You probably know if you liked The Drew Carey Show. Not all of us, however, watched it when it was running. I never did. Here's where I should admit I never watched any sitcoms save bits and pieces during the years between my twenties to fifties. I really wasn't a fan of episodic TV at all but belated (my fifties) I watched a few. That included Seinfeld. I loved Seinfeld. Was there anything else out there that I might really like and had missed?
Enter The Drew Carey Show. In my mind Seinfeld skewered the self-centered in wicked fashion and The Carey Show poked fun at working stiffs decidedly dumbed down for better effect. Even the cities each sitcom was framed in projected this. The basic idea for TDCS was solidified with an excellent cast. The show was bold in that some of the humor was already no longer acceptable. TDCS would have the similar setup of friends that Seinfeld proved worked so well. Drew's really brain-dead two male friends and a pretty gal that was a bit full of herself. This core of Drew, Ryan Styles, Diedrich Bader, Christa Miller were better than good, they spawn comedic gold. To put TDCS up there though it was Drew's nemesis Mimi Bobeck ,played by Kathy Kinney, that really did the trick. The visual of Mimi combined with her intense vitriol toward Drew provided a stage for often gut-busting one-liners and hilarious gags. Things notched up again when Craig Ferguson became Drew's boss, Nigel Wick. Ferguson stole every scene he was in
While I never was as big of a fan of TDCS as Seinfeld I found it really entertaining and enjoyable. Right up to when the wheels began to fall off around the later part of the sixth season. Drew's brother Steve might have been an OK addition, but as Mimi's love interest and ultimately her husband? Not to mention they actually toned down her makeup and hair. That was not good. Winford Lauder's demise, no Craig Ferguson, and Drew working in an internet company? Bad. Drew was constantly doing things even he wasn't stupid enough for. Bad. The show needed to end after the sixth season or get back to its roots. Comes a time though when even that feels wrong so I vote that if, like me, you're late to the TDCS party to watch seasons 1 through 6. I think this encompasses the best: fun core, great nemesis duo, and probably the best collection of one-liners ever in a TV-series. At it's best it was truly funny.
Enter The Drew Carey Show. In my mind Seinfeld skewered the self-centered in wicked fashion and The Carey Show poked fun at working stiffs decidedly dumbed down for better effect. Even the cities each sitcom was framed in projected this. The basic idea for TDCS was solidified with an excellent cast. The show was bold in that some of the humor was already no longer acceptable. TDCS would have the similar setup of friends that Seinfeld proved worked so well. Drew's really brain-dead two male friends and a pretty gal that was a bit full of herself. This core of Drew, Ryan Styles, Diedrich Bader, Christa Miller were better than good, they spawn comedic gold. To put TDCS up there though it was Drew's nemesis Mimi Bobeck ,played by Kathy Kinney, that really did the trick. The visual of Mimi combined with her intense vitriol toward Drew provided a stage for often gut-busting one-liners and hilarious gags. Things notched up again when Craig Ferguson became Drew's boss, Nigel Wick. Ferguson stole every scene he was in
While I never was as big of a fan of TDCS as Seinfeld I found it really entertaining and enjoyable. Right up to when the wheels began to fall off around the later part of the sixth season. Drew's brother Steve might have been an OK addition, but as Mimi's love interest and ultimately her husband? Not to mention they actually toned down her makeup and hair. That was not good. Winford Lauder's demise, no Craig Ferguson, and Drew working in an internet company? Bad. Drew was constantly doing things even he wasn't stupid enough for. Bad. The show needed to end after the sixth season or get back to its roots. Comes a time though when even that feels wrong so I vote that if, like me, you're late to the TDCS party to watch seasons 1 through 6. I think this encompasses the best: fun core, great nemesis duo, and probably the best collection of one-liners ever in a TV-series. At it's best it was truly funny.