After last night’s non-sucky What About Brian season finale — otherwise known as the first full episode I watched this season — I’d be fine if this show were to come back in the fall. There, I said it. Before you weigh in, let’s be clear: I’m not suggesting that this is great TV. I’m saying that for Monday at 10 p.m., when there’s nothing else on that’s light and sudsy, it is acceptable. If ABC does decide to renew the series, I hope producers keep in mind the following. (Spoiler alert: If you haven’t watched the finale and actually intend to, stop reading now.)
1. The length of Barry Watson’s hair. It alone is responsible for me settling in for the second half of last week’s episode and tuning in again last night. It looks superhot this short. If it grows an inch over the hiatus, I’ll delete this post and pretend it never happened.
2. The kind of love triangles we want to see. Not in this category: any involving parents of young children who decide to have an open marriage. But now that Deena (Amanda Detmer) and Dave (Rick Gomez) have renewed their vows, we can focus on what the writers are doing right: Having Brian (Watson) torn between his starlet girlfriend Stephanie (Stacy Keibler) and her clearly-better-for-him roommate, Laura (Jessica Szohr). Also, having Adam’s (Matthew Davis) old friend/recent one-night stand Nicole (Rosanna Arquette) verbally bitch slap his current sex buddy Natasha (Tiffani Thiessen).
3. Stacy Keibler’s acting range. I didn’t find her asannoying last night as I did the week before. Was that because she’sdeveloping talent, or because she wasn’t in the episode as much? Ican’t decide.
4. My heart. As much as I don’t want to admit it — becausehe’s so obviously the guy women in their early ’30s are supposed toswoon over — I like Brian. In fact, last night when he was babysittingDeena and Dave’s kids and let them dress him up and call him "Pretty,pretty princess," I’m pretty sure I ovulated. So keep him that way. Lethim be the one man who, after being told by a woman that she won’t bethat someone he depends on for everything but sex, actually kisses her.(And then goes back to his girlfriend, but shows up at her door in theepisode’s final seconds.) Even if I’m not seeing Brian every week, I’d still like to know he’s out there.
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Mandi, I also want to hate What About Brian, but due to my abhorance to paying for TV, have no other viewing options on Mon night. Thank you for outing our secret society.
I have no shame in saying I like the show and loved last night’s season (hopefully not series) finale.
I’ve been proudly out about loving this show from the beginning. So it’s a guilty pleasure. So what? It’s fun, the people are pretty, and I get to forget my own troubles for an hour. So sue me.
Any entertainment that causes one to ovulate is pretty great in my book (see also: scenes involving Simon Baker in “Something New”)
I started watching the show in the middle of season 1, hated it, but decided to come back for season 2. So glad I did. Love Dave! Agree that Brian’s hair is better short. Love Jimmy and Ivy. Hope the show comes back. Did I mention that I love Dave?
I AM BOYCOTTING EW UNTIL ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ IS OVER!
finally, someone on ew recognizes the value of a show that is just a guilty pleasure. i’ve loved this show since episode one and admit it proudly. Rock on, Mandi.
I’ve been watching “Brian” since the beginning, mostly because, well let’s face it, Monday night tv is a vast wasteland. Much to my surprise, the show grew on my and now that I am over my shame, I can actually admit out loud that I like this show. I really hope it’s back next year. Until then, I will shame myself further by watching the Bachelor, another guilty pleasure that I will enjoy in secret. May God have mercy on my soul.
Barry Watson, Timothy Olyphant — separated at birth??
I love the show too. It is funny because everyone expects Brian and Adam to be the hotties but dorky Dave is really the one to make us swoon. He has such a passionate way about him!!
Awesome write-up Mandi — I almost spit out my soda laughing.
Anyhow, I think that Stephanie needs to go away forever. Stacy Keibler is a TERRIBLE actress! Not that I am watching this show for acting ability but the others are a little more believable in there characters.
And, Barry Watson is great with the short hair…
The first time I watched this show, the first season, the first show, I changed channels and bever watched it again… Until last night. I’ll admit my channel surfing stopped when I saw the 3 hot men and 1 cute enough to cuddle playing sweaty basketball but what kept watching was that the show was actually good! How’d that happen? I love Dave and Deena. 1 night and I’m already hooked, I love them. And I love hot men in boa’s… well hot straight men in boas who will immediately take them off when I come into a room. My only question… How old is Rosannna Arquette supposed to be? Isn’t she close to 50? Please tell me she’s not playing 30.. its just wrong.
