Mad About You

Another show from the 1990's that I somehow missed during its primetime network run and have decided to check out now. The main reason I wanted to check this out is because I remembered Helen Hunt winning four Emmys for Lead Actress in a comedy series and thought this had to have something special going for it. Hunt and Paul Reiser play upwardly mobile Manhattan-ites named Jamie and Paul Buchman, navigating work, home, and the pitfalls of marriage. They've only been married for five months when the pilot starts but they feel like they've been married 20 years. Was impressed that five minutes into the pilot, Jamie was complaining about not having sex for the five days...usually in a sitcom, it's the husband who is concerned with such matters, so I think I'm hooked. "Well you could chip some off my wife's mood." I'll be surprised if the character Selby gets past season one. Looks like Fran and Mark are characters who don't know how to read a room. Loved the shots of stuff falling on the floor and flying through the kitchen without showing Paul and Jamie. Loving Richard Kind as Mark..

Thanks

Everytime I hear that show mentioned I get that Belinda Carlie hit stuck in my head.

Season One, Ep 2. I thought this show was a little ore sophisticated for the "my side of the bed" storyline. Jamie seems to be pretty high maintenance. "As a couch I liked it, but a loveseat not so much." "Yeah, it would fit great if I took my ass off." "It's like ambrosia with cheese." I could done without Estelle Harris' sweater shopper. It was kind of weird that Mark told Paul what he told him. Mark really doesn't know how to read a room.

Season 1 Ep 3. Loved Paul's reaction to learning about the gay pride parade. Jamie was right about the first cigarette after you brush. Jamie is kind of full of herself trying to interpret Paul's dream. "Who is this Kelly and why does he need all of these girls/" "Did we have a fight while I wasn't here/" I can't believe Jamie is getting made at Paul for her interpretation of Paul's dream. Selby is a dumb character. I still say he will be written off before the beginning of season 2. LOVED Lisa being traumatized by The Will Rogers Follies. "Rosebud's his sled, let's go to the quilts." Did I miss it or has the dog's name not been revealed yet?

Season 1, Ep 4. Paul always seems to be criticizing Jamie about something and after he finishes chewing her out, he does the same thing without even realize he's doing it. I like Art Evans as Paul's co-worker. "The rats were underlit they looked like squirrels." I hate that "you'll never guess " thing that Semple did. Murray! The dog's name is Murray! Are those sideburns or headphones?" What's the point of having Paul save that movie for all these years and get caught by Jamie and have her not be jealous at all? I'm over Semple, he's a one-note character we've seen in a million sitcoms. Anytime they're ready to write him off, I'm OK with that. I hate the way they beg each other for stuff and just when the other agrees, they change their mind. That's going to get old really fast. Don't understand why an ex-girlfriend is making Paul a basket case? Is that Lisa Edelstein playing Lynn? Big deal, everything rhymes with Lynn." Wrong move by Jamie. I understood what she was doing, but Paul needed to know the truth.

Season One, Ep 5. Loved Paul taking the bite of the cracker and then saying he didn't take one. Loved Paul's reply about the yellow shirt. Nancy Dussault and Paul Dooley are beautifully cast as Jamie's parents. People drooling over Manhattan parking spots is tiresome. I really don't like the way Jamie seems to reinterpret everything he says and tells us what she wants to hear. "Daddy leave his flanks alone." "Trust me, Paulie...a laithe is way too much a tool for you." Daddy, please don't criticize our pipes." Why does Nancu Dussault seem to be yelling all of her lines? "Nothing if you have a hat and cane and live on the side of a jar." The Vera Ellen/Rosemary Clooney tribute was a delightful surprise.

Season one, ep 6. Loved Phil Leeds on Paul's documentary. Paul was too funny talking to Murray using the term "your people." Paul doesn't know that his wife hates tea? "I don't know why he's crying, you should have that checked." It's just a little too forced and convenient that no one will say what Jamie does for a living. "You're my wife's assistant, that makes you my assistant in law." I'm sorry I'm on Paul's side here, Jamie's complete self-absorption in getting that account was extremely unattractive. I think Jamie was really insensitive to her husband in this episode. I saw this episode exactly the opposite from the way I was supposed to.

