Shark Bytes

Could the title have been a LITTLE more cumbersome? I know, how about:

Mary Tyler Moore and Jay Tarses Present Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers

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Another show died before its time.As much as I liked Paul Sand, I remember this series because of Steve Landsberg pre-Barney Miller and Penny Marshall post-Odd Couple and pre-Laverne, proving she was a pretty competent actress.

This show should have run for several years-I remember being very upset when it went off the air in one season.As a musician(student at the time this show was on the air,professional now.),I related well to this character and this show(I remember one episode where he's having a tough time dealing with a snotty new conductor.).Sad to say, has anyone other than me noticed that instrumentalists are seriously under-represented in sit-coms,except as guest stars or as talentless kids banging on a piano?They are often depicted as overblown caricatures(like Elaine's boyfriend"The Maestro" on "Seinfeld")-sad to say,Paul Sand's attempt to show that professional musicians are human beings,not cartoons,didn't make enough of an impact.

Amazing that no one mentioned who this show's ABOUT!: a double-bass player in a symphony orchestra. I was a high-school music student (male) and thought this was the coolest thing! As a classmate said, the show proved that even a classical musician could have a personal life........this is why I was so saddened to see it cancelled.

PAUL SAND IN FRIENDS AND LOVERS had the potential to be a classic. This show had a lot going for it like Penny Marshall and some really smart writing. But most of all, it had the quirky and offbeat Paul Sand, who given the opportunity, might have become the next Woody Allen. There was no one on TV quite like him at the time and I think that's why the show never found an audience. Sand was a little too offbeat and the show was just a little too smart for its target audience to be appreciated. It never got the chance to jump the shark and that's too bad because this show could have developed into something very special.

CBS cancelled the highly rated "Bridget Loves Bernie" (about a Jewish cabbie who marries a Catholic society girl) in 1973 because, since its lead-in was the do-no-wrong "All In The Family", the consensus was that BLB had a free ride and its ratings would have been guaranteed. For no other reason than it was given this cherished time slot, "Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers" was picked to be the breakaway hit of 1974. (Okay, that it came from the then-high-flying MTM stable didn't exactly hurt, either.) The show lasted all of five eps and disappeared without a trace. And this was after even BLB star David Birney claimed, "I guess they could run rat races in that time slot and people would watch." The failure of PSIF&L proves one thing to me: The cancellation of "Bridget Loves Bernie" didn't have one damn thing to do with ratings, it had to do with Catholic and Jewish religious leaders objecting to a show about an inter-faith marriage.

I agree with the comment that Sand's subtle gifts just weren't appreciated enough. Here was a 'can't miss' show that did. Great time slot, etc. etc. etc. I also agree that the 'poor man's Gene Wilder' is a cheap shot. My PERSONAL opinion is that Wilder only shines with a dynamic co-star (Gilda, Richard Pryor, Cleavon Little) Saw him recently on Will & Grace (opposite the equally dull guy playing Will) and I was EMBARRASSED for him! What's PAUL SAND done since?

I do not feel that this show had enough time to jump the shark. I remember this show vividly and was one of the few who actually loved it. I was very disappointed when it was canceled. I felt Paul Sand was excellent on the show, as was his supporting cast. He has continued to be one of my favorite actors, although he has been sporadic in his career. Was glad to see him on St. Elsewhere for a couple of years. If you ever have the chance to see him in the movie The Legend of Sleepy Hollow with Jeff Goldblum, he is wonderful. It is too bad Friends and Lovers was not given the chance to last out the season. The premise was wonderful.

13 shows were too short a time for a shark jump. This gentle clever vehicle for Paul Sands who was about to become the new male MTM (or another Gene Wilder), the first Jewish one, instead was dropped. We had more Sands after this but somehow the magic light was dimmed. Maybe it was the inferior vehicles that followed. Can we have this show rebroadcast?

Timing is everything in comedy. I just finished watching the 1970 Mary Tyler Moore episode with Paul Sand (as the IRS auditor) and jumped on-line to see where his career took him and noticed the damning comments about Friends and Lovers. Interesting. My memory of Paul Sand was and still is: Sand is a unique understated comic actor whose gifts were never fully realized in Friends and Lovers. MTM was right to back Sand, it was courageous and forward thinking albeit misdirected. "A poor man's Gene Wilder" is a cheap shot, however, and not indicative of Sand's talents. If we only had an actor today who could bring such subtle comedic underplay and humanistic nuance to a role we would be better off for it. Sand is one of a kind; a brief shining moment. Paul Sand where are you when we need you? Come back Paul Sand.

I agree with the above poster. Despite massive promotion by CBS, the show failed miserably. The problem was not with Paul Sands but with series creator/writer Jay Tarses. Every show he's ever made has been a borefest.