The Return of Jezebel James (1.1) & (1.2)

Friday, March 14th, 2008 at 8 & 8:30 PM

FOX

The Return of Jezebel James , Season 1 - Pilot & Episode #2 - "Frankenstein Baby"

The 2 most unlikeable Characters... ever (Fox)

Marmot: What did you think of Jezebel James?

Manatee: Here are my thought son TRoJJ: (I don't even know where to start!) I have never hated a show more, not even the Canterbury's Law pilot. Parker Posey does not belong on crappy sitcoms. She is way too talented; and she has never been worse than on this show. She belongs in edgier indie films. Nothing about this show was believable or honest. It was phony and way over the top. It was staged like a bad high school play. The sets looked like my 5 year old brother built them (if I had a 5 year old brother).

Marmot: How did Parker Posey get trapped in this show? Is she being punished for something? The whole cast is talented, really. Lauren Ambrose, Dianne Wiest... It's almost like they had all sold their soul to the devil, and he picked the same time to collect from them all.

Manatee: I agree. Their talents are wasted. Is it the writing? The directing?

Marmot: The writing is just...atrocious. Which is odd, since it was written by Amy Sherman-Palladino who wrote created Gilmore Girls. Not that I was a fan of that show, but it was on for 7 or so years, so it had to be somewhat decent, right?

Manatee: The writing was bad, the acting was insanely bad, production was bad (I think I spotted a camera in the shot once) and it did not change from the pilot to the 1st episode. It's just a terrible show. I really don't like sitcoms, which I guess is for another conversation, but I never understood why you can't have a sentimental moment, why is it cheesy and corny joke central?! Maybe Amy Sherman-Palladino should have redefined the "Sitcom" or else make it a single camera comedy, or something more in the vain of an Ugly Betty... you might have gotten more out of the actors.

Marmot: The actors and the characters. Those sisters are two of the most unlikeable people on television. I don't understand why, when Gilmore Girls was something different and interesting, she would regress to this formulaic, ancient multi-cam sitcom style. There are a couple of things different from the pilot to the second episode, though.

Manatee: Such as?

Marmot: One, Parker Posey inexplicably moved from her house, which had an extra bedroom to the World's Biggest Loft, which requires her soon-to-be pregnant sister to walk up and down a staircase with no railing to get to her bedroom. And two, Parker Posey dropped the Ed Grimley-style act for the second episode. The one that was so prevalent in that horrible, horrible scene in the doctor's office. Honestly, that should go down as one of the worst scenes ever to be shown on television.

Manatee: The OBGYN scene was bad... for being a big kids' book editor, I feel like she was lacking some smarts. She was pretty dumb, and not like lacking common sense... just stupid. I want to know what Fox is thinking this mid season? Why are they creating so many bad female characters? They have made a few now that either lack personality completely or they act like "a guy." Did we not learn anything from that movie "The Sweetest Thing" - girls who act like guys don't sell. It just does not work. Sarah is sleeping with a guy, comes up with all these "no strings" rules, is a great business person, has a nice loft, but is a complete moron! Why can't a woman be a strong woman?! Why do they need to have guy traits... totally unrealistic.

Marmot: I don't get her relationship with that guy either.

Manatee: He (Scott Cohen) is terrible! What bad delivery - a fish would be a better casting choice.

Marmot: What kind of a fish?

Manatee: You're asking me to be witty... hmmm, maybe an aholehole?

Marmot: That's a good one. It would be interesting if it was a goldfish, too. Not like the annoying one on American Dad, but a real one that had a memory span of 3 minutes. The worst thing about Jezebel James? It is the EXACT same plot as a Tina Fey/Amy Poehler movie coming out in April called Baby Mama. Except Jezebel James isn't funny.

Manatee: How do you think this show will effect the opening of that film?

Marmot: Approximately none.Does anyone even know this show exists? I think we're the only two people to watch it. Err, animals.

Manatee: Haha, I'm not sure what the ratings were, but it's not good when the network puts you on a Friday night. Who watches TV on Friday nights?!

Marmot: Old people. Kids. Us.

Manatee: Per Futon Critic’s reporting: "The Return of Jezebel James" (households: 2.2/4, #12, half-hour: N/A; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T10, half-hour: N/A), a second episode of "The Return of Jezebel James" (households: 2.3/4, #11, half-hour: N/A; adults 18-49: 1.0, #T10, half-hour: N/A)

Marmot: #12? As in its timeslot?</FONT>

Manatee: #12 on the night, # 1 was a night time "Price is Right" (CBS won the evening).

Marmot: There was a "Price is Right" special on? How does a show that I didn't even know was on beat this?