Suddenly Susan Boned the Fish When...

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Suddenly Susan is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC from 1996 to 2000. Its headlining star was Brooke Shields.

https://web.archive.org/web/20070225...ptheshark.com/

• Other Thoughts:
  
  I can't believe that every week I am rushing to see a show starring Brooke Shields! This show is so funny and well written, it is not stereotyping people either. Hopefully the writers will keep the edge next season and cut down on the Susan loves/hates Jack.
  The show should be called "Suddenly Switching Channels."
  Brooke Shields is overdone, the show is nonsensical.
  What a waste of air time. Tom Poston must have really needed the money if he was going to guest star on this show.
  When Mindy Cohn, who played Natalie on The Facts of Life, guest starred, David Strickland must have killed himself when he realized this show can never, ever be as good as that one. And that's the truth (raspberry noise).
  as soon as the female lead hooked up with the male lead.
  This is a MAJOR NewsRadio Ripoff. The sets look almost identical!! And Kathy Griffin is such a phoney baloney!! She totally copied Vicki Lewis. The show's producers even had the audacity to name her character Vicki!!!
  WHEN THE SHOW MOVED THE VENUE OF THE MAGAZINE TO A GIRLIE MAGAZINE AND CHANGED THE ATTITUDE & THE CAST. THIS SHOW WAS ALWAYS BORDERLINE BUT NOW IT HAS SUNK TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL!
  After the new season, the writers thought it would be great to completely change the story line. Of course we know D. Strickland committed suicide - but they lost Judd Nelson and substituted Erik (from Monte Python days) please. Replaced a live vibrant person with an almost dead person. Yeah, I want to tune in to see that - WRONG!
  The suicide of the actor who played Todd (David Strickland) really made the show different, and that's when the show 'jumped the shark'...
  I think the beginning of this season where most of the show completely changed--the magazine, the area of town, the boss, loss of characters--yuk! Also it became more obsessed with sex.
  The show with Mindy Cohn, as the freakish dollmaker Cindy, was the only episode that I'd consider a classic. That girl cracks my s*** up! After that, though, it was off the radar...
  Suddenly - Blowing Chow. The redhead bitch was the funniest though.
  From the first episode. This piece of crap lasted more than one season??
  They should've killed off the show when David Strickland hanged himself, but instead, Brooke Shields had to devote a whole show to the guy, and then the last season was terrible! The only thing good about that show was Kathy Griffin and her cute bellybutton!
  Pretty much before it even aired- remember, it was completely re-written before it debuted. However, David Strickland was the one good thing on the show and the only reason I didn't turn it off.
  Brooke Shields. I love Eric Idle and would watch any show that he is on... but my god, watching Brooke Shields attempt to act is nothing short of agonizing.
  When someone at NBC agreed to give Brooke Shields a sitcom. She hasn't been funny since she had her period in "Blue Lagoon". Can you say "Suckily Susan". The unfunniest part of NBC's old Estrogen Monday line up.
  Death (David Strickland). Also, the loss of Judd Nelson. With all due respects, this show was entertaining to watch, but it was the supporting cast that really made the show. Losing half of them was too much to keep it going.
  Two words - "Suddenly Stupid"
  This show was, of course, always stupid... I don't think the death of what's his name meant anything...anyone on that show could easily be replaced, except Kathy Griffin...I'm not sure who Vicki Lewis is (a previous poster said Griffin copied Lewis), but Kathy sure is cute...what a bod that girl has!! Gimme some o' that
  THIS SHOW JUMPED FROM DAY ONE! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE NBC FOR REPLACING THE WITTY COMICAL SHOW " THE SINGLE GUY" WITH THIS SASSY SELF CENTERED AMORPHOUSLY POINTLESS SHOW! BROOKE SHIELDS EARLY 80S DONE IT WAS A FAILED COMEBACK ONLY NOW HER HAIR IS GREASIER AND GROWS TO LOOK MORE LIKE MATT DILLON EVERY DAY!