Season One, Ep 7. OK, Murray is only Jamie's dog by marriage. "I'm making movies, he's making change." The circus? Seriously, that's so 1960's. Loving that Murray hates Mark. OK, love Fran and Mark, but am really starting to hate their kid. OK, Paul is being just as self-centered in this episode as Jamie was in the last. Why would he just assume that the guy would envy his life? Steve Buscemi was terrific in the role, as he always is. Loved his build-up to psycho as well as the revelation that Paul was right about him. For as much as I've seen, Paul doesn't get to be right much. Lost it when Paul demanded Jamie chase after the toll jumpers. The Japanese businessmen were a riot. Loved the way this one ended, my favorite episode so far. Steve Buscemi is a national treasure.

Season One, Ep 8. Only Paul would get run down by a bike messenger. "Well, excuse me for not thinking abut you when I hurdled to my death." Is it me, or is that apartment building they show at the beginning of each episode, the same apartment building where Will and Grace lived? "I might be grief stricken and might need to take a cruise to get over it." I can't believe Paul asked about tipping during the pulling of the plug. I don't know why, but I was taken aback that Paul still has a lease on his old apartment. Weird that Paul doesn't want to get rid of his apartment. Why is Jamie demanding that Paul gets rid of the apartment but then tells Fran she doesn't mind? "My kidneys could go into a felon and could get the electric chair for something it didn't do." I think I'm team Jamie here...if he's really committed to Jamie, he doesn't need that apartment. Selby is useless, he and Richard Kind's Mark serve the same purpose on the canvas and Kind is so much better at it. Loved the reveal that Kramer is subletting his apartment from Paul. Very funny cameo from Michael Richards. Jamie seems to spend a lot of time trying to entrap Paul into believing he's not as committed to them as she is.

Season One, Ep 9. They're all on the same train car? Seriously? I knew Mark would take that story just a little further than he needed to. Okay I totally missed why Mark and Fran left their kid with the Buchmans. Loved Paul and Jamie telling different versions of their first date. That turkey Lisa was eating looked like it was raw. The bit with Fran and Mark's son grew tiresome pretty quickly. Cute episode.

Season One, Ep 10. Fran and Mark really know how to read a room. "It's like the biggest fish benefit of the year." Do Fran and Mark ever get tired of snooping into Paul and Jamie's business. "Don't be silly, we're not dressed for fish." Why did I know that pineapple was the first ingredient Jamie was going to pick for the pizza? Paxton Whitehead and Judy Geeson as the neighbors? Loved that he recognized Jamie when he heard her say "Oh my God." Loved when Jamie insulted the dog. Why would he insist on getting his own glass of water? That was weird. It's like they're blaming the Buchmans for the bad pizza. Why is it so important to Jamie that these people like her?

Season One, Ep 11. Appears to be the "how they met" flashback episode. "I always do better on first dates, before they get to know me." Look at Lisa Kudrow with dark hair! Didn't know she played a character on this show before she played Ursula. "I'm just going to go home and cut up pictures of men." "You swear today you told 33 people that I'm pretty?" What was going on with Mark's mustache here? Mark and Pierce Brosnan? Seriously? That was funny. Loved Jamie and Fran sizing up Paul. Liked Wayne Tippet as Jamie and Fran's boss. I loved when Paul told Jamie he wanted to take her everywhere. LOVE that Jamie initiated their first kiss. Really liked this episode.

Okay, I am officially having trouble finding any first season episodes past #11. If anyone can help me with that, please advise. According to wIKI, season 1 had 22 episodes, but I have only been able to locate 11.

