Call Your Mother - Kyra Sedgwick

Yeah, it was bad. But most pilots are. If there's any talent behind it, it will improve in a few months.

Oh, I just mentioned this on the gay men on TV thread, but couldn’t recall the name. Gay character was the best thing about it.

This show looks like it's stuck in a time warp. It looks and sounds so dated.

Maybe it will find an audience in this time of people finding comfort food but it looks terrible.

What was the conceit of the Air B&B host being Australian, I couldn’t grasp what that was going to be all about.

OP, here but HOW in God's green earth... does this get the green light???

R5 I know, who looks at Kyra and says comedy!

she's much stronger in drama, but she didn't bother me.

oh, geez there was another line....she refers to herself as 40

daughter: mom!

kyra: okay, 45!

daughter: MOMMM!!!

Kyra: OK!

She's 55.

Who takes 15 years off of their lives?

Compare this to Megan Mullally saying to Grace, "I mean I'm 34...what have I done with my life?" And the audience is already laughing before Messing says her next line...

Maybe it'll get better.

I watch the show because I love Kyra Sedgwick, but yeah, it’s not good.

That being said, it showed a lot of improvement from episode one to episode two, even if the jokes creak. I don’t know if it can last long enough to get to where it’s actually a good comedy.

Still, I’ll take it over the complete mess that is Call Me Kat.

From the creators of The New Adventures of Christine. That show sucked so its not a good recommendation.

R9 Are they using that as a marketing campaign, that show has zero relevancy at this point?

There was already a thread on this, OP. Do a search before starting a new thread.

[quote] Mom thinks there are two separate emails -- one for a phone, one for a computer.

What mom in the 2020s would think this? She’d have to be in her late 70s at least to be this clueless.

Bring back The Closer! I loved Brenda Leigh Johnson.

Former actress Kari Lizer created The New Adventures of Old Christine which lasted for 5 seasons. She was also a producer and writer on Will & Grace. Kyra previously tried a sitcom in 2000 called Talk to Me which only lasted 3 episodes.

Kyra says she is a grateful for the 2nd iconic television role of her career.

Awful. Did Kyra need the dough or something?

Oh, right.

My pussy stinks!

R14 So, if it airs this week with episode four it will be a win for Kyra?

Jesus, it sounds ghastly. Like a Nancy Meyers film about "lovable" white frauen played by that hysterical cunt Diane Keaton or Meg Fishlips Ryan.

The set design is atrocious with this horror vacui for each location, mom’s place, two kid’s apartments, restaurant, school, etc. and they give no individual personality to the characters. It all clearly states “this was designed by one person, and one person alone who didn’t even have any taste to begin with.” The outdoor set doesn’t even try for naturalism either, especially with a paved surface that’s obviously a studio floor. I know, I know the set design is the least of this shows problems....

Daughter’s gay friend still best thing about this.

But he has been AWOL the past couple of episodes

[quote] The creator has lots of credits; and she's acted too, playing Will's secretary on Will & Grace

You hit the nail on the head. That show is a negative influence on sitcoms in a negative influence on gay culture.

AND a negative influence

Now that streaming is popular and all the networks have their own streaming apps, programming that appears on their traditional linear channels is going to be crap, aimed at older downscale audiences who won't pony up for streaming.

Let’s face it, it’s a piece of shit!

OP, you got your timeslots mixed up. The bleach blonde lesbian was on at 8:30. 8 o’clock belong to a guy who raped a lesbian.

Belonged

Well she and Kevin lost a lot of money with Bernie Madoff, that may be the driving force.

We all have Bernie Madoff to thank.

I liked the early episodes of The New Adventures of Old Christine. Clark Gregg was cute and had great chemistry with JLD, as did the guy who played her older brother, though Wanda Sykes had all the subtlety of a sledge hammer.

Bernie fucking ruins everything!

The supporting cast (aside from the gay gay) is so bland. It’s like they went out of their way to find the most unattractive and uninteresting actors possible.