  This show jumped when they changed the intro from artsy scenes of San Francisco to giant King-Kong size characters traipsing through the city and looking through the window.
  The Show Jumped when..... David Strickland Commited Suicide! He was a wimbly, funny, cute little guy! He brightened even the most dreary shows. And When Judd Nelson left. I stopped watching after that. He's the reason I watched in the first place. Two big eighties actors (Judd and Brooke) make their big comeback. Bravo to Judd and David.
  Those "Suddenly Susan" promos during the '96 Olympics really annoyed me. The show was even worse. It was a grade-D remake of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" with Brook Shields as Mary, Judd Nelson as Lou Grant, and Kathy Griffin as Rhoda. Why this show lasted for four seasons, I'll never know.
  It wasn't the same after David Strickland died and Judd Nelson left. Todd & Luis were only funny together and the same with Jack & Susan.
  This show is a NewsRadio ripoff. But it can't even compare to NewsRadio. NewsRadio was the greatest TV show ever. This show is just a crappy sitcom with horrible writers.
  The exit of Judd Nelson started the demise of the show. I like Eric Idle, but he was wasted on this show. Luis usually had the best lines. My favorite episode was when Susan went under cover for cheerleader tryouts and made the team. She looked good in hot pants and boots. She should have shown more skin during the run of the show.
  This show jumped the shark when they completely changed the show in the last season. It became a whole different program that wasn't as funny. I love Brooke Shields but except for Judd Nelson and Barbara Barrie as Nana, I did not care for her co-stars. And David Strickland was WEIRD! Check out the E! True Hollywood Story profile on him sometime. I wonder where they found him!
  Why wasn't this show called "Suddenly Cancelled". I still can't believe it lasted more than 2 weeks. Brooke Shields?!?! Ick.
  Man, I can't believe that you guys are being so hard on Brooke Shields, when that red headed chick has to be the most annoying, unfunny, and ******** characters EVER on a sitcom. She blew ass, and I hate her!
  I find it funny that people think that a show jumps because they change the opening theme... anyway, I really enjoyed Suddenly Susan (more than Newsradio, and I don't see how SS was a ripoff of it.). The first three seasons were great. The show jumped when they totally changed the storyline in the 4th season and lost Judd Nelson, David Strickland, and the best part of the show: Andrea Bendewald.
  The idiot who wrote that crap about FACTS OF LIFE and David killing himself because of it needs to have his mouth stitched shut. I believe in free speech, but showing such ignorance is cruelty. You stink, pal. Anyway, SUDDENLY SUSAN was a funny show for three years. Anytime a show loses one or more major characters, it suffers. When it loses two or more it is devastated. Remember the incredible first season of NAKED TRUTH? SUDDENLY SUSAN became a new series, like NAKED TRUTH, when it lost Strickland and Nelson, then later reduced other characters to nothing, wrote out Maddie to a Jerry Springer's bride, and did other bizarre things. It should have died with grace at the end of the third.
  Horrid. Whoever said that Eric Idle was a poor replacement for Judd Nelson should have their head examined. When Idle was added to the show it meant that the show actually had something going for it. They replaced Judd with someone with actual comic timing. And Kathy Griffin... definitely a poor man's Vicki Lewis. The Maybe she would have been amusing if she'd been given witty or even good dialogue. NBC cancelled NewsRadio but kept this dreck on the air. Why?! There is no defense. And as much as I hate Suddenly Susan, I think it's in incredibly poor taste to make jokes about the cast member who committed suicide. Actually the only thing this show has in common with NewsRadio is that they both lost cast members in tragic circumstances.
  Suddendly STUPID! The episode with them in the elevator and then all of sudden in a "dream sequence" hoking it up with Tony Bennett...THAT SUCKED. Tony must have been 'Suddenly Stupid" to agree to that SH*T.
  This show JTS with the agonizingly stupid 2 parter featuring Susan running against "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan in some kind of aldermanic race. I guess they felt that when Jesse Ventura ran for office his campaign was all about " kicking ass" as Hogans was. Only good line was when Hogan says Susan would have won if she had took her shirt off too.
