Vote for why you think it jumped
Network Switch (ABC to NBC)
George Wendt joins the cast
Day One
The night Princess Diana died
"Free mustache rides"
Shark Bytes
If nothing elsr, they need to relaes the episode where Leoni tackles cooking a turkey -- one of the funniest comedy sketches in years and has not been matched since. That and Wonder Woman were the two best!
THE NAKED TRUTH was a decent sitcom starring the overrated Tea Leoni and the fabulous Holland Taylor that sadly jumped the shark when they switched networks (always a red flag to shark jumping) and completely re-formatted the show. The re-tooling was not an improvement and the show died a merciful death.
When ABC cancelled the highly rated (ABC's 9th highest) show Feb. 1996 for some mysterious reason. It moved to NBC the following January, where the focus was changed from a tabloid--remember, folks, the original concept of the show--to a "respectable" newspaper per the behest of George Wendt's character, which they soon dropped even more mysteriously after great expense to bring a "Cheers" star back to NBC. The ratings were even higher at #5, but it was between SEINFELD (#1 show) and ER (32). So they moved it to a different night, went back to the tabloid theme, and brought on yet another new cast, getting rid of everyone but Leoni's Nora, the boss lady and non-stupid Dave, whom they dropped later--but the following episodes were never broadcast, as the show's ratings plunged below earth, so the last episode with Dave was the last anyone saw until 1999 when USA began airing repeats.
From what I've read about Tea Leoni, she seems like a woman of class. Therefore, I found it unsettling to hear her character Nora, in the final season of TNT, make references to "Free Mustache Rides". The writers were obviously going for a cheap laugh. Tea's talents should not be wasted reciting blatantly sexist dialogue on a 2nd-rate sitcom. She deserves to get her own show, where she is able to exercise a lot more control over the script.
They Did It, meaning Tea and the writer/creator/producer of the show, Chris Thompson. They broke up about halfway through the first season, and just as has happened on other shows (in particular, Welcome Back Kotter comes to mind) when the power plays and in-fighting started behind the camera, the power in front of the camera started to dwindle. It was a shame, really. The first 10 episodes were hilarious. Then you could just see the in-fighting on camera, almost. In particular, one of Leoni's complaints: the writer had too many "out of era" jokes (he was in his 40s). When I saw characters in their 20s making references to Joan Baez I had to agree with her. I won't even get into the NBC episodes, because the show was weakened before it jumped networks. NBC just made it even worse. When George Wendt arrived, the constant "meat" and "weiner" jokes made the show unwatchable. Amazing...a show went from being the best new show on the air to unwatchable in less than a year.
I liked the original premise of this show and the group of crazy photographers. I thought the show lost something when George Wendt was added and the newspaper stopped being a tabloid. Tea Leoni is talented, but the networks gave her garbage to work with. One of the best episodes was when Tea dressed as Wonder Woman. She gained confidence from the outfit and wore it under her regular clothes. Red high heeled boots are always a give a way. She is a babe.
I don't think it had time to jump. Tea was awesome and the concept of the show was great! If it could have taken off, the celebrity guest appearances would have been endless! Though after the Dianna tragedy, it was a duck in the water. It had no chance after that.
In the UK, this show jumped the night Princess Diana died, due to the involvement of the Paparazzi. We haven't seen a single episode since.
Every time a sitcom comes out with a strong female lead (Tea Leoni, Fran Drescher, Kirstie Alley, Cybill Shepherd, Roseanne) people compare them with Lucille Ball. I did not care for this show during its original run. However, I have come to like it when it was rerun on USA network last year. From what I read, Tea Leoni seems to be an open minded, fun loving person. However, when people make you out to be the next Lucy, that's another story. If you "loved Lucy", anyone else will seem inferior. Those who hated the original redhead will most likely also dislike any modern counterpart. You can't win ...
This show had some real potential, and I was sorry that NBC kept changing its time slot, then got rid of George Wendt. Also, liked Mary Tyler Moore and George Segal as Tia Leone's parents. (But in the first season, Dyan Cannon played the mom)
The first season was great! Then they changed networks and became the biggest, smelliest, worst pile of crap. What were they thinking?
This show DEFINITELY jumped the shark when ABC cancelled it, and NBC picked it up, but instead of having confidence in its quirkiness, instituted The Deadly Revamp. Let's see ... for no reason at all they change Nora from a paparazza photog to *advice columnist*? for no reason they replace her ex and stepdaughter with her sister and parents? Basically, in one fell swoop, they cloned Suddenly Susan ... but wait, this was NBC. They already *had* _Susan_. And they no longer had the guts to call Stupid Dave anything but "Dave". Ditching George Wendt and returning Holland Taylor to the top was a last, desperate attempt to save a lost cause. Worst of all, this now-lame sitcom provided David Duchovny, once he wed Tea, to insist that X-Files production be uprooted from its permanent home in Vancouver to .... Los Angeles. Of course, once he won this fight, NBC conveniently cancelled TNT, I guess so the two of them could spend more time together!
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