tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post9010211980756233334..comments2024-03-26T19:08:32.544-04:00Comments on That's alls I know: The New Adventures of Old Christine: invasion of the Raymond writersTommy Kraskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-35981299592675657472021-04-20T16:43:41.440-04:002021-04-20T16:43:41.440-04:00Thank you for the kind words about my blog, and I ...Thank you for the kind words about my blog, and I look forward to any comments you decide to leave. And please, feel free to disagree whenever you think I’m off the mark. This ‘Old Christine’ essay was from my “early years,” when I managed to keep these essays to a half-dozen paragraphs. Now, as you’ve undoubtedly noticed, they seem to stretch on for 20 and 30 paragraphs! I sometimes feel that I hammer home my points so relentlessly that people feel disinclined to disagree with me, for fear I’ll be an unresponsive listener. But I love the give-and-take. So I look forward to hearing all your thoughts.Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-28195437672842341942021-04-20T05:51:59.137-04:002021-04-20T05:51:59.137-04:00Tommy, thanks for the reply. It's been a long ...Tommy, thanks for the reply. It's been a long time since I've seen Almost Perfect, and there were only FOUR aired season 2 episodes, so I could be exaggerating, but I do remember the character as being rewritten a bit along with the break-up. Anyway, I do intend to comment on some of your other posts, including MTM and WKRP. Your blog is very well-thought-out and well-written. Even if I may disagree with a conclusion or two, you certainly have put forth your reasoning quite well. J.P. Pelzmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01248525089124510089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-9827941246785569512021-04-19T12:57:00.819-04:002021-04-19T12:57:00.819-04:00So glad you stopped by, J.P.! This was obviously o...So glad you stopped by, J.P.! This was obviously one of the first essays I wrote for this blog, at a time when I wasn’t yet sure if I should be writing for aficionados of the shows I was discussing, or people unfamiliar with them. I’m so glad the essay proved persuasive even to someone like yourself who has never seen the series. 'Old Christine' remains an ingratiating show, and as I note, there are still some great episodes in the final season, but offhand I can’t think of another series where the lead character undergoes such a startling, unfortunate metamorphosis. And because I’m so mindful of writer credits (and tend to write most of these essays from the point of view of the scripting), the fact that so much of it was attributable to this influx of writers from 'Everybody Loves Raymond' during Seasons 2 and 3 fascinated and infuriated me during the show’s original run, and even more so when I rewatched in syndication. It’s starting to think how much pull they must’ve had in the writers’ room, to pretty much upend the creator’s vision for the show.<br /><br />By the way, I remember 'Almost Perfect' well, and the wild relationship rewrite in the opening episode of Season 2, so that Nancy Travis‘s character could go off on her own. I confess, I don’t remember as well the change in Travis‘s *character* that you describe, and it makes me curious to revisit the show – if I can find it anywhere!Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-62367446990833247312021-04-17T18:35:25.067-04:002021-04-17T18:35:25.067-04:00Fascinating stuff. Never saw the show, but, in a w...Fascinating stuff. Never saw the show, but, in a weird coincidence, it reminds me of how Carol Leifer, I'm pretty sure, was forced upon the Almost Perfect showrunners at the start of the second season in the fall of 1996. And then not only did they ditch the male co-star, but they turned Nancy Travis' lead character into more of an Elaine Benes type, as opposed to what she had been before. It was completely off-putting, and between that and losing the co-star, whom I thought she had good chemistry with, I bailed. J.P. Pelzmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01248525089124510089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-29008758524448134342017-03-17T23:26:20.689-04:002017-03-17T23:26:20.689-04:00Thanks so much for stopping by, and glad I could o...Thanks so much for stopping by, and glad I could offer up a few answers! I was aware when Old Christine first aired how much I disliked most of the Raymond writers' work, and how they seemed to misunderstand the title character, but it became triply apparent when the series went into syndication, and I could revisit several episodes a day, or whole seasons in a week -- much as it must have been for you binging it. Obviously I'm not privy to any behind-the-scenes decision-making, but it does seem to me that the dumbing-down of Christine wasn't an intentional "story arc" -- it was just three writers coming in and offering up the kind of situations and jokes they knew best from their time on Raymond -- and ultimately, the other writers getting behind that vision. I still think there are some wonderful episodes even in those final seasons, but it becomes a much more traditional sitcom, anchored by a dimwitted leading lady, whereas the original impulse was more relevant, relatable, and -- in its admission that, even for the most dutiful among us, the pressures of the modern world can be overwhelming -- quite bold. Tommy Kraskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12564935526936828636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6768495027896028196.post-26008375750410708382017-03-16T18:57:14.582-04:002017-03-16T18:57:14.582-04:00Amen! I just discovered this series and binge-wat...Amen! I just discovered this series and binge-watched all five seasons. I was perplexed at how Christine's character changed. I watched a competent, busy, struggling single mom turn into a lazy, stupid part-time alcoholic. The lowest point of the show for me is in the last season where her shrink has to teach her how to finish the most simplest tasks. And by the end of the series she's portrayed as an idiot who "doesn't know what to do" if she "had to live without her TV" and can't even get basic grammar right. I was very disappointed in the de-evolvement of her character and your essay about the invasion of the Raymond writers was an "aha" moment. Thank you for your post; it really answered a lot of questions for me.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07865856242254873580noreply@blogger.com