Hot in Cleveland Discussion Thread

[Jonathan]

I've seen the pilot and it's hysterical. Betty White is awesome as are the 3 co-stars, Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, and Wendie Malick.

I'm really stoked that La Lucci is making a guest appearance later in the season. There's a running sub-plot involving Wendie Malick's character and her bitterness towards La Lucci.

[Khan]

It's good to see La Lucci branching out a bit into sitcoms. That experience will come in handy when AMC is toast.

[Soapsuds]

Hot in Cleveland a hit!

http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/06/17/betty-white-lightening-strikes-again-tv-lands-hot-in-cleveland-draws-nearly-5-million-breaks-tv-land-records/54461

[Khan]

Five million viewers? That's, like, "network numbers," lol. Let's hope HiC can retain most of them. I really want TV Land to establish itself as another outlet for original, scripted programming.

[Mr. Vixen]

Wow go Hot in Cleveland! That's way higher than I expected, but I am glad none the less. ALL of the ladies were great, and I have mad love for Betty White.

I thought it was funny that Wendie Malick's character was on "The Edge of Tomorrow", an obvious referrence to "The Edge of Night" and "Search for Tomorrow".

One of my favorite lines:

"I never one a Daytime Emmy in 27 years! Never! Not even that season I so courageously battled Lyme disease!"

Very funny show, even better than I expected.

[dm.]

This Valerie Bertinelli SO reminds me of a blown-up Nia Peeples.

[DaytimeFan]

I think the show is great, TV Land must be thinking the ratings are better than great. All 4 actresses, Malick, Leeves, White and Bertinelli, should be toasting themselves.

It's a whole new world out there in television, TV Land has managed to make a show that beats most anything on network.

[All My Shadows]

I like Betty and Val, but I'm sorry, I'm morally obligated to not support this. I've been hoping for all of TV Land's original series to fail for years, and I can't stop now. "The Cougar" was our biggest victory.

[DaytimeFan]

What's the moral obligation to not support it all about?

[Khan]

Why?

[All My Shadows]

It's not necessarily this show, because an original sitcom is something I've always wanted to see them do, but after High School Reunion and She's Got the Look and First Love, Second Chance and How'd You Get So Rich!?!?!? and all of their other random reality shows, any time I hear "all new TV Land original series," I get a sour taste in my mouth. It's the exact same thing as SOAPnet with their Southern Belles and Bank of Mom and Dad and HoliDate and blah blah blah.

But like I said, this show, I can give it a pass because it is more in line with their general focus. It's like if SOAPnet ever made their own soap, kinda.

[Khan]

Probably. I mean, unless TV Land's programming chief, Larry Jones, is absolutely insane, I think the network's expectations for HiC's reception were probably modest at best. Still, its' performance proves two things: that audiences still want multi-camera, live-in-front-of-a-studio-audience comedy; and that, um, "women of a certain age" can still make an impact on TV in terms of ratings and demographics.

[Soapsuds]

I am glad it did well. Unfortunately, I missed it on Wednesday. I'll make sure to catch it next Wednesday.

[Khan]

Believe me, I do, too, lol! That's why I'm glad TV Land is taking a chance on HiC (and "Retired at 35") and that some critics - and now, audiences - are responding so positively to it. Who knows? This might encourage the network to produce more scripted efforts (dramas and comedies) ... and push the shittier, unscripted fare (which I think even TV Land recognizes as detracting from their mission; hence, the new sitcoms) off the lineup altogether. ;-)

TV Land will repeat the pilot on Saturday (although, I forget the exact time).

[Khan]

And that, right there, is the difference between a network like TV Land, and one like SOAPnet. TV Land saw a hole in the television landscape (namely, the dearth of traditional sitcoms) and, listening to the needs of their audience who missed these shows, decided to fill it. SOAPnet had a golden opportunity to satiate disgruntled fans' desire for new and better soap opera and keep a dying genre alive; instead, they spent a buttload on primetime soap-ish shows that people either didn't need or could watch elsewhere (like DVD); and spent the rest of their time pimping ABC's lineup to the already converted. If they were ultimately too vulnerable to the bloodless and soul-crushing whims of Team Disney, they've only themselves to blame.