Sunday, August 02, 2015
The CW Summer Pilot Review: Significant Mother - Premieres Monday, August 3; Summer 2015 Week 10 Sitcom Ratings
Significant Mother - Mondays at 9:30PM ET/PT on The CW
Premieres Monday, August 3, 2015 at 9:30PM ET/PT
by Pavan
Budding Portland restaurateur Nate's (Josh Zuckerman) world is turned upside down when he comes back from a business trip to find his lothario best friend and roommate, Jimmy (Nathaniel Buzolic), is now dating his recently separated mother, Lydia (Krista Allen). To make matters worse, Nate's previously disinterested dad, Harrison (special guest star Jonathan Silverman), is now determined to win Lydia back and isn't afraid to use Nate to get what he wants. Stuck between his family feud and his best friend's first serious relationship, Nate's "new normal" forever changes his relationships with his parents, and severely handicaps his own dating life.
Cast Details:
Krista Allen as Lydia Marlowe
Nathaniel Buzolic as Jimmy Barnes
Emma Fitzpatrick as Sam Dillinger
Jay Ali as Atticus Adams
Jonathan Silverman as Harrison Marlowe
Josh Zuckerman (Nate) is perhaps best known for playing Mark Cullin on the ABC Family original series Kyle XY and as Eddie Orlofsky in Desperate Housewives. He also played Max Miller in the CW drama 90210. On the big screen, Josh has had supporting roles in the Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini holiday comedy Surviving Christmas (2004)and the Evan Rachel Wood dark comedy Pretty Persuasion (2005)
Krista Allen (Lydia) has had numerous television credits. She had regular roles on Days of Our Lives and Baywatch Hawaii. In 2005 she was one of the stars of HBO's Unscripted, playing herself as an actress who struggles to overcome her sex symbol status in order to win more serious roles. Her other numerous TV credits include recurring and guest roles on series such as What About Brian, Mistresses, The L.A. Complex, The Philanthropist, The Starter Wife, Castle, Melissa & Joey, Cashmere Mafia, Dirty Sexy Money, Freddie, Jake in Progress, Rules of Engagement, Hawaii Five-0, I'm With Her, Charmed, Two and a Half Men and Head Cases. On the big screen, her credits include an appearance as the "Elevator Girl" in the Jim Carrey comedy Liar Liar, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Anger Management and The Final Destination.
Nathaniel Buzolic (Jimmy) is an Australian actor known best for his role as Kol Mikaelson on the CW show The Vampire Diaries and its spin-off The Originals. He has also appeared in episodes of ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars as Dean Stavros, Spencer's (Troian Bellisario) substance abuse counselor. In Australia, he was the host of Nine Network's late-night television quiz show The Mint and had a regular role on the BBC soap opera Out of the Blue.
Emma Fitzpatrick (Sam) is known for her roles on the big screen in The Social Network, The Collection and In Time. She has also guest starred on series such as Covert Affairs, CSI and Undercovers.
Jay Ali (Atticus) has a recurring role on the ABC Family hit series The Fosters as Timothy. He also starred on the online sitcom Bloomers. He has also appeared on NCIS, Rizzoli & Isles and CW's Melrose Place.
Jonathan Silverman (Harrison) is perhaps best known for his role in Weekend at Bernie's and its sequel Weekend at Bernie's II. Jonathan started off his career with a recurring role as Jonathan Maxwell on the sitcom Gimme a Break! opposite Nell Carter. Silverman played the title role in the mid-1990s television sitcom The Single Guy (which aired on NBC), as well as the lead role in the early 1990s movie Little Sister with Alyssa Milano. He last starred in the short-lived sitcom In Case of Emergency, which was a mid-season replacement on ABC for the 2006 season. His long list of guest starring roles include Friends, Caroline in the City, Arliss. Miss Match, CSI: Miami, Related, Close to Home, NUMB3RS, Psych, Medium, Greek, White Collar, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Hot in Cleveland.
"Welcome to Bonetown" (airs Monday, August 3 at 9:30PM ET/PT)
Budding Portland restaurateur Nate's (Josh Zuckerman) world is turned upside down when he comes back from a business trip to find his lothario best friend and roommate, Jimmy (Nathaniel Buzolic), is now dating his recently separated mother, Lydia (Krista Allen). To make matters worse, Nate's previously disinterested dad, Harrison (special guest star Jonathan Silverman), is now determined to win Lydia back and isn't afraid to use Nate to get what he wants. Stuck between his family feud and his best friend's first serious relationship, Nate's "new normal" forever changes his relationships with his parents, and severely handicaps his own dating life.
Analysis:
We finally have a sitcom on The CW! It's not an imported comedy either. And this comedy is good! Significant Mother is fairly easy to watch and it will make you laugh. It is a simple plot, but for the characters the situation is complicated, or should I say it's "momplicated." The chemistry between the three leads, Nate, Jimmy and Lydia is certainly there. The pilot starts it off with a bang, literally. It basically revolves around the fact that Nate's best friend and roommate is now sleeping with his mother, Lydia. Nate is coming back from a trip and catches them. He thinks it might be a one-night stand, but it could be more than just that. To make it more complicated, Lydia's recently separated husband Harrison is trying to get her back. Maybe because he finds out about Jimmy and Lydia's affair? The other supporting characters are found at Nate's restaurant-- Sam and Atticus. Nate seems to have a crush on Sam, so that will be interesting to watch in subsequent episodes. However, the main plot of this series is with the dealings of Nate, Jimmy and Lydia.
