Barnet Kellman Movies

Virtually every aspect of the WB network sitcom Family Affair was the same as the original series which aired on CBS from 1966 to 1971. Once again, swinging-bachelor architect Bill Davis and his very proper British butler Mr. French found their lavish penthouse apartment besieged by cute children, the nieces and nephew of Bill's late sister. And once again, the kids were twin siblings Jody and Buffy (the latter inseparable from her bespectacled rag doll Mrs. Beasley), and the twins' teenaged sister Cissy. The only main difference was the cast. Instead of the original lineup of Brian Keith as Uncle Bill, Sebastian Cabot as Mr. French, Johnny Whitaker as Jody, Anissa Jones as Buffy, and Kathy Garver as Cissy, those roles were respectively filled by Gary Cole, Tim Curry (yes, Doctor Frank N. Furter himself), Luke Benward, Luke Benward, and Caitlin Wachs. As sappy and unfunny as the first Family Affair, the remake was redeemed only by the waspish one-liners and withering glares provided by the ever-reliable Tim Curry. The "new" series first aired on September 12, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sydney (Jennifer Garner) returns to America with her ex-lover and fellow SD-6 agent Noah (Peter Berg), who offers her a way out of the spy game once and for all. But Sydney has to take care of unfinished business: Now convinced that her mother, KGB agent Irina Derevko, is still alive, she will not rest until she finds the woman. Meanwhile, Vaughn (Michael Vartan) puts a tail on an assassin known as "The Snowman" in hopes of tracking down the elusive Khasinau, who may or may not be "The Man" behind all the skullduggery occurring in previous episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Former Seinfeld stalwart Jason Alexander returned to series television as the eponymous star of the ABC sitcom Bob Patterson. On this occasion, Alexander portrayed a high-profiled motivational speaker, author of such best-selling tomes as I Know More Than You Do and I Still Know More Than You. Despite his success in his chosen field -- not to mention the abundance of testimonials from real-life celebrities (endearingly if not always convincingly cast as themselves) -- Bob Patterson was not always successful in carrying over his winning philosophies into his personal life. The series' basic joke was reminiscent of the "physician heal thyself" premise of NBC's Frasier -- which was telecast opposite Bob Patterson on Tuesday nights. Appearing in support of the versatile Jason Alexander (who also wrote several of the scripts) were Robert Klein as Bob's business partner, Landau; Jennifer Aspen as his ex-wife, Janet Patterson; and James Guidice as Bob's lethargic son, Jeffrey. Co-produced by 20th Century Fox and Touchstone Television, Bob Patterson premiered October 2, 2001, its originally September 25 debut date scuttled by ongoing TV coverage of the World Trade Center bombing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This suburban sitcom centers on three couples minus children, aka DINKs (double income, no kids). Onscreen labels are superimposed to define just where each couple is in its relationship: "The Veterans" are Sheri (Dedee Pfeiffer), who does facials, and architect Dean (D.W. Moffett), married for five years, in upscale Oak Park, Illinois. "The Newlyweds" are attorney Mel (James Lesure) and psychiatrist Malena (Holly Robinson Peete), who thinks she might be pregnant one month after marriage. The unmarried "Commitment-Phobics" are divorced teacher Bobbie (Tamala Jones) and restaurateur Reggie (Edafe Blackmon), Mel's brother, who doesn't want to give Bobbi the keys to his lakefront pad. It's mostly lovey-dovey, sweetness and light, as they all interact, interrelate, and confront life's little crises with an endless onslaught of half-hearted one-liners. Premiered March 17,1998 on NBC. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

At Dartmoor Academy snooty principal Morgan Brinway (B.D. Wong) has second-graders studying opera appreciation, but five feisty kids, nicknamed the "Stinkers" by Brinway, skip class to create chaos on the school grounds. Although they get a warning from Brinway, they soon rebel with more misadventures. Discovering sea lion Slappy during an aquarium field trip, they smuggle him back on the school bus and install him in Brinway's hot tub. Groundskeeper Roy (Bronson Pinchot) mistakes the sea lion for a giant gopher and plans to kill him, but before that can happen, animal thief Boccoli (Sam McMurray) makes off with Slappy, planning to sell him to the circus -- prompting the Stinkers to set forth on a rescue mission. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

