Special Valentine's Day Article-Look at Sitcom Clichés : Unrequited Love

It amazes me how often the subject of unrequited love comes up in sitcoms. It usually works like this: Person A loves person B, but person B is either blissfully unaware, or in a situation which precludes a romantic relationship with Person A so they just drop annoying hints but never do anything about it.

In honor of Valentine's Day, I wanted to take look at some of these classic examples. As we'll see, sometimes these work out, and other times they don't. The one constant rule of this cliché seems to be that when the two people finally get together, the magic chemistry vanishes. Is that really always the case?

Happy Days-Why do I always start with this show? I could be wrong about this, but I am pretty sure that when Chachi first came on the show Joanie pretty much turned down his advances. He was just an annoying boy to her. However, as time went one (and the creators started needing a reason to keep viewers interested), she returned his affections. They started dating, had an awful spin-off series, and in the series final episode got married. They had ok chemistry together so I guess it worked.

 

Analytical Episode Guide-Seinfeld (Season 3, Part 2)

An Analytical Episode Guide to :

 

Season  3, Part 2

Episode 6, Season 3

The Parking Garage

 

Plot Summary-Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer can’t find their car in a parking garage. Yep, that’s it. Ok, there is a little more. Jerry and George get busted for urinating in the garage, Elaine worries about her fish, and Kramer struggles with an air conditioner.

Best Quote-“let me say this. If I am not in front of my building at 6:15 when my parents get there, they gonna put me on an aggravation installment plan that will compound with interest for decades”.

Nitpick of the episode-This episode is hard to nitpick, but why is Jerry coming up with stupid excuses after he is caught urinating? And why does it take so long for the cop to fine him? Oh, I know, to make the episode longer.

Seinfeldism of the episode-Jerry claims to suffer from “Uromisitisis”

Deleted Scenes-There was some dialogue of Elaine complaining about bad drivers

Episode Fun Fact-The garage in this show was a set on the same soundstage Seinfeld is shot every week. The normal sets had to all be removed and mirrors were used to create the illusion of a garage. In the beginning of the episode we can see the gang reflected in one of the mirrors. Also, the final scene was not supposed to end with the car not starting. Look closely and you can see Jason Alexander and Julia Louis Dreyfuss starting to laugh.

Final Thoughts-This is a great episode, I think I’ve seen it a hundred times. Who hasn’t been in a situation like this? My only gripe is that unlike The Chinese Restaurant, the writers clearly had to write in a plot device to keep the story going. That would be Jerry getting busted for urinating, which kind of spoils an otherwise classic episode. I understand the idea of just having these guys wandering around a garage would be hard to write for, but that sub-story doesn’t work for me. In The Chinese Restaurant the plot devices seemed natural (bumping into someone you know, waiting for a call, and just being hungry) but here the whole bathroom bit felt a tad forced. Aside from that, this is one of the best episodes of the series!

Grade=A-, despite my little gripes this episode is a classic!

Episode 7, Season 3

The Cafe

 

Plot Summary-Jerry obsesses over a café named which is not getting any business. He attempts to help the owner named Babu, but his advice only runs the guy out of business. Meanwhile, Elaine helps George cheat on an IQ test while Kramer is determined to keep a jacket which had been left over his mother’s house.

Best Quote-“Never been a guinea pig. Been a sheep.”….Jerry

Nitpick of the episode-Elaine isn’t that smart, or she wouldn’t have taken the IQ test at the Dream Café. At least she got it right the second time, until Kramer screwed it up.

Seinfeldism of the episode-Jerry was a “bad man, very very bad man”, according to Babu

Deleted Scenes-None for this episode.

Episode Fun Fact-Babu was supposed to have a wife but she was written out.

Final Thoughts-This episode is pretty funny. Once again, Jerry watches something he does turn out disastrously. Of course, in the final episode they will make it sound like Jerry did these things maliciously. I hated that about the finale, but we will have the discussion when we get to it. For now, let’s talk about this one. George’s whole thing with the IQ test is classic, but Kramer’s story is really kind of weak. I never understood why he got this jacket arc which will carry into the next episode.

Grade=B-

Episode 8, Season 3

The Tape

 

Plot Summary- Jerry is listening to an audio tape of his show when suddenly a woman comes on saying some very explicit things. This gets all the guys excited, and when George discovers that the voice was actually Elaine he suddenly feels attracted to her. George calls China for a so-called bald cure while Jerry tries to track down the owner of the voice.

