot fail. It can only be faile..."Television cannot fail. It can only be failed."<br />-Some GuyScooter Schechtmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-47583092400662319522014-06-10T12:23:55.361-07:002014-06-10T12:23:55.361-07:00Went to IMDB to get some facts on the actors in yo...Went to IMDB to get some facts on the actors in your show Almost Perfect. Found 2 movies with the same name and they found twists on the premise. Maybe these would have worked for you and David:<br /><br />Almost Perfect (2011 Taiwan) Movie synopsis; "A 30-something career woman tries to find the balance between her demanding family and her perfect new boyfriend."<br /><br />Oh wait, they changed demanding job to demanding family and kept the boyfriend. Ok that doesn't help.<br /><br />Almost Perfect (2012 Denmark) Movie synopsis; "Anne (37) has given up finding a man, who will fit in to her sensible and controlled life. She has therefore decided to get inseminated with a carefully selected sperm donor..."<br /><br />This sounds like a winner Ken. Did this idea on changing the theme ever come up? (Yes I'm kidding)<br /><br />By the way, you have look up this movie on IMDB. The promotional picture for the Denmark movie is real classy.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10896165980216477144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-25948772567041581252014-06-10T12:07:42.108-07:002014-06-10T12:07:42.108-07:00My wife and I have a weekly “Forgotten Comedies” n...My wife and I have a weekly “Forgotten Comedies” night where we watch an episode or two from our VHS and Beta collection of shows we taped. Some of the shows include Almost Perfect, Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, Buffalo Bill, Hope & Gloria, What About Joan, Doctor Doctor, and Maggie (with Ann Cusack). Our two most watched episodes of Almost Perfect are “El Pollo Loco” and “Suites for The Sweet.” We still laugh out loud at those episodes. <br /><br />While we enjoy most of the episodes from Season 2, it always seemed like you were trying to fix something that maybe wasn’t really broken. I know it’s a very opinionated subject, but did you consider pulling a “Darrin Stephens” and just swapping actors and pretending that nothing changed? What are your thoughts on that tactic? Does the story ALWAYS have to justify an actor change?RareWaveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12778784501326773464noreply@blogger.com