"Mad About You" (1992) TV series 1992-1999

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Creators:

Danny Jacobson
Paul Reiser

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Release Date:

23 September 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Light television comedy featuring Paul and Jaime Buchman as a recently married couple in New York City...

Plot Keywords:

Sitcom | New York | Baby | Love | Film Making

Awards:

Won 4 Golden Globes. Another 32 wins & 63 nominations

Cast

Paul Reiser	...	Paul Buchman (161 episodes, 1992-1999)
Helen Hunt	...	Jamie Stemple Buchman (161 episodes, 1992-1999)
Maui	...	Murray (106 episodes, 1992-1999)
John Pankow	...	Ira Buchman (96 episodes, 1993-1999)
Leila Kenzle	...	Fran Devanow / ... (67 episodes, 1992-1999)
Anne Ramsay	...	Lisa Stemple / ... (67 episodes, 1992-1999)

Runtime:

23 min (164 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Argentina:Atp | Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) | Portugal:M/6 (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

In Front Productions

Trivia:

In one episode, a character asks if they saw the movie about those aliens that burst from people's chests (the Alien movies), and Paul Reiser says, "Only the first one." Reiser starred in Aliens (1986), the second movie in this series.

Goofs:

Continuity: As with any long-running show there are many inconsistencies between series. Characters' life histories, their birthdays and ages are reported differently from time to time as the writers invent new stuff for them that wasn't thought of when the series began.

Quotes:

[Paul is licking wedding invitation envelopes]
Jamie Buchman: How are you holding up?
Paul Buchman: Well, if I had two more tongues, I'd be the happiest person on Earth.
Jamie Buchman: (lights a cigarette) Second happiest.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The X Files: Empedocles (#8.17)" (2001)

The days of better sitcoms. (spoilers)

I suddenly really started to miss this show when I realized that, for me, there is currently about 99% trash on television, and probably only about three television shows a week that I look forward to watching anymore (which is on one hand, depressing, but on the other hand, a good thing in that I look for other ways to spend my time). "Mad About You" was one show that you could (almost) always count on to be entertaining, and represents a sitcom now lost in the wave of trashy television (burdened most abundantly with garbage talk shows and "Reality" TV).

A great directorial and production team developed a pretty good show that lasted seven years. The premise was simple--that of Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt), a couple who lived in New York. The Buchman's made a really great sitcom couple, and one that was able to really transcend the television conventions even as the years went on. Paul was not the doofus or arrogant husband, and Jamie was not his demeaning wife. Their friends were not catty and their parents (save some things that Paul's mother often did towards Jamie) were not berating to their children or hateful towards each other (as clearly, Ray's parents are in 'Everybody Loves Raymond,' for example). They were a simple couple that, save a few exceptions, most younger (like 30s and 40s) married couples could either identify with, or at least enjoy the charisma and likability of these two main characters from the time the show began to the very last episode. While each episode focused on some kind of daily event, whether it be visiting with the parents, or something going on at work, it also took you through some of the rise and falls in the Buchman's marriage (during sweeps week, no doubt, but still...) such as the time that Jamie and Paul first met, the time that they almost divorced, and the token sitcom season where Jamie gives birth to their daughter, Mabel (who conveniently disappears in later episodes after the baby craze died off). But, more often than not, despite these pitfalls, the Buchmans often had some hilarious adventures (and misadventures) in so much as most things that they did could be called "Adventures."

The supporting cast, too, was just as great with my particular favorites being John Pankow (Paul's cousin, Ira), Hank Azaria (Nat, the dog walker), Anne Ramsay (Jamie's sister, Lisa), Cyndi Lauper (who was a regular guest star in the last season as Marianne), and Louis Zorich (Paul's dad, Burt).

And, even with all of the little lessons about life and marriage and so forth that came into full understanding among the characters by the end of each episode, it was not done too dramatically, not too cloyingly, and certainly not in a pathetically sentimental manner. The writers, directors, and performers were able to make just the perfect balance of all elements. And I think that was why it survived as long as it did. Viewers, male or female, could like the Buchmans.

In the meantime, catch the old shows on DVD or reruns if you can, for a brief reminder of how good television shows USED to be.