Best Quote-“Why do I do anything?”…George’s answer to Jerry asking why he is wasting his time with the so called bald cure.

Nitpick of the episode- Why does George become attracted to Elaine after hearing the tape? Wasn’t he aware she was a woman before?

Seinfeldism of the episode-Jerry and Kramer try to use a horrible cockney accent.

Deleted Scenes-None for this episode.

Episode Fun Fact-We meet Ping, the Chinese delivery boy who will reappear next season.

Final Thoughts-This episode seems designed to remind us that Elaine is, in fact, an attractive woman. For some reason it always had a season 2 feel to it. Elaine doesn’t tell Jerry the voice was her to have a little fun with him, but there is never any pay off. Kramer is just kind of around to comment on the events, the closest thing to a story he gets is the video camera he uses through the episode, although the jacket is brought up again. That arc will conclude in the next episode.

Grade=C, George suddenly falling for Elaine never worked for me.

Episode 9, Season 3

The Nose Job

 

Plot Summary-George is dating a woman named Audrey with a rather large nose. Jerry is dating a beautiful woman with a horrible personality. After Kramer suggests a nose job for Audrey, George talks her into going through with it to horrible results. Jerry wants to break up with his girl, but his so attracted to her he can’t find the strength to do so. Kramer’s story arc about the jacket continues as he and Elaine (posing as his fiancée) attempt to get the jacket back.

Best Quote-“Well you’re as pretty as any of them. Just need a nose job,”….Kramer in one of the series first insensitivies.

Nitpick of the episode-George is right when he says Audrey would be out of his league if she had a normal nose. So why doesn’t he just enjoy being with her? I know, I know. Because it’s George.

Seinfeldism of the episode-Can’t put into print the analogy Jerry uses for why he can’t break up with Isabelle, let’s just say it involves his brain facing another part of his body in a chess match.

Deleted Scenes-At the top scene with George and Jerry, we were supposed to actually catch up with Elaine and Audrey but instead the scene cuts to the apartment.

Episode Fun Fact-The scene with Kramer and Elaine took quite a few takes because Julia Louis-Dreyfus couldn’t stop laughing, much to Michael Richard aggravation.

Final Thoughts-This episode is presented in a slightly different style than others, as we see flashbacks to earlier scenes rather than just getting the scenes all in sequence. After being mentioned in the last four episodes, the story arc about Kramer’s jacket finally ends here. The whole idea of George obsessing about his girlfriend is classic George and as usual he pays the price for his worrying in the end. Also, we get one of the first classic Elaine and Kramer scenes when Elaine helps him get the jacket back.

Grade=B+, Good but not above average

Episode 10, Season 3

The Alternate Side

 

Plot Summary- Jerry’s car gets stolen, forcing him to rent a new one. George volunteers to move cars from one side of the street to the other. Unfortunately, this goes about as bad as it can go and results in Jerry’s rental getting smashed up. Meanwhile, Elaine dates a guy named Owen who is much older and who has a stroke before she can break up with him. Kramer gets a role in a Woody Allen movie.

Best Quote-“You know how to take the reservation, you just don’t how to hold the reservation.  And that really is the most important part of the reservation, the holding”…..Jerry

Nitpick of the episode-The fact that George smashes Jerry’s car out all of the cars he is moving is almost too much of a coincidence. Also, at the end Elaine notes that Owen is fully recovered from his stroke. From personal experience I know people don’t “fully recover” from serious strokes.

Seinfeldism of the episode-“These pretzels are making me thirsty!”

Deleted Scenes-Elaine goes into further detail on why she doesn’t enjoy being with Owen, also further discussion about Woody Allen.

Episode Fun Fact-Jerry has a conversation with the thief who stole is car, the voice was provided by Larry David.

Final Thoughts-My nominee for worst title of any Seinfeld episode. Title aside, this is a pretty good episode. George is probably at his most crazed, and we love watching him in this one. This episode also started the very short lived (thankfully) trend of originating a catchphrase and then repeating it throughout the episode. Elaine’s story is kind of lame, and the scene where she is feeding her boyfriend beans was, to me, a low point for the series. Since Woody Allen frequently films in New York, having him as a plot device in Seinfeld makes perfect sense. Having Kramer get a role is just gold.