  Any show where Tommy Smothers could appear without being the least bit funny must be one black hole.
  Of course, Todd (David Strickland) dying would have been bad enough... but for them to get rid of Jack (Judd Nelson) was... HORRIBLE! He was, in my opinion, the glue that held that show together. And then, adding the ridiculously boring Ian(I don't even remember his real name), Nate, the annoyingly stupid neanderthal, and Oliver. How gay was he? I have to admit, Miranda was funny. That show could have gone down in sitcom history, even though Strickland committed suicide.
  As soon as it developed a fan base that prefers average and nonfunny actor Judd Nelson to comedic god Eric Idle this show was doomed.
  I thought the show was fine until they added that Maddie bitch character, but other things as well added on to its "Jumping the shark", things such as.....The double wedding.....Maddie and Luiz do it.....Susan and Jack do it.....David Strickland's untimely death which was sadly unfortunate......Jack sells 'The Gate'to Eric Idle......Shawn Colvin guests stars to torment Todd......a lot of things could be the contribution to its downfall, but I think that Maddie was the main reason it began in the first place.
  Is there anything that isn't wrong with this show? The sassy, motorbike riding grandma. Unbelievably bland leads Brooke Shields and Judd Nelson. Nasty, unfunny Kathy Griffin. It wasn't good enough that they had one character like this. Oh no, they had to add ANOTHER with that blonde witch who they hired to 'mix things up' or something. The only sitcom I can think of that is worse than this is Caroline in the City.
  Brooke Shields is one of my favorite people in the Hollywood mess. She's certainly unique (and God dammit, I'm not talking about her being a model), but she just came off as annoying in Suddenly Susan. The show was never that great, IMHO, but it had its moments. It really fell apart around the third season, though. Cast and set changes, the entire plot switched around, the show just didn't look like it was going anywhere after that.
  This show jumped the shark when they replaced Judd Nelson with Eric Idle. Eric Idle was unfunny. Suddenly Susan was considerably more entertaining than NewsRadio because of the charm of Brooke Shields. I don't think NewsRadio had a single interesting character except for Andy Dick. I agree with the other poster that Brooke Shields, Judd Nelson and Barbara Barrie carried Suddenly Susan, and that David Strickland and Nestor Carbonell were rather bizarre casting choices that did not add much to the show.
  I find it amusing that the posts for "Seinfeld" are less positive than for this, beyond horrid, show. Read my lips-I will talk slowly; Anyone who watched this show regularly is a moron. Anyone who liked this crap is brain-dead. Case closed. The same can be said for "Caroline in the ****ty" and all that other NBC garbage that they tried to pass off as "Must see TV"
  Whoever said that Suddenly Susan is more entertaining than NewsRadio should have their brain checked by their local mental health physician. NewsRadio was a totally clever and intelligent show while Suddenly Susan was just plain annoying. Kathy Griffin completely ripped off Beth, ONLY SHE WASN'T FUNNY!!! I can't stand Brooke Shields, what a fake! I'm so glad this piece of **** was cancelled. Too bad NewsRadio was taken off with it.
  This show had one thing and ONLY one thing going for it, in my view: A very clever opening credit sequence. I think the Rodney Dangerfield episode was the only one I could make it through from start to finish, and I'm PROUD to say I never watched it after Judd Nelson came on (why don't he and Charlie Sheen both retire). Shields would be a blip on the showbiz radar had her stage mom not pimped her in movies and adds--talk about child pornography. And as for Kathy Griffin, well does the phrase 'has been who never was' resonate?