Yep Kyra and Kevin lost a huge chunk of their savings to Madoff and they need to keep acting their little assess off to make up for their losses.

I really wished they would have used these two as the kids, I really liked the show they had and they’ve got great comic timing and chemistry. The actors on the show actually seem like a bad knock off of them already.

I loved Alone Together. Those two were hilarious.

With the exception of Kyra Sedgwick, the cast of CYM is awful. I’m hoping the show will improve because I like the writers and also liked New Adventures. I used to watch it to lust after Hamish Linklater.

[quote]did the guy who played her older brother

OLDER brother? Hamish Linklater is 15 years younger than JLD.

Gay best friend of daughter still the best thing on the show. No explanation why the landlord is Australian though?

Sitcoms set in LA just don’t work.

There’s no there there, fist of all. There are no quirky, interesting people— just sad, desperate ones. Sure, the desperation makes them do weird things sometimes, but in a way that’s so uncomfortable it ruins the comedy. LA also has a sinister vibe that makes it hard to laugh.

So sitcoms set in LA end up being so sanitized and generic, it defeats the purpose.

One exception: “Blackish” is set in the SF Valley, but has some interesting things to say.

The show was originally called Kyra Sedgwick Needs To Pay Her Mortgage And Earn Back Those Bernie Madoff Bucks, but that was hard to fit on the ads for the show, so they shortened it.

I wanted to like it, because it's made by the team who made "The New Adventures of Old Christine", which I loved. (JLD and Wanda Sykes were an awesome pairing, and I liked JLD's chemistry with the actor who played her brother.)

But I find the mother character shrill and annoying. I find the millennial kid characters bland and boring. I find the kids' friends (especially the valley girl) extremely annoying. And they're just going to have that lady from the View do video call check-ins every week?

I think they were going for a Friends meets Golden Girls vibe, but it's just not working.

Looking forward to a Kevin Bacon cameo.

You're more likely to get a recurring role from their daughter, who Kyra managed to wedge into a three-episode arc on "The Closer" as Brenda's niece.

The networks are so far behind the times. They're still doing shows that belong on the 80s/90s. It's some lame shit.

The networks are doing whatever cheap shit they can, because they make about 1/20th of what they used to, and anything worth watching is now on streaming or cable.

The networks are hamstrung by the FCC. Until they deregulate and eliminate the censorship (which will never happen), they'll continue on their inexorable slide into extinction.

Same sentiments about "B Positive".

It seems like this type of sitcom has already been done 100 times before.

[quote]The show was originally called Kyra Sedgwick Needs To Pay Her Mortgage And Earn Back Those Bernie Madoff Bucks, but that was hard to fit on the ads for the show, so they shortened it.

They should have stuck with "Life With Kyra," where she plays plucky widow Kyra Barker who moves in with her family and gets them into zany situations while wearing pastel velour tracksuits.

It sucks.

That farmer’s market was a idealization of what a NYC one would be, there was nothing LA about it.

A woman in her 50s in the year 2021 doesn't understand how email works? Um, ok.

[quote]The networks are hamstrung by the FCC. Until they deregulate and eliminate the censorship (which will never happen), they'll continue on their inexorable slide into extinction.

I can't watch network shows anymore, they're just so hampered by the censorship and other things that they're just boring and unrealistic. Cable and streaming shows have changed things so much, they've really made a difference in the quality of storytelling. The networks are just stuck in the past.

I hope those censorship rules stay in place, I don’t want to see Kyra’s breasts.

I like Kyra Sedgwick and I can tell she’s trying to be this cute quirky Midwestern mom on this show, but it’s just not working. I miss Brenda Lee - that role was all her.

The feminine son is completely unbelievable as "straight". And the landlord guy comes off as creepy. The "know it all daughter" loves to preach her superiority. ...Kyra Sedgwick is adorable but this show isn't nearly as good as "Kids are Alright"---which deserved a second season..