The only reason I’m watching 20-30 minutes of this show is that the producers somehow found a way to cast Stacy Keibler, Tiffani Thiessen, and Krista Allen. Now that they’ve dropped Krista Allen, I think I’m down to 15-20 minutes. Essentially this show has become the TV-programming equivalent of that episode of Seinfeld where Jerry’s organs are playing chess, especially since the quality of this show is about as good as the quality of the acting that Jerry’s girlfriend was displaying. I hope Stacy Keibler uses the hiatus to take some more acting classes. If she could even just match the talent level of someone like Jessica Alba, she could at least become passable enough for me to ignore the rough moments. Otherwise I’m not sure this show has anything else going for it (at least for me). I mean she’s making Tiffani Thiessen look like Meryl Streep and that shouldn’t be possible for someone whose first name ends in an “i.”
I love this show- I have 3 eps saved on my DVR that I plan to watch in one long marathon. I hope it comes back next year, even if only as a mid-season replacement!
PS Houstonian- I also loved Simon Baker in “Something new”.
houstonian jen in baltimore – i could not agree more. i’m a black female and i like blair underwood, but DAMN, simon baker is fine in ’something new’. i don’t watch ‘what about brian’, but only b/c i tend to avoid any shows/films featuring former ’saved by the bell’ cast members…
i luv WAB
My husband & I both love What About Brian! Actually, he started watching the show first then got me hooked on it. I think it’s a great show and I love Brian, Dave, Deana, Adam, Nic, Jimmy, Ivy….. Last night’s show was great and I sincerely hope to see it back next season.
I have no illusions that WAB will be renewed… but I have watched the show since week one. I enjoy the characters and the storyline development. Especially the addition of Jimmy and Ivy… I want an Ivy Day!
Been watching this from the beginning and, while I understand why it’s stayed under the pop cultural radar, was always sorry it did…hugely underrated, post- Friends dynamic intelligently portrayed, and sweetly fun respite from PRISON BREAK and 24 adrenaline/testosterone mainlining. Krista Allen was an annoying babyvoiced addition and the producers have to watch random casting of overly, almost blandly pretty girls just because they look good – but fortunately the inclusion of “real” pretty women like Deena and Ivy who are slightly unconventional looking but wonderfully winning enough to be sexy make up for the gratuitous Barbie doll hiring. Love the show. Fingers crossed it might just return.
I’ve been watching “What About Brian” since the first episode and love it. My husband hated it at first but now we watch together and he enjoys it very much. Last night’s season finale was pretty good and I can’t wait till the next season.
I used to watch this show, but I stopped caring after I realized that pretty much all of the female characters (save annoying Deena and Nicole) only last five episodes.
This blog has had funny “What About Brian” entries all year:
http://newsasgossip.blogspot.com
I’ve been a faithful watcher since the beginning of this show – even my 14 year old son watches! – and I love it … I will be very sad if ABC takes it off the air.
I have loved this show since its first episode. It has improved so much this season when the focus left the Adam / Marjorie / Brian triangle. I love all the characters on this show with the exception of Tiffani Theisen’s character. I will be very disappointed if ABC doesn’t bring back this show.
I have loved this show since its first episode. It has improved so much this season when the focus left the Adam / Marjorie / Brian triangle. I love all the characters on this show with the exception of Tiffani Theisen’s character. I will be very disappointed if ABC doesn’t bring back this show.
Thank you luxelarry. I just wasted a half hour of work time reading all of the WAB columns on that site and it was totally worth it. I recommend it to all. Follow the link to read columns on WAb dating back to last year.
Love this write up – you pretty much got my thoughts on this show. I tune into WAB now and again pretty much just becasue there is nothing else on but I have to admit I was pretty into last night’s epsidode. I’m sorry to hear that was the finale I was actually looking forward to watching a new episode next week. Also Brian’s hair is much much better!
thank you ladies for noticing Simon Baker’s hotness in “Something New”. Love that movie (and watching him in it)!
Love WAB too…it’s just fun for a Monday night…
I love this show and Nicole is by far my fave character.
I dont care what anyone thinks, I love what about brian and my husband does to. Ive never missed an episode and if they cancel it, I will be so sad!