  I don't think this show was as awful as it's sometimes made out to be. I'm not saying it was good. I'm not saying Kathy Griffin isn't the Antichrist. But (Kathy Griffin aside, that woman is just awful) it was watchable as light, brainless entertainment, at least in its first couple seasons. The trouble began when David Strickland died. Say what you will about 'Suddenly Susan,' that was tragic. He showed more talent and potential than anyone else on the show. That wasn't the jump point, though. None of the characters were terribly deep, so none (with the possible exception of Jack and Susan) were all that important. The second sign of doom was when they canned Maddie. I actually liked her character the best out of the whole sugary group. She was the only one who acted as if she half-way belonged working at a magazine, and she added some tension to the show. But that next season...What the hell!? A more quintessential shark jump moment I've never seen. Suddenly Jack's gone, the magazine is totally changed, and the cast is saddled with a 'Melrose Place' reject and one of the guys from Monty Python. Yes, Monty Python. Those royalties must not pay like they used to. When they changed the storyline, the show went from stupid but pleasant to just plain stupid.
  I wasn't a big fan of SS, but I liked SOME of the episodes, like the one with the gay wedding of that monotonous guy who worked in the office. However, it jumped from a barely okay sitcom to absolute dreck when the guy who played Todd died.
  I can't believe I actually tried to sit through an episode of this dreck--I started to feel sick in less than five minutes. I agree with the person who said that whoever said this POS was more entertaining than NewsRadio should get their head checked. I can honestly say that I feel sick and violated for having watched this show. For the record, Kathy Griffin is nowhere near as quirky or sarcastic as Vicki Lewis, The Gate is a cheap ripoff of WNYX, and Judd Nelson and Nestor Carbonell are poor imitations of the ever beloved Dave Foley and Phil Hartman. Thank GOD for my NewsRadio reruns on tape.
  This show has its good points, but the problem is that the supporting cast is just much much better at comedy, than the two leads. Brooke Shields and Judd Nelson simply cannot do comedy, and so much of the show was dedicated to the uninteresting question of whether or not they would get together. After David Strickland's tragic suicide, the show obviously had to revamp itself in order to exist. The last season, what little I've seen of it, is so atrocious that it should have a different name. I guess Eric Idle was behind on his mortgage payments to pop in on the show. The only thing I really enjoyed was the consistent humor of David Strickland and the Hispanic guy, whose name escapes me at the moment. Kathy Griffin is good in small doses but really needs to take a valium. In summary, a watchable show, but never good enough to begin with in order to be able to jump.
  I don't think the show ever jumped. Truth be told I never knew the show existed, I only watch the reruns now but I still think the show is great. It's funny and witty and Brooke Sheilds may be a little tall and scary, but she pretty ( I guess, I'm a girl I don't judge other girls!) anywayz I think it was real sad when the Toddd guy committed suicide I cried, and he probably died like years before I even knew who he was, and whoever made that coment about him killing himself because the show sucked is just ignorant that was rude and senseless, (********), anywayz too bad Judd Nelson left it would have been better if she ended up with him and not Oliver, and wasn't that the point of the show, A reporter who left her fiance at the altar goes and works for his brothers magazine and falls in love with him? not Reporter works for some gay english dude and marries a ****** who can't even say I love, then when he finally does gets a visectamy (sp?) without telling his girlfriend first? besides that I like the show
  The only reason "Suddenly Susan" lasted as long as it did was the show's timeslot--Thursdays at 8:30 P.M. (Eastern/Pacific), right after NBC's mega-hit "Friends". NBC could have put on a test pattern at 8:30 on Thursday nights in the mid/late 1990's and still beaten the other networks.
  The show wasn't half bad and had some mildly funny moments. Obviously stupid to try and couple Susan and Jack. That was pathetic. Maddie was a good addition to the show. Shawn Colvin's appearance was lame. Kathy Griffin is annoying!! As soon as the last season started, when Judd Nelson and David Strickland left the show, it went to hell! I only watch the re-runs of the first three seasons and that's IT.
  After David Strickland died, and Judd Nelson left, this show sucked! I loved it, absolutely loved it before, but it was nothing but crap after David Strickland died.