Week, 6? 7? Gay friend is still the best things and he’s tertiary.

I liked this show at first, but this week's episode was not funny at all. The buildup to finally meeting Hank was a huge letdown.

Maybe you're watching too early. If there's anything you remotely liked about it, come back next season when they've figured out the show. Wait for a few more people to recommend it and jump in at season 3.

Shows barely exist the first few episodes. There are some exceptions but there are wonderful shows, ESPECIALLY IN COMEDY that didnt really figure out what they were or who the characters were until season 2 or 3. And if ratings are good enough, they usually get better up to season 7, then decline.

Obligatory gay actor was in this episode, I’m terrible I guess I should know his name by now, but he was in the other new “Call” show “Call Kat” last week as well, but at least he played gay there.

Full disclosure from OP, here.

I wrote a kick-ass Will & Grace spec after studying at a continuing ed class at UCLA; I couldn't get it read.

One night I was at a party in LA and I saw Eric McCormack. SUPER nice guy.

I read him one exchange from it and he BURST out laughing. Sweetheart.

I know I could be much funnier than this show is.

R59, come back next season? There won’t be a next season — the ratings are lousy...deservedly lousy.

I love Kyra Sedgwick, but this show doesn’t work and it’s not getting any better. Not one episode has been better than below average. It looks and sounds as if it’s put together by a group of people who NEVER did comedy before but wanted to try.

Except for the gay black guy, the casting is bad. These people just aren’t funny. The landlord/potential boyfriend ? I don’t need a strapping and hot 20 year old, but the guy isn’t good looking enough. He’s vanilla average, and he’s not funny either.

I really tried. I stuck with it and hoped it would show signs of improvement. That’s not happening, and it’s by far the worst comedy on ABC’s schedule.

It’ll ge gone soon...for good.

I don’t think we’ve learned why the Australian is in this country yet?

Love her on Brooklyn 99 playing Captain Holt's arch nemesis.

[quote]The networks are just stuck in the past.

It's not the networks' fault -- it's the government's.

I really like this show. The whole younger cast is really strong, especially the actors who play Celia and Lane. Joey Bragg is a cutie.

To echo what R62 was saying, this show has grown unwatchable. The most recent episode was by far the worst yet.

I didn't read the earlier comments, so I apologize in advance if I repeat what's been said. Anyway.... This show reminds me a lot of the creator's (Kari Lizner sp?) previous show, The New Adventures of Old Christine. That show worked because of Julia-Louise Dreyfuss. This show would work with her, too, because it's so similar. But on its own, it's pretty weak. Although I think the writing was better on Old Christine, JLD definitely elevated the material and made that show hilarious. Because she is hilarious. I have nothing against Kyra Sedgwick, but she is definitely NOT hilarious. I don't think she has much of a talent for comedy. And she certainly doesn't bring anything to the mediocre writing to make the show special. So we're left with a run-of-the-mill, mildly amusing sitcom with an unfunny lead. I watched three episodes to see if it improved. It hasn't, so I'm not devoting another moment to watching it. Life is too short.

I should add that Old Christine's supporting cast, including the wonderful Wanda Sykes, was excellent as well and made the show worth watching every week.

And yes, I know I have stated my boundaries in my first post ("... I'm not devoting another moment to watching it.).

Dare I say that this week’s episode was an improvement? The cast seemed to gel much more and while the standout remains the Black gay guy, loved the bit with the hostess, both children and the fiancée were better than they have been. I’m confused about how she is paying what must be the exorbitant B&B rates, I though maybe she was going to move into the freed up apartment. It not like the B&B can just become a rental? And still no storyline about why the landlord is Australian, and he’s like two decades younger than her as well right?

Family Ties was at 8:30, Cosby was at 8pm

Kyra Sedgwick without the southern accent is not very interesting at all.

Officially canceled. I feel it definitely improved, unlike Call Me Kat that spiraled downward, yet got renewed.