Krista Allen, who plays Lydia, is superb in this comedy. She looks amazing, as usual, and she is vibrant and funny. In real life, she's only 13 years older than Nathaniel Buzolic, so that is the only thing that is unbelievable because Krista is playing someone older and she certainly doesn't look older. She's a young cougar! The CW viewers will be familiar with Josh Zuckerman and Nathaniel Buzolic from its other series, so viewers should be interested, especially females. Jonathan Silverman is great in the supporting role of Harrison, Nate's dad. He could be the antagonist of this series trying to mess up the situation between Jimmy and Lydia. I think Nate will probably get over it after the pilot, but Harrison will probably try to pursue Lydia.
Conclusion:
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Watchability: 4.5/5
Funniness: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5
Discuss the show after you watch it on Monday, August 3, 2015 at 9:30PM ET/PT on our message board.
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Preview:
We're in the middle of summer and we will be back with our normal weekly ratings report with the first four nights numbers and analysis in the fall, but we still will have our regular how the sitcoms did all summer long! Here are our summer ratings:
Summer Week 10 (July 27-Aug 2) How the Sitcoms Did | ||||||
(Sun comedies are previous week and Fri/Sat are prelim ratings) | ||||||
Sorted by 18-49 Rtg | ||||||
Title | Network | Time | Day | Total Viewers | 18-49 Rtg | Notes |
The Big Bang Theory | CBS | 8:00PM | Thu | 7,160,000 | 1.50 | REPEAT |
Mom | CBS | 8:30PM | Thu | 5,350,000 | 1.10 | REPEAT |
Mike & Molly | CBS | 8:30PM | Mon | 4,490,000 | 0.90 | REPEAT |
2 Broke Girls | CBS | 8:00PM | Mon | 4,520,000 | 0.90 | REPEAT |
Modern Family | ABC | 9:00PM | Wed | 3,490,000 | 0.90 | REPEAT |
The Simpsons | Fox | 8:00PM | Sun | 2,100,000 | 0.90 | REPEAT |
black-ish | ABC | 9:30PM | Wed | 2,980,000 | 0.80 | REPEAT |
Family Guy | Fox | 9:00PM | Sun | 1,760,000 | 0.80 | REPEAT |
The Goldbergs | ABC | 8:30PM | Wed | 3,130,000 | 0.80 | REPEAT |
Fresh off the Boat | ABC | 8:00PM | Tue | 2,730,000 | 0.70 | REPEAT |
Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Fox | 8:30PM | Sun | 1,460,000 | 0.70 | REPEAT |
The Middle | ABC | 8:00PM | Wed | 3,800,000 | 0.70 | REPEAT |
black-ish | ABC | 8:30PM | Tue | 2,200,000 | 0.60 | REPEAT |
Bob's Burgers | Fox | 7:30PM | Sun | 1,230,000 | 0.60 | REPEAT |
Bob's Burgers | Fox | 7:00PM | Sun | 1,180,000 | 0.50 | REPEAT |
The Last Man on Earth | Fox | 9:30PM | Sun | 1,230,000 | 0.50 | REPEAT |
Welcome to Sweden | NBC | 8:00PM | Sun | 1,160,000 | 0.30 | |
Welcome to Sweden | NBC | 8:30PM | Sun | 1,120,000 | 0.20 | |
Dates | CW | 9:30PM | Thu | 550,000 | 0.20 | |
Dates | CW | 9:00PM | Thu | 550,000 | 0.10 | |
Modern Family | ABC | 10:30PM | Wed | preempted | ||
black-ish | ABC | 9:00PM | Wed | preempted | ||
black-ish | ABC | 8:00PM | Wed | preempted | ||
black-ish | ABC | 8:30PM | Wed | preempted | ||
The Odd Couple | CBS | 8:30PM | Thu | preempted | ||
Significant Mother | CW | 9:30PM | Mon | 8/3 prem | ||
The Millers | CBS | 8:00PM | Sat | canceled | ||
The McCarthys | CBS | 9:00PM | Sat | canceled | ||
Weird Loners | Fox | 9:30PM | Tue | canceled | ||
One Big Happy | NBC | 9:30PM | Tue | canceled | ||
Marry Me | NBC | 9:00PM | Tue | canceled | ||
About a Boy | NBC | 9:30PM | Tue | canceled | ||
Cristela | ABC | 8:30PM | Fri | canceled | ||
The Mindy Project | Fox | 9:30PM | Tue | canceled | ||
Mulaney | Fox | 7:00PM | Sun | canceled | ||
Bad Judge | NBC | 9:00PM | Thu | canceled | ||
A to Z | NBC | 9:30PM | Thu | canceled | ||
Selfie | ABC | 8:00PM | Tue | canceled | ||
Manhattan Love Story | ABC | 8:30PM | Tue | canceled | ||
Two and a Half Men | CBS | 9:00PM