We dreamed of Rules of Engagement -- returns to CBS March 29th -- specifically of Jennifer (Bianca Kajlich) and Adam (Oliver Hudson). With no promoting from anyone we remember -- or even mention of the TV show, Thursday night we both dreamt of is. In one dream (Ava's), Jennifer was taking part in a fashion show against her will and Adam was excited and jealous as he wished he was the one working the runway. In the other dream (C.I.'s), Jennifer had gotten three dresses as gifts -- the one from Audrey (Megyn Price) and Jeff (Patrick Warburton), looked like something Dorothy Michaels (Tootsie) would wear and she was furiously threatening to burn it while Adam was on the phone with Jeff. Adam wasn't whispering so much as speaking at the highest end of his voice which was cracking as Jennifer waived around the dress Russell (David Spade) had given her, one that looked like a doily. "No, no," Adam gasped, "she's taking a match to the lace ensemble." And Adam was saying "ensemble" with a heavy French pronuciation.
When the show came on, the only real reason to watch was Price and Kajlich who were (and remain) great sitcom actresses. Oliver Hudson had moments that were mostly undermined by the writers. In episode six ("Hard Day's Night"), Tom Hertz came up with an Adam that finally matched with the character Hudson was shaping. The addition of Adhir Kaylan (Tamir) and sharpened timing on the part of Patrick Warburton have resulted in a very strong sitcom.
But the thing that makes it standout in a pack of sitcoms is Oliver Hudson's Adam. Adam's adorable and infuriating and Hudson's long overdue for an Emmy nomination. Last year saw four worthy nominees for Best Supporting Actor in the comedy division, all from Modern Family. It also saw two that didn't belong there. 2012 could go a long way towards acknowledging the rebirth of the TV sitcom by including Hudson as one of the nominees.
Others who deserve to be nominated in this category? Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet for Modern Family -- they've continued to find new dimensions to their characters (Phil and Cameron); Damon Wayans, Jr. and Adam Pally (Happy Endings' Brad and Max) and as the sixth nominee we'd toss in Dan O'Brien (Mark on Whitney).
Supporting Actress?
Eliza Coupe and Casey Wilson (Jane and Penny, Happy Endings), Maya Rudolph (Ava, Up All Night), Zoe Lister-Jones (Lily, Whitney), Rashida Jones (Ann, Parks and Recreation) and Sofia Vergara (Gloria, Modern Family).
Best Actor?
Jeremy Sisto (George, Suburgatory), Neil Flynn (Mike, The Middle), Lucas Neff (Raising Hope), Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons (Leonard and Sheldon, The Big Bang Theory) and Tim Allen (Last Man Standing).
Best Actress?
Kat Dennings (Max, 2 Broke Girls), Jaime Pressly (Annie, I Hate My Teenage Daughter), Whitney Cummings (Whitney, Whitney), Martha Plimpton (Virginia, Raising Hope), Patrica Heaton (The Middle) and Courtney Cox (Cougar Town).
We don't usually do the above. Whomever is nominated is nominated and we're not going to obsess over it. We do think the people listed above (and many not listed) are more than worthy of being nominated. But the reason we finally weighed in is because we wanted to underscore two things.
First, despite the Water Cooler Set spending much of the previous decade insisting the sitcom had died and was over, the sitcom never went away and is thriving today. We know that's hard to believe what with the season one episode of Friends ("The One With The Fake Monica," written by Gail Mancuso) being ripped off in the new Kal Penn pilot (which ABC is flirting with but will hopefully dump) Prarie Dogs. (tied with NBC's Go On for worst sitcom currently being pitched -- Go On should be called If You Thought You Hated Him As Mr. Sunshine . . . ) The supposedly 'dead' sitcom genre is thriving.
Second, we were able to come up with real actors giving real comedy performances and didn't have to resort to dramedies on cable or a musical show on Fox. There's more than enough talent on sitcoms right now to fill out the comedy category.
In the last seasons, prime time, broadcast TV has gotten stronger. It's not a renaissance but it is noticeable. Whether your genre is sitcom, drama, music, action or cop shows, there's more than enough to satisfy.
The only real big question is why, in a bad economy, the big three and Fox have been surrendering Saturdays to repeats?
Last night, Fox tried Q'Viva -- a world talent show hosted by the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and Jamie King but of greater interest to us has been NBC's moving The Firm to Saturday nights' second hour, sandwiched between repeats of Smash and Law & Order: SUV.
If NBC killed the show tomorrow, it would still be costing a large sum (due to the lawsuit filed by CBS). Having given it a 22 episode guarantee, it would be stupid to bench it at this point. Artistically, it's smart to air it just for the wonderful performance Juliette Lewis is giving.
With a little effort, The Firm could be winning Saturdays and helping NBC re-build Saturdays. NBC owned Saturdays in the 80s. To own Saturdays, it just requires one show. Golden Girls delivered the night to NBC. Empty Nest was a tired show from the first episode. It coasted on Golden Girls as did many other shows. In the 90s, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman let CBS own it. The Firm could deliver it today.
Little effort?
Promotion would be good. Most people assume NBC Saturday is all repeats. Airing the last four filmed but unaired episodes of The Playboy Club after it on four consecutive weeks could help draw attention to new content on Saturdays. The Playboy Club was a bad show. We're not disputing that. But a "see how it all ends" ad campaign could deliver some viewers for it as well as draw attention to The Firm.
The sitcom was never dead. Nor is Saturday night. And at some point, one of the networks will realize that, program for it and be hailed as a business genius. A business genius, not an artistic one.
And there's no reason for the suits to be artistic. But they forget their place. They want to be 'creative' but they aren't. And in trying to be 'cool' by ignoring Saturday night, they forget their purpose: To deliver an audience.
That's the only thing the banks give a damn about. Somehow, network execs have lost sight of that.
The money men and women don't care the you're 'trending' online or that you're a hash tag on Twitter. They don't care. Because they know you're not social media, you're a TV network and, as such, your job is to deliver viewers. The way word of mouth travels may have changed but your job is still to provide content people will watch (now on a variety of platforms).
The Firm is actually doing its job, getting better with each episode. Last night's episode even grabbed a hot topic. A military sergeant needed Mitch (Josh Lucas) and Ray (Callum Keith Rennie) to help him find out what happened to his son. They quickly figure out that they're dealing with a murder that might go all the way up to the White House.
Ray: This kill list, an actual list created by the feds?
Mitch: Approved by the White House, enemies of the state who are pre-approved for assassination.
Ray: Pre-approved?
Mitch: If US agents or military come across names on that list they are authorized to kill -- no due, process nothing.
Ray: Okay, I understand that on a battlefield but Rashad's an American on US soil.
Mitch: We've killed people on this list before, even US citizens, but never here in the US.
They then battle with the government in a FISA court in an attempt to get to the bottom of it all. That might interest viewers. If they're aware of the storyline and if they're aware that new episodes are airing Saturday nights.
Broadcast TV is so much better than it was just five years ago, granted. Even so, it could be even better.