Grade=A-, very solid episode

Top 5 Favorite Animated Cats

I am going to admit something to everyone. I am a cat lover. It’s true, I love the little fuzzballs. Actually I wasn’t so much until I had one. If you’ve owned a pet, you understand. So, I have a special affinity for cats on TV and movies. Cartoons also, and I've noticed that cats don't get the respect dogs do. Sure, Snoopy and Scooby are great but what about the great cats that have been around? So, just for fun today I thought I’d take a look at my top 5 favorite animated cats. The only rule for this list is that the character has to be a house cat, not lions or tigers for example.

#5. Oliver

Oliver & Company is one of the more forgettable Disney movies. I loved the characters though. We had Dodger played by Billy Joel, and Georgette played by Bette Midler. However, for my money my favorite character was the title one, the kitty named Oliver. He is a tough little kitty, and shows lots of spunk and personality. We first see him surviving the streets of New York alone, and then when Dodger scams him he proceeds to follow him home! Probably why Dodger decided to befriend him and bring the little guy into their group.

Top 5 Beloved TV Characters Who Would Be Hated in Real Life

 It's amazing how we watch and love people on TV who we would hate and despise if they were real people in our lives. I thought I would look at my favorites.

This is different than characters we love to hate. Those are characters that are just plain rotten for some reason, even the characters on their shows hate them, but we love watching them anyway. This list is about characters that are loved and cherished, but if they were real people they would be hated instantly. All of these examples come down to one thing; they are played by very good performers who know how to make an otherwise aggravating person actually likable. I know I mention her constantly, but that is the mistake Patricia Heaton made with Debra Barone. There was nothing likeable about her character, we just hated her. Here are some examples that got it right.

#5. Roseanne Connor (Roseanne)

 

Let’s be honest, if Roseanne were a real mother would she be well respected? I think people would be calling child welfare on her, the way she acts with her kids. Sure, on the show the little insults and comments are funny. If it were real life, I am not sure how well received her antics would be. She has bad habits, and in later years seemed constantly moody and depressed.  Ok, I am being hard on her, she did love her family and did take care of them. It's just as this show went on she got more and more unlikable, sometimes she came off as a little to miserable with her life.

Analytical Episode Guide-Seinfeld (Season 3, Part 1)

An Analytical Episode Guide to:

 

Season 3, Part 1

Finally NBC had enough faith in this little show to order a full season. Season 3 premiered on September 18, 1991. This season was a big turning point for the series, as finally the stories began to be more involved, with multiple plots running in each episode. Also, the actors began to be more comfortable with their characters, especially Kramer who finally began to become the break out character we would come to know and love.

Episode 1, Season 3

The Note

 

Plot Summary- Jerry freaks out a masseuse, and then proceeds to get his dentist friend Roy in trouble by asking him to write a note for him and George and Elaine to get their PT covered by insurance. Roy gets caught because they got a note for Elaine too, but she had already taken care of it. Kramer is convinced he sees Joe DiMaggio in a broken down donut shop. George gets a message from a man, and is disturbed by it.

Best Quote-Hard to describe, but Kramer’s yelping noises he uses to try to get Joe DiMaggio’s attention are pretty funny.

Nitpick of the episode-Ok; let’s talk about the woman who is massaging Jerry in the beginning. What kind of paranoid nut is this lady? Jerry simply talks about a kidnapper who was in the news, making conversation, and the lady acts like her child is in imminent danger? Then she bans him from the office. Maybe it was supposed to be funny; I find it a little farfetched. One way this may have worked is if they established she was new to the city or something, cliché as that may be.

Seinfeldism of the episode-George thinks “it” moved. I think you understand that one.

Deleted Scenes-Before Jerry and George ask Roy for the note we meet Ray’s wife/secretary and she is happy with them in this scene (she isn’t so happy the second visit, after Ray has gotten in trouble).

Episode Fun Fact-The creators put vocals over the theme music in this episode. Two female backup singers can be heard harmonizing over the music. The plan was to make this a regular thing, until NBC heard how bad it sounded! This is the only episode with that unusual scat music. Also, we finally get Jerry’s apartment dressed the way everyone recognizes it with the red table and aqua couch, and it will stay that way the rest of the series.