OK, I don't know why the other half of season is unavailable where I saw the first half so I will be going on to season two, ep 1 Cute opening scene, but I hope the Buchmans don't let Murray run their lives like that. Thomas Schlamme directed this episode. That was a legitimate question of Paul regarding whether that striped shirt would be white or colored. "Murray has a white spot and vacant eyes. This dog knows things!" It's fun seeing Jamie being the one in trouble for a change. Steven Wright's cameo was hysterical. Cops can't search for a human being until missing 48 hours but they can look for a dog immediately? I like John Pankow a lot better than Tommy Hinckley's Selby. I wonder what happened between Fran and Mark somewhere between eps 12-22 during season 1? What is it with Lisa and the doorbell? Paul had Danny Kaye albums? Danny Kaye made albums? I knew they didn't know what dysphoric means. Cute episode.

Season 2, Ep 2. "You know? Watch this...shut up!" Loved when Paul couldn't find anyone but dead artists on the radio. Paul's bed dancing was kind of funny. "Yeah, but if you don't trust me, what's the sense of lying?" One second Jamie wants to make love and the next all she wants is chocolate. Which apartment were those voices coming from? "We only made up the bing and the bang to get the boom." Fran is working way too hard to convince the Buchmans that she doesn't miss Mark. Paul's ears turn red when he's aroused? Is that physically possible? She lied about Casablanca? Paul should have been able to see through that ruse. "Today on Oprah...hookers predict the Oscars!" Loved the final scene and the button.

Season2, Ep 3. It was spooky...Murray looked like he was really watching that movie with Jamie. "Your mother diced me like an onion and told me to have you call her." I understand the omelette...I have trouble folding omelettes too. Love Louis Zorich playing Paul's dad. Cynthia Harris was funny as hell as Paul's mother too. Loved when Paul's mom actually accepted the invitation for them to spend the night. "I can't sleep. if I'm not going to be sleep, I might as well be up." Why can't Jamie read a room and realize she will never be good enough for Sylvia's son? She's a bitch, she acts like Jamie isn't even in the room. That was hysterical when Jamie found the Playboy under Paul's childhood bed. Wow, I've seen a lot of TV moms over the years, but this one is a trip. The monitor was hysterical.

Season2, Ep 4. Murray and the answering machine, priceless. Love Larry Miller. His character is a bit of a close talker though. Was that Clark Gregg playing Jamie's assistant? Lisa Kudrow debuts as Ursula! I guess Jamie is just as intimidated by her boss as she is by Paul's mother. Jamie smokes! Jamie has a vice, Jamie has a vice! "We're a lot more self-absorbed than most people." God, truer words were never spoken. Is that Ken Jenkins playing Jamie's boss? "And we all know you didn't go to Dartmouth so you can lose the sweater." Jamie had 6 boxes of stull in her office? The last job I got fired from, everything I owned fit in one backpack. "I wish Cruella would just make the freakin coat." A Rita Hayworth double feature was that packed? Seriously?

Season 2, Ep 5. Why do I have a feeling that Jamie is going to be completely annoying while she's unemployed? Yep, now that she's not working, she wants Paul to stay home and not work. She's working way too hard at pretending to enjoy unemployment. Loving the return of Steven Wright a lot more than Larry Miller's character who is reaching the obnoxious stage. "He's a dog, he's got four wheel drive." It's like she's forgotten Paul has a life. Twelve minutes into the episode and I'm hating Jamie right now. She needs to get a job in the next episode. How can you sit there, in that hat, and say that to me? Why would Lisa buy drinks for strangers and make Paul pay for them? LOVED when Paul finally admitted that Jamie was driving him crazy. I can perhaps take one more episode of unemployed Jamie.

Season 2, Ep 6. I didn't realize how big a hunk of this show Thomas Schlamme directed. "It's a business funeral not a pleasure funeral." So glad Paul's sister finished Paul's Halloween story. Was that Ryan Stiles in the video store? The show just dated itself terribly having a whole scene in a video store. Remember those? Paul rented Son of Paleface? Seriously? "Should we feed him or something?" "John Wayne is exactly like Aladdin, they knew each other." Jamie never struck me as the video game type. Worst Halloween costumers ever. We still have Larry Miller? How much longer is he going to be on? I like Miller, but this character is REALLY annoying. Loving the snotty Brits next door not knowing anything about Halloween. Judy Geeson has aged very gracefully. Love Aaron Lustig. "Your nephew is so sweet, my uterus hurts."