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'Listen Up' - What do you think of the sitcom?


Another show where the lead character is a sports writer. Surprise, no chemistry between characters.

I laughed a few times but don't really remember why. I honestly don't think any of the main cast members of Seinfeld will make a worth while sitcom. Didn't Alexander bomb out with "Bob Patterson". Michael Richards and Julia Louise Dreyfuss both bombed hugely with their shows too. Seinfeld knows better, of course he's also the richest. I think "Listen Up" probably won't last. By the way, what were they thinking casting a Cosby kid?



- "There's such a fine line between stupid and clever."

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Well, although I wasn't impressed with the opening episode of "Listen Up", you do bring up good points: 1)It's better than watching Reality shows and 2)It can't be worse than "Joey" Totally agree in that respect. I still hold my opinion that the actors from Seinfeld are going to have a difficult time living down their characters though. My favorite part from the "listen up" premiere was when his daughter complimented him and he spit the milk back in the glass.

- "There's such a fine line between stupid and clever."

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Listen up i think that this show was the best idea by cbs and its so funny it was so funny when he was singing that song about soccer and he said i love u for loveing me it was as funny as Baby Bob, still standing, and yes dear

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DELIGHTFULLY CONTAGIOUS ! AND I SIMPY CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE NEXT EPISODE !
CLEAN AND REFRESHING, A SHOW THE WHOLE FAMILY WILL ENJOY !
"MUST SEE TV"

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Do you work for CBS? "Must See TV"? Are you serious?

- "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever." - Spinal Tap

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I thought the first episode was really good. However, I say this as a fan of PTI so I was delighted with the Kornheiser(Richardson)/Wilbon(Warner) relationship off-set.

If they focus on this a lot i'll be happy with the show.

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I wanted to like this show. But I'm giving it only one more chance, then I'm bailing.

In the first two episodes, the focus has been totally on the troubled relationship between Tony and his nasty bitch of a daughter. Dad is scared to death she's going to get mad at him, and Mom (from whom daughter clearly inherited her attitude) is smug, shrill, and unlikeable. The dippy son is potentially interesting but mostly ignored.

Malcolm-Jamaal Warner is woefully underused. Warner is actually a fine comedic and dramatic actor but he is reduced to eye candy. To waste his talent by making him a good-looking straight man for two minutes a week is tragic.

What could save this show:

1) Shut the snotty daughter up and take her off center-stage. No one thinks she's clever or funny except her and her mother. And it's always disgusting to see television parents slobbering for their offspring's approval. The second episode sparked an unpleasant memory of Tony Danza standing outside a locked door whining, "Awwwww, come on Saaaaammmmm, don't be maaaadddd at meeeeeeeee!"

2) Spend less time in the home, more time on the show and give Bernie something to do besides looking great. The funniest moments so far have been on the set.

3) Make Tony less whiny and more self-confident. He's channelling George Costanza too often. This is probably the result of the writing and not the acting, but Tony is based on an intelligent and successful radio personality. Write to that strength and stop putting the wimp mojo on him.

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You broke it down alright. The daugther is a snotty brat, more and more common on sitcoms now. Did you catch the episode of George Lopez where he finds his daughter after running away to San Francisco? They bring her home and they don't even punish her. The episode ends with her calling them by their first names and telling them she's going out tomorrow because she's an adult now. Wow! It was a disappointing ending. Back to Listen Up, you couldn't be more on the money about the cast. The mom is barely there and Malcolm is only there to respond to Alexander's antics. The daughter needs some discipline bad. Snotty brats aren't funny unless something large hits them on the head.

- "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever." - Spinal Tap

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<the daughter has pretty feet so ill keep watching. i wish she showed them longer.>

Um, ewwww.
Okay, that's just creepy.

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And episode 3, once again, focused on the snotrag daughter. Megan telling her dad all the ways he isn't good enough to be near her, and horrified at everything he says, while Dad whimpers like a whipped puppy for her attention. Still makes you want to slap the little tart every time she opens her mouth. Mom once again smugly assuring Dad that she knows more about kids than he ever will.

To my disappointment, they finally gave Bernie a much-expanded role, but only succeeded in making him look like a pretentious showoff.

One VERY funny scene--Tony and his wife are talking and he says he wants to be like Bob Newhart, and she says, "You want to be on two very successful televison shows?" and he laughs ruefully and says, "Yeah, that'd be nice!"