Final Thoughts-Aside from the annoying lady I already talked about, this is a real good episode. All the characters are in full force, from Kramer’s quirkiness to George’s neurotic worrying. A great way to start the new season.

Grade=B, just a good basic episode

Episode 2, Season 3

The Truth

 

Plot Summary-Jerry is being audited; thanks to a fraudulent contribution Kramer told him about. Thankfully George is dating a woman who works at the IRS who has agreed to help him. However, when George suddenly breaks up with her by telling her the truth, she takes Jerry’s papers in an emotional breakdown and throws them out. Kramer is dating Elaine’s roommate Tina, and is driving Elaine crazy with the make-out sessions and tribal music.

Best Quote-“My cousin Douglas was in a place like this one time. He came over to my house for dinner. There was no soda and he went berserk. He was screamin' "where's the Pepsi, where's the Pepsi?"….Jerry

Nitpick of the episode-This is an easy one, but at the beginning of the episode Jerry is getting his receipts together. At the end, he is hunting down receipts; didn’t he already have them together?

Seinfeldism of the episode-George gives a version of the “it’s not you, it’s me” speech he will make famous later on.

Deleted Scenes-None for this episode.

Episode Fun Fact-First episode to establish George’s middle name is Louis.

Final Thoughts-This is a pretty good episode. It’s amusing to see George so proud of himself for telling the truth, until he finds out the ramifications of that decision. This is one episode where the stories switch off but don’t really come together. This happens a few more times.

Grade=C-,Strong beginning, weak ending

Episode 3, Season 3

The Dog

 

Plot Summary-Jerry is stuck on a plane sitting next to an annoying passenger. A medical emergency causes Jerry to be stuck babysitting the man’s crazy dog. Because of the dog Jerry is unable to attend a movie with George and Elaine, who go by themselves and find they have nothing to talk about. Meanwhile, Kramer tries to break up with his girlfriend.

Best Quote-“Prediction. I never see you, or him again for the rest of my life”….Jerry

Nitpick of the episode-There is a point where Kramer gets mad at Jerry and Elaine after they point out how horrible Kramer’s girlfriend is. I always felt it was out of character for him to act like that; he always respected Jerry’s opinion and wouldn’t get mad at him like that.

Seinfeldism of the episode-After Elaine mentions how she and George can’t seem to communicate when they are going one on one, Jerry points out that “one on one” is a whole different game, can’t pass off.

Deleted Scenes-There was a whole part of the ending cut, a story involving Kramer feeding the dog Turkish taffy was dropped and a scene at the end of the episode when the guy comes back upset his dog is different.

Episode Fun Fact-One of the first Seinfeld made-up movie names appears here. “Prognosis: Negative”  was an actual script Larry David wrote but never produced.

Final Thoughts-This is one episode I can appreciate the situation Jerry finds himself in. How can you say no? I suppose I could say my apartment doesn’t allow dogs. It’s interesting to see George and Elaine without Jerry, the scene illustrates just how important he is to the group.  Kramer’s story is the only downer, sure the scene where he chews the girl out is funny but then he stays with her, only to finally break up with her in the end. The story feels forced and drawn out.

Grade=B-, Kramer’s story just feels out of place

Episode 4, Season 3

The Library

 

Plot Summary- Jerry gets a call from the New York Public Library that he never returned a book from twenty years earlier. At the library, George sees a homeless man and believes him to be a teacher he got fired when he was in school (after the teacher gave him a wedgie). The library cop grills Jerry while George tries to find out if the homeless man is in fact the former teacher. Elaine worries that she is going to be fired, while Kramer begins dating the librarian named Marion.

Best Quote-“The Dewey decimal system, what a scam that was. Boy this Dewey guy really cleaned up on that deal”…..Kramer

Nitpick of the episode-Yep, another nitpick on George and his neurotic worrying. If a teacher did to me what this teacher did to him, I wouldn’t care what happened to him. George was 100% in the right doing what he did, why does he feel guilty? That’s right, because he’s George.

Seinfeldism of the episode-Elaine points out how important lunch is at office jobs.

Deleted Scenes-None for this episode.

Episode Fun Fact-We see Elaine’s boss Mr.Lipman for the first time but he is played by a different actor. Also we see the bike hanging in Jerry’s apartment for the first time.

