Adventures In Mediocrity: A Trio of NBC So-Sos (1998-99)

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https://jacksonupperco.com/2018/02/0...o-sos-1998-99/

Jesse (1998-2000, NBC)

Okay, of all the shows on this list, I have to say that Jesse‘s premiere comes off the best. (Right now I’ll admit that, while I have all 42 broadcast installments from the series’ two-season run, I’ve only watched a couple from each year, so I can’t comment on the show’s trajectory. In theory, I’d love to be able to do so at a later date, but I’m not convinced that this opportunity will ever present itself.) Produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane of Friends (coming here soon), this vehicle for (a post-Bundy) Christina Applegate was created by Friends‘ Ira Ungerleider, who ran Jesse during its first season with Stephen Nathan (Love & War). Applegate was a single mom living in Buffalo with her two kooky brothers and their cranky father, in whose German bar she worked. Vying for her romantic affections were her Chilean neighbor and her returning ex-husband. Cast members included Liza Snyder, David DeLuise, and John Lehr.


Jesse finished its first season, in the hammock between Friends and Frasier at 8:30 on MSTV Thursdays, as the year’s fifth most watched show (tied with Veronica’s Closet, from the same company). It held the identical time slot for its 20-episode second season, but finished at #13. Will Calhoun (Friends, What I Like About You) took the reins and changes were made to the ensemble. Also, Jesse went from a barmaid to a nurse, while more stories concerned her friends and co-workers (instead of her family). Again, I can’t comment much at this moment on these developments, but here I’ll say the opening is snappy and Applegate is inherently likable. The ensemble is not up to her level though, and may have posed problems in terms of story-generation… But, here’s a clip from the premiere, “A Side Of Chile,” which NBC broadcast on September 24, 1998. Ungerleider wrote; Burrows directed.