"On The Jersey Side"

[Vincent Paterno]

This new metro New York-based comedy series is sort of in the mode of "The King Of Queens," though it's half workplace- and half home-oriented. It's set in Jersey City, just across the Hudson from Manhattan.

CAST:
Lindsay Sloane as Bonnie Bromley
Wayne Knight as Albert Bromley
Judith Light as Mary Alice Bromley
Charles Shaughnessy as James Whitman
Renee O'Connor as Robyn Wootton
Fred Savage as Stanley C. Stanton
Marc Consuelos as Marco Fernandez

In recent years, Jersey City -- once an old-line ethnic community -- has been partially transformed into an upscale business and residential area, and "On The Jersey Side" reflects that cultural tug of war in its central character, Bonnie Bromley. She's from an Irish-American enclave of Jersey City who gets her bachelor's and MBA degrees from hometown Saint Peter's College and gets a job with an old-line financial firm that has relocated across the Hudson from Manhattan. The lucrative job enables her to quit living with her parents Albert and Mary Alice, who own a bar below their home, and move into a "gold coast" high rise a block from work. This doesn't please Bonnie's parents, who are concerned she's losing her blue-collar, ethnic values in favor of yuppiedom.

At work, Bonnie encounters similar problems from the other direction. Her immediate supervisor, Stanley C. Stanton, is a young, but old-money Ivy Leaguer who's convinced she's unworthy of working for such a prestigious company. However, his boss, James Whitman, who had hired Bonnie due to both her skills and personality, disagrees. Her best friend at work is Robyn Wootton, who now commutes from Brooklyn since the firm's move and is none too happy about it.

To compound matters on both fronts, Bonnie's boyfriend, Marco Fernandez, is a second-generation Hispanic who's a reporter for a local Spanish-language newspaper.

[factsoflife]

This sounds like an excellent show, that i would probally watch. And its a very timely topic that i feel does need exploring on television. and what a great cast... great job.

[Vincent Paterno]

Thanks for the comment. The underlying topic (culture, class) isn't addressed too much on today's sitcoms, and Jersey City, which has undergone incredible changes over the past quarter-century or so, seemed to be the perfect environment to place it.

As for the casting...I tried to envision myself as a casting director right now (that is, I don't believe any of these people are regularly doing sitcoms or series). I had forgotten that Judith Light and Lindsay Sloane had previously worked together on The Stones, but that series was so brief that relatively few remember it. (Sloane showed a new side on that show as her character was far more aggressive, not the put-upon type she played on Sabrina or Grosse Pointe; I think she's now ready to headline her own ensemble series.) The Wayne Knight I envision is the new slimmed-down version, who looks nothing at all like he did on 3rd Rock or Seinfeld -- but he's still a great comic character actor and could probably pull off playing a fiftyish Irish urban ethnic. The others I mentioned are series TV pros with at least some sitcom experience (except for Renee O'Connor, who seems to have fallen off the face of the earth post-Xena).

[factsoflife]

Well you're very welcome. keep writing.