Final Thoughts-This is a very good episode. It’s one case of two stories coming together at the end. We see that the teacher George got fired has had the book Jerry thought returned to the library! The library cop is also one of Seinfeld’s more memorable characters; his rant as if he were a Private Investigator on Dragnet is always fun to watch. The one down side, going back to my nit, is that the teacher is made to be almost too reprehensible so we feel no pity for the man at all.

 Grade=B+, as good an episode as it is Elaine’s story ultimately goes nowhere.

On a personal note, this episode ends with Jerry talking about how weird a school day was when one had Gym. I vividly remember being in high school when I first heard that and could totally relate, now that it is over 20 years later it makes me feel old. Anyway, on with the episode guide…….

Episode 5, Season 3

The Pen

 

Plot Summary-Jerry and Elaine arrive in Florida for a ceremony honoring his father. The night before a friend of his father’s shows Jerry a special pen. When Jerry expresses an interest, the man gives Jerry the pen. An uproar is then started over it, especially Jerry begrudgingly returns the pen. Elaine pulls her back on a sofa bed and winds up taking too many back pills.

Best Quote-“All I said was I like the pen!”…..Jerry

Nitpick of the episode-As much as I hate to say it, Jerry was the one wrong in the episode. His mother was right; he never should have taken the pen.

 Seinfeldism of the episode-“The Pen” would be referenced again

Deleted Scenes-None for this episode.

Episode Fun Fact-This episode only has Jerry and Elaine, George and Kramer were written out. Apparently Jason Alexander didn’t appreciate this, and after he expressed his anger to Larry David it never happened again.

Final Thoughts-The good news is that the writing is so strong in the episode that it holds up even with George and Kramer totally absent. The bad news is, well, that they’re still absent. This is another episode where Jerry gets to watch something he does spiral out of control so much that it affects people around him, in this case his parents. It is nice to see Jerry’s parents and Uncle Leo again. Elaine is just here to observe and get some laughs acting silly, but Julia Louis-Dreyfuss is so much fun to watch we don’t mind.

Grade=C+, I have to give it a low grade because of no Kramer and George

That's it for this week, come back next week as we continue our look at Season 3.

Look at Sitcom Clichés : The Super Bowl

With the Super Bowl this weekend, where my Patriots are going to beat the Giants, I thought I would take a minute to discuss the sitcom episodes which have done super bowl episodes. This trend seemed especially big in the 90’s. Usually this happened because the network showing the game wanted a little plugging. Sometimes they would air right after the game, other times the week before. So, here is a look at these shows.

Full House-Not sure what the title of this ep is, but I call it the “Michelle is a spoiled brat” episode. The plot is Joey wants to watch the game, but has committed to spending the day with Michelle’s science group. Long story short, the group ends up watching the game and everyone is fine with it, except Michelle who pouts because they didn’t do what she was hoping for. Um, Michelle, we can’t always do everything we want, why not stop being a little witch and go and have fun? I have said good things about Full House and Michelle, but this episode isn’t a good one. So anxious to cram a message in, they make the character seem like a spoiled brat.

Seinfeld-“The Label Maker” will be discussed more in my episode guide, but one of the stories had Jerry trying to give away Super Bowl tickets. After the tickets change hands a few times, he winds up at the game with Newman!

Everybody Loves Raymond-Ray is assigned to cover the Super Bowl and is allowed to bring one person, so he invites his friend Gianni. His whole family is mad at him. Then when he sees other wives he gets Debra down there, promising Gianni he will still take him to the game. However, being typical Debra she is too good to do what every other wife is doing and ends up in a fight with Ray. The result is him destroying the tickets to prove a point, and no one gets to go to the game because Debra is so mean (have I mentioned I don’t like her?).

Home Improvement-This is a funny episode. Tim has planned a big Super Bowl bash; unfortunately Jill is sick and needs to be taken care of. Tim tries to have the party anyway, dividing his time between the game and Jill, but when his new sound system blows the TV the guys crash Tim and Jill’s bedroom, with her sick in bed! I do love how when women are sick they expect to be taken care of, but when men want that they are mocked and made fun of as being babies. Anyway, this is a good Super Bowl episode and has typical Home Improvement hijinks, in the Tool Tim segment some real Detroit Lions players make cameos.

