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Reviews
8 Simple Rules... for Dating My Teenage Daughter: Daddy's Girl (2004)
Not bad
I think this series really improved with the demise of John Ritter, who never really achieved the 'funny man' persona. David Spade's drawling sarcasm isn't to everyone's taste, but the partnership between him and Jim (James Garner) produces many of the best moments in the latter episodes - anything to divert attention from the awful red headed child. This episode focuses nicely on the relationship between Cate (awful spelling!) and her dad. Interestingly, the band which accompanies Cate's Song features, on guitar, Jon Walmsley, who played Jason In The Waltons. Surely he should have had an acknowledgement in the cast list?
Everybody Loves Raymond (1996)
One of the very worst series of all time
Always wanting to make up my own mind, I watched this series through very attentively, and it does not come across at all well. I will say now that the only decent characters are the father, Frank and the brother, Robert; also Marie, the mother, but only to a certain extent, given that her character was never allowed by the creators to develop beyond that of the manipulative matriarch. It wouldn't be fair to include the children in the criticism. The wife, Debra, deserves all the criticism that has been aimed at her in the various online reviews. Physically, she has no discernible neck, and with those capital 'T', simian shoulders, her seemingly permanent twin postures of hands-on-hips and crossed arms are the classic stance of someone who, with the constant, raucous shouting and glaring eyes, comes across as thoroughly angry - THE WHOLE TIME. In common with many character-named shows, (e.g. Frasier), Raymond himself is the worst. Where to start? To name but a few features: the dead eyes, the sagging face/jowls, and not least, the whiney, high-pitched, nasal voice with that ghastly lower New York accent. Having watched the series through, we have had to stop watching any episode of the Ice Age films, so penetrating and hideous is the Romano/Manny voice. Apart from Amy, who is just plain unsightly, with that misshapen jaw, no matter how 'nice' her character is meant to be, the subsidiary characters are not too bad. Robert, especially, and Frank, as well as having an excellent physical presence, were brilliant at their delivery. It's hard to believe that the 'Comedy of Ray Romano' earned so much money for its central star. What a relief that we don't see Romano or Heaton in any current American shows. And what a great shame that Doris Roberts, Peter Boyle and the twin who committed suicide (Sawyer Sweeten?) have passed on. 'Young Sheldon' is currently the most appealing comedy show on TV, although they are going to have to take care not to make the central character too obnoxious for this age. Happy New Year!
Young Sheldon (2017)
Young versus old
Young Sheldon works beautifully in that all the characters are genuine and likeable, unlike the Big Bang Theory which was seriously undermined by the addition of the ghastly Amy and hideous Bernadette, and the unfortunate & misguided character metamorphosis which turned Raj from a delightful, sensitive introvert into an obnoxious, overacting joke. The only slight reservation in the Young Sheldon is the extreme Texan accent of the otherwise excellent Montana Jordan; occasionally, it is not possible to catch the meaning of his words, otherwise the character comes across well. Nonetheless, this cannot compare with the ridiculous screeching that characterizes Bernadette in the BBT. A pity that the potential of the five original BBT characters was not fully recognized, including the marriage of Howard and Raj!