An already crowded ER is besieged by a dozen very pregnant females, among them a 13-year-old who now regrets her promise to give her child to an adult couple, a nervous crack addict, and a mentally unbalanced woman who insists that she was impregnated by space aliens. Making a bad situation worse, the fourth-floor sprinkler system malfunctions at OB/GYN, meaning that the ER staff will have to deliver eight of the babies -- and an attending physician named Dr. Anna Castigliano (Lindsay Crouse) suddenly goes into labor herself. Amidst all this chaos, is it any wonder that desk attendant Jerry (Abraham Benrubi) can't convince anyone that basketball star Scottie Pippen (playing himself) has dropped into the ER for a visit? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Beata Pozniak guest stars as Masha, the Buchmans' new once-a-week maid. Masha is quite fond of "Mr. Paul" Buchman (Paul Reiser), who reminds her of Wayne Rogers. Alas, the feeling is apparently not reciprocated, resulting in devastation and despair. This episode marks the final series appearance of Tommy Hinkley as Paul's sloppy bachelor bud Jay Selby. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) throw a party to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. Paul tries to recapture the excitement of the original nuptials; Fran and Mark Devanow (Leila Kenzle, Richard Kind) are separated and barely speaking to one another (he wants to kick over the traces by cruising cross-country in his new Range Rover); and romance unexpectedly blossoms between Paul's somewhat off-the-beam assistants, Warren (Steven Wright) and Connie (Meagan Fay). And those are the conditions that prevail as Mad About You closes out its first season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rick Rossovich guest stars as a house painter named -- honest to goodness -- Sherman Williams. A former boyfriend of Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt), Williams is hired to paint the Buchman apartment. Surprisingly, Paul (Paul Reiser) is okay with having his wife's ex-beau in his domicile -- but Jamie is not okay with Paul being okay. And as long as we're talking "okay," things aren't all that okay with the Buchmans' friends Fran (Leila Kenzle) and Mark (Richard Kind). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dolly Parton and James Woods as the screen's hottest new romantic team? That's only one of several casting surprises in this romantic comedy. Shirlee Kenyon (Dolly Parton) has had enough of life in her small Arkansas town, not to mention her small-minded Arkansas boyfriend Steve (Michael Madsen). So she decides to head for the big city of Chicago, where she applies for a job as a receptionist at a talk radio station. However, she arrives at the studios just as the staff are frantically searching for the psychiatrist hired to host a call-in show for people seeking advice with their personal problems. Shirlee is put on the air by mistake, and, while she lacks a degree in psychology, she has common sense to spare, and her no-nonsense advice makes the show a hit. Soon "Doctor Shirlee" is the talk of the town, but reporter Jack Russell (James Woods) senses that she might not be all she's supposed to be. Jack does some investigating and finds out the truth about Shirlee, but by this time the two have met and he's fallen in love with her. Will Jack obey his responsibilities as a journalist, or follow his heart? Straight Talk's supporting cast includes filmmaker John Sayles, monologist Spalding Gray, actor and producer Griffin Dunne, and future Lois Lane Teri Hatcher. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Paul (Paul Reiser) completes a filmed documentary about Yankee Stadium (including the obligatory profile of the peanut vendor) for PBS. Meanwhile, Jamie (Helen Hunt) goes after a big ad account. She succeeds, and a party is thrown in her honor; alas, PBS turns thumbs-down on Paul ("Let 'em keep their lousy tote bag!"), virtually guaranteeing that the air will be mighty thick during the festivities. This episode marks the first appearance of Ryan (Spencer Klein), the son of Fran and Mark Devanow (Leila Kenzle, Richard Kind). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Comedian Paul Reiser has always insisted that his long-running NBC sitcom Mad About You (co-created by Reiser and Danny Jacobson) was inspired by events in his own life. Naturally, a bit of dramatic license was practiced: Reiser's TV character Paul Buchman was not a comic, but instead a New York-based documentary filmmaker. Nonetheless, the character's personality was virtually "all Reiser," just as Paul Buchman's TV wife, public relations executive Jamie Buchman (played by Helen Hunt), was basically a carbon copy of the real-life Mrs. Reiser. Debuting Wednesday, September 23, 1992, Mad About You set up its premise, setting, and characters with admirable speed and efficiency. Married five months at the beginning of the series, Paul and Jamie are already safely ensconced in their Manhattan high-rise apartment, already conversing in a naturalistic, non-jokey (but hilarious) manner about the little, apparently inconsequential events that made them who they were and shaped their outlook on the world (Reiser's oft-quoted assessment of the series: "The feeling of the show should be like a couple's ride home after a party, when you can finally say what you've been thinking all night"). Also already in place is the series' colorful array of supporting characters, including Jamie's unlucky-in-love sister Lisa Stemple (Anne Ramsay), gynecologist Mark Devanow (Richard Kind) and his dissatisfied wife Fran (Leila Kenzle) -- still married at the start of Season One, but headed for divorce by the 22nd episode -- and, for the first half of the season at least, Paul's disheveled bachelor pal Jay Selby (Tommy Hinkley), with whom Lisa has a brief fling. The exit of Jay after the 12th episode permitted the producers to bring in a new character, Paul's ever-competitive cousin Ira Buchman (John Pankow). Recurring characters making their first appearances during Mad About You's shakedown season include the Devanow's precocious son Ryan (Spencer Klein), the Buchmans' insufferable upper-crust British neighbors Maggie and Hal Conway (played by Judy Geeson and, initially, Paxton Whitehead), Paul's father Burt Buchman (Louis Zorich), Jamie's parents Theresa and Gus Stemple (originally played by Nancy Dussault and Paul Dooley), apartment doorman Eddie (Lou Cutell), and various members of Paul's production staff, among them film editor Ike (Art Evans), phlegmatic photographer Warren (Steven Wright), and production assistants Stacey (Kerri Green) and Connie (Meagen Fay). And, of course, there was the series' obligatory non-human character, the Buchmans' blasé pet dog Murray ("Maui" the dog), who was conspicuous with his presence. The series' celebrated habit of featuring pop-icon guest stars, which would manifest itself in such notables as John Astin, Carl Reiner, Yoko Ono, and the cast of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In in later years, was tantalizingly previewed with the first-season appearances of Barbara Feldon (spoofing her Get Smart persona) and Regis Philbin. Although Mad About You did not crack the Top 25 series during its inaugural season, the program managed to accumulate a following that would remain loyal and steadfast for the next seven years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide