I was worried that Samantha Who? — about a yuppie who awakens from a coma with amnesia and a new, puppyish personality, and who is astonished to keep discovering what a horrible person she was before — was going to be Regarding Henry: The Sitcom. Fortunately, the pilot, which aired last night on ABC, was pretty delightful, thanks largely to a winning comic performance by Christina Applegate, a strong supporting cast, and a dizzying pace, and surprisingly sardonic tone — all of which kept the premiere from sinking into the maudlin, movie-of-the-week quicksand suggested by the premise. (Watch for our critic’s official review of the show in an upcoming issue of EW.)
In addition to Applegate (pictured), the show is cast almost perfectly.* I especially liked Jean Smart as Sam’s greedy mom (who sees her daughter’s brief coma as an opportunity to land on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition), Jennifer Esposito as her boozy, party-gal pal, and Gilmore Girls‘ Melissa McCarthy as the cheery, unpopular gal whose friendship Sam chucked back in junior high after Sam became a Heather. Also good was Barry Watson (pictured, right) as Sam’s once-devoted boyfriend Todd, though he’s so kind and compassionate that it’s a mystery why he and Bad Sam ever became a couple. Surely we’ll find out why in weeks to come, as we watch Good Sam try fumblingly to patch things up with him. (I haven’t seen a kiss that ridiculously awkward and uncomfortable since Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley at the MTV Video Music Awards.)
So far, it looks like the show’s dilemma is that of its maincharacter: Good Sam is so sweet that you want to root for her, but BadSam is a lot more fun. The moments to watch for will be those where BadSam bubbles up from the subconscious to make her presence felt in GoodSam’s life (there were a couple such moments in the pilot) or thosewhere Good Sam explodes in frustration (her fizzy, pastry-inducedmeltdown at an AA meeting may have been the finest moment ofApplegate’s career to date).
So, PopWatchers, did you watch Samantha Who? last night? Did youlike it? (Do you remember?) Will you be sticking around after DancingWith the Stars to give Samantha a twirl?
*Given how gimmicky the premise is, the only character that rang false forme was Tim Russ’ philosophical, Tom Waits-quoting doorman. It’s reallygetting tiresome, this cliché of the black character whose onlyfunction is to provide emotional and spiritual guidance to the whiteprotagonist. Also, Russ has apparently been directed to be stoic forcomic effect, but that kind of unemotional underplaying worked a lotbetter during his years as a Vulcan on Star Trek: Voyager.
I liked this show more than I thought I would too. The plot outline made it sound like it could be just another dumb sitcom but it’s actually pretty good, especially when Sam’s inner snark momentarily bubbles up to the surface.
ahh! i totally forgot to watch it. I was busy watching chuck and recording how i met your mother. i LOVE christina applegate, i’m setting my dvr for next week so i dont forget!
I really wanted to like this show, and I was really disappointed. I kept wondering how Samantha could remember pop culture references,how to get from Point A to Point B, and yet she could remember nothing about herself personally. I’m willing to suspend a lot of belief for the sake of fun, but this was too much.
I really enjoyed the show last night, but wasn’t impressed by the over the top rant about pastries. I liked the gimmicky concept and the actors truly make the show.
Not sure about this one. It’s like a bad story arc of _Sex In the City_.
i actually thought the rant about pastries was the funniest part of the show. i thought overall it was funny, and the mean spirit within the humor will keep me watching.
Not bad for a pilot episode. I’m a huge fan of Barry Watson (still missing What About Brian), so it was good to see him again.
I was prepared not to like this show, but will stick around for awhile. Ms. Applegate has turned into a great comic and it will be interesting to see if she can keep up the pace. It will be interesting to see where they end up time-wise when DWTS is over for the season….a good time slot will be essential to this show’s success.
I love it! I know it will grow into a great show. Christina Applegate has the best comedic chops ever! Plus, Jean Smart was so funny, but I agree with you Gary. I defintely want more Bad Sam. “I’m sure your late for work, but your street corner will still be there.”
Lori, they specifically stated that Samantha retained her general knowledge but lost all of her personal memories. I’m not sure if that’s a real medical condition, but I think it works for sitcom purposes.
I left this on after DWTS and was surprised how much I liked it. I am a little skeptical about how long they can sustain the premise, though.
I loved it! Christina Applegate is so great at comedy – it’s awesome that she has a new show and the casting is terrific. I can’t wait for next week to see what happens next!
dang I forgot about it…I want to like it. I’ll have to check it out next week.
it just goes to show you that even a tired, cheesy idea like amnesia can be made fresh through great execution. What a surprise this was–completely winning and totally charming. It’s at once both sardonically clever and very sweet, not easy to pull that double off. Christina Applegate just runs with it and the rest of the cast is amazingly well-defined for a pilot. And there’s already clearly a wealth of story and character opportunities built in. This is really good–watch it people!!
I loved it! It was over way too fast!Can’t wait for next week.
I liked it although they do need to dump the tired black doorman stereotype. Maybe there will be some diversity when she goes to work. Fav line: Jennifer Esposito “My girl’s still in there!”