Good one, writers--now that we know you can be funny, could you maybe try and do it a little more often?

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No, I'm not British, and being British certainly wouldn't be horrible. Hey, they're letting Madonna live there and now we don't have to put up with her, so they must be pretty nice and patient people.

I've never even been to the UK so I am not trying to use stereotypical British language, I don't know what any of it is. Just because you don't know a word doesn't mean it's from another country, or that it's supposed to sound like it is. You just need a bigger vocabulary.

Maybe you could just invest in a good dictionary instead of trying to seem clever when you don't know what you're talking about? Wouldn't that be a good idea? If you have trouble with the big words just sound them out.

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A waste of air time. The actors need to go back to school, except the mother, she's the best on the show. Otherwise, the daughter is a brat, the son is weird, and the father is just not funny. It would be better if they got more professional actors instead of picking people of the streets. Anyways, I think this show won't last for a second season.

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Agreed about Wendy Makkena who plays the mom -- she is the best thing on the show. She somehow makes her "sitcom mom" both funny and more believable than the rest.

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i like the daughter the best... Daniella Monet does a great job, i can't believe she's only 15...

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Just another overly sentimental family sitcom with forced writing and an overused laugh track. Jason Alexander must really be hard up. The wife's okay, but the kids... my old highschool drama class had better actors. Who the hell did the casting there? Doubt it'll be back for another season. Hope not, at least.

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They don't use a laugh track...rather a live audience...and look at the resumes of the cast....before you dismiss them.

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the kids are great in my opinion... they are playing their characters, it's not that they can't act... taht's probably how the personalities are supposed to be like Mickey's...

also Bernie is real good...

the real non-actor is Alexander... he sucks compared to the rest...

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This show isn't too bad at all. Yes, Jason Alexander is reminding us of "George Costanza" a lot, but that's fine in this case. If you watch Tony Kornheiser on ESPN's PTI, you'll know why the Tony Klienmann Character that Alexander is playing is the way he is. I do agree with doing more outside the home, and in some other social settings. The kids are just ok, and the wife is adequate. Malcolm Jamal-Warner is a hoot, and yes they should use him more outside the studio. Congrats on being picked up for the whole season and breaking the Seinfeld "curse".

mmmm...steamed hams!

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i do watch Tony kornheiser on PTI all the time... he also writes for my local paper the Washington Post...

Kornheiser is a million times funnier than Alexander's version Kleinman...

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Kornheiser may be funnier, but it's easy to see why they cast Jason Alexander since he can play the role and is acting similar to Kornheiser. He's a great candidate for this, now he just has to keep it going.

mmmm...steamed hams!

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AND - they both get overheated and excited about sports and life topics, yell a lot, have banter with their co-hosts, are the butt of jokes from the people they interact with...

mmmm...steamed hams!

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SUprisingly i like Listen Up.. i didn't think it would be very good because all the other actors from Seinfeld tried to make they're own comedies and it didn't work. But I enjoy it. I think it will do better then the other ones. But nothing will ever compare to Seinfeld.

*Sam*

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I find this show is getting funnier as the show continues. The first few episodes weren't so funny but they made me laugh more than Yes Dear, or some other comedy shows. I think this could be the end of the curse..hey just like the Red Sox! Someday it was going to happen, and I think this how will do it, at least that's what I think, plus Jason Alexander is a Funny guy whose playing his role perfectly, not showing too much of George, and becoming a new character, that's why his, Elaines's, and Kramer's shows died, they couldn't change their characters, congrats Jason!

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Jason is and always will be George...

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Even if that is true, his character is now a father and husband...two things he never was as George Costanza. If he gets aggravated and all worked up like George used to, then fine. That's part of what makes people laugh. If his current character is still a "loser" who gets the shaft much of the time, (as George was), then that is funny to many people as well.

mmmm...steamed hams!

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I have been arguing on behalf of Mr. Alexander for some time now.....as he is often unfairly judged....and the body of his work beyond George completely overlooked.....(including a Tony Award on B'way).....however....my arguments fall on deaf ears. People just don't get how TV works....how shows are put together and why they succeed.

In any case....I agree with you.

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calm down man,

i know shows carry themselves really, and its more the writing and storylines that make it...

then lack of real star power... or having a bad lead actor...

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Tart is a kind of cake...

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