Starring: Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt, Richard Kind, John Pankow, Kecia Lewis, Abby Quinn, Anne Ramsay, Antoinette LaVecchia, Mo Gaffney
Mad About You is a revival of the 1990's sitcom starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as Paul and Jamie Buchman, a married couple living in New York. The charm of the original series was the chemistry and byplay between Reiser and Hunt. After the first couple seasons, the show jumped the shark when Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner made guest appearances and Reiser and Hunt stood around watching them with their mouths dropped in awe. Brooks and Reiner do not appear in the revival, but there are impressive cameos from Cloris Leachman as a lonely widow for whom Jamie provides psychotherapy, Jason Alexander as himself, David Harbour as himself, and Carol Burnett as Jamie's mother.
The revival contains some of the same cute back and forth between Paul and Jamie, but there are serious undertones involving their daughter Mabel (Quinn) leaving the nest to attend NYU five blocks away. (They could save serious cash by allowing her to stay at home and commute). With Mabel gone and causing her own problems, Paul and Jamie are empty nesters, and long held resentments bubble to the surface. Paul and Jamie seek marriage counseling with Dr. Sheila Kleinman (Gaffney), who approaches her job with absolute cynicism and the pessimistic belief that Paul and Jamie will soon divorce.
For those who recall, the finale of the original series indicated that Paul and Jamie split when Mabel approached her mid-twenties. The revival makes no mention of that. They are still together as the show opens, and living in a roomy New York apartment. Paul must make great scratch still as a documentary filmmaker to afford that kind of place with Jamie not working during the first few episodes. Jamie eventually goes back to work as a therapist in her friend Tonya's office (Lewis). Tonya is married to the Buchmans' best friend Mark (Kind), who divorced Jamie's best friend in the previous incarnation. The Tonya character is forever exasperated by Jamie and Paul. She doesn't strike me as someone who has much patience with her clients, the Buchmans, or the world in general.
Paul's cousin Ira (Pankow) has opened a successful Italian restaurant with his girlfriend (LaVecchia) who he adores but not enough to marry. Why mess up a good thing? Ira remains a funny character who thinks he must be Italian and not Jewish because he has taken to the restaurant and cooking thing so well. Mad About You works because it doesn't recycle the old formula (okay, maybe a little) and we find we still care about Paul and Jamie. Reiser and Hunt haven't missed a beat and some of the territory this revival delves into is a bit dark. Perhaps all of the one-liners and zingers mask hidden insecurities and fears. Paul and Jamie know each other well, love each other, and are each is more aware of the other's issues more so than even they realize. With that being said, a twelve-episode reboot is just right. Everything is resolved and there is no need for another season. Why mess up a good thing?
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