  "Suddenly Susan" is a rarity. A case in which ANOTHER SHOW caused it to jump the Shark. The shark smelled blood during a Newsradio episode. Bubbly secretary Beth (Vicki Lewis) described herself as the wise-cracking red-head of the office, to which Joe Rogan said, "Every office has a wise-cracking red-head these days!" Vicki then did a dead-on Kathy Griffin impression and said "Tell me about it!" Heck, Vicki Lewis did Kathy Griffin better than Kathy did! It was impossible to think of "Suddenly Susan" as anything more than a "Newsradio" clone after that. "Suddenly Susan" didn't even have to get on the water-skis, "Newsradio" pushed them right into the Shark's path!
  SS isn't one of my favourite shows of all times; but I do watch it if I get the chance. I think it went downhill after Judd left, but especially after they replaced him with Eric Idle. Idle is GREAT - I loved him in Monty Python! And his portrayal of the superficial, sensation-seeking chief editor was very good - but misplaced. The character per se didn't belong in the series. But I am amazed at the criticism this show gets - and especially at the criticism against Brooke Shields' character (and even looks). She is the main reason I like to watch the show from time to time; I wish I had a friend like her: beautiful, smart, fun to be with, vulnerable, sexy - and SO kind! (TWIMC: I am a heterosexual female.)
  The chemistry and banter between Luis and David Strickland's character was always hilarious! (Especially when they tried to market those hideous yellow bell bottoms called "Lemon Legs".) Brooke Shields was excellent in this sitcom and I hate that it had to end. BTW, I loved Eric Idle. Nothing against Judd Nelson but Eric Idle was a good replacement after they tried to "re tool" the show. But, it just lost a lot after the death of David Strickland. How sad. He was a great actor.
  Barely watched this show when it was in Prime Time, but, got up the other morning and saw that it's now on Lifetime in syndication. What the hell happened? Not that it was anything monumental when it ran on NBC, but, Jesus, this show stinks. They changed the opening them from the Shawn Colven (sp?) song to some funky hip-hop sort of thing--complete with Brooke Shields doing a bump and grind routine and the rest of the cast doing the white man's overbite and slow humping each other. "Everybody wants to have a girl like Susan"--how embarrassing. And the office that they're in looks like the old set to "Barney Miller." I guess they had to change the old one, because I've never seen anyone chew the scenery like Brooke. Her dentist bills must be through the roof. And Kathy Griffith's character--what did they do to her? She barely has anything to say anymore, and when she does, it's usually some cutting insult to somebody with the most dead pan expression ever. She looks bored out of her mind. Not that the story lines or the script would keep anyone interested. They've got one of the Monty Python funnymen in his own little room. It looks like his main purpose is to insult Susan, too. Come to think of it, that's what everybody does. Nobody seems to like Susan, and yet, they continue to work and hang out with her. How realistic is that? I hate it when situation comedies go on a downhill slide and all of a sudden, the characters, who previously were a close group, start being mean to one another under the guise that it'll be funny. It kind of happened on one of my favorite shows, "The Golden Girls," but not to this extent.
  I think 'Suddenly Susan 'definitely jumped when David Strickland died. It was a huge loss to the show, because David was very funny as his character Todd and he and Nestor Carbonell (Louis) were a good onscreen duo. If David Strickland had not ended his life, I really think this show would have become more popular and successful as time progressed. Why? 1. Because the cast was great and finely tuned into each other. 2. The writing was getting better (funnier) 3. 'Suddenly Susan' was a very charismatic show to watch (due to the good cast) 4. The show was clearly on its prime when the tragedy happened. It's a real shame that things happened the way they did, not only for David Strickland, but also for this good show. It never had the chance to reach up to it's full potential.
  Jumped from day one. One of the worst shows ever! Not quite in Small Wonder territory (shudder), but pretty bad. Let's start with the fact that Brooke Shields, the star, is a terrible actress. You never forget that she's "acting" or trying to. Judd Nelson looked like frigging Olivier compared to her. Then there was the Nana character. The actress, who seemed talented, was hardly old enough to be a grandmother of a 30 year old, but whoever said tv portrayed reality. The rest of the cast were pretty boring, standard tv characters. The dumb/innocent, the sassy redhead, etc.

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