King of Queens-After trying to get the newest kind of Hi-Def for the big game and failing, Doug finds out that his wife Carrie has a boss who has a brand new hi-def TV (these were more rare when this show was first on). He arranges to have his sister start to date him in an attempt to worm an invitation to a Super Bowl gathering. The plan goes pretty well until his sister and Carrie compare notes and figure out the way Doug has been manipulating them. In the end, the TV gets changed to the movie Heidi and Doug misses the game.

Roseanne-Roseanne’s mother Bev has vowed to give up drinking, right before Super Bowl Sunday. So Dan is forced to have an alcohol free Super Bowl party. This doesn’t work very well. This is a very short description of this episode, which I never really liked. Is it really a bad thing to not have beer when watching the big game? I am not a beer drinker, so maybe it is.

Empty Nest-This Golden Girls spin-off has a Super Bowl episode which was really just a clip show. Not much more to say about it than that. It was followed by an episode of Nurse’s which also had a Super Bowl story. The plot involved a party ending up with no TV and one of the characters injured trying to hook up illegal cable.

3^rd Rock From the Sun-In doing research for this I discovered this episode is generally despised. I liked it, but then again I wasn’t a loyal fan of the show so that may have something to do with it. The plot involved super models from Venus trying to take over the Earth (hmmm, did I really type that?). Their plan is to use a super bowl commercial to take over the world, so Dick, Harry, Tommy, and Sally have to stop them.  That does sound like a bad B movie. However, I think the episode is pretty good. The best part was the beginning, the episode started with a live feed of Greg Gumbel recapping the game, when John Lithgow storms into the shot screaming about the crazy women. The shot then fades into the episode, and I always that was a clever way to kick the show off.   

The Simpsons-Homer is hired by sports superstars to help with their victory dances and is subsequently tapped to choreograph the Super Bowl XXXIX halftime show. Guest voice cast includes Warren Sapp, Tom Brady, Yao Ming, Lebron James and Michelle Kwan.

George Lopez Show- The Lopez family finds out that Benny's estranged brother, Joe, is dying. However, Benny refuses to speak to him due to her losing a bet with him. However, George and Angie convince Benny to reconcile with Joe, and Benny agrees to, but to try and get his Super Bowl tickets. However, she changes her mind when she sees him.  Never a fan of this show, and never saw this episode.

Still Standing- After Bill and Judy catch Brian, Lauren and their friends drinking in the basement, they decide to set an example and abstain from drinking for an entire month. Unfortunately, Bill and Judy's infamously wild Super Bowl party takes place during that time. When the day comes the adults give in to temptation. I know what people say about this show, and they’re right. This episode has the same message Roseanne did, that football without alcohol is unacceptable. 

Friends-In 1996 NBC decided to have the sitcom Friends do an episode following the Super Bowl. The show, called “The one after the Super Bowl”, is stuffed with celebrities like Brooke Shields and Julia Roberts and is generally considered one of the weakest episodes of the series. The celebrities and the length do stretch the show a bit thin, but I think it ultimately works. The biggest mistake may have been Jean Claude Van Damme, not only is he wooden in the show but the whole story with Monica and Rachel feels like a high school story and is just dumb. We also get reunited with Marcel the monkey, and in another article I will discuss how much I hated that little simian.True, this episode really doesn't have anything to do with the Super Bowl past the title, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Those are the only ones I could remember, If I missed any please let me know. 

Well, that’s enough about sitcoms. Time for a little football, go PATS!!!

What I Loved in the 80's-Game Shows!

I consider myself lucky, when I was a kid in the 80’s; talk shows had yet to dominate the daytime schedule. Instead when I was home during the week I got to watch awesome game shows! I loved these shows, they were fun to watch and even the theme songs are amazing. They are much more fun than the trashy talk shows that are on now. So, here is a look at some of my favorites from that great era. 

The Price is Right

The granddaddy of all game shows. It amazes me that this show has been on the air, every weekday at 11:00am, since two years before I was born! If I was home from school, than this show was part of my morning. Bob Barker may be the best emcee in the world, and those beauties weren't bad to lack at either. I guess the appeal is simple, bid on merchandise and if you get it right (or close enough), you win cool prizes! I could do a whole article just on this show, you know all the games, the fast money round, the famous “Come on down!” This show as pure fun, however I stopped watching when Drew Carey took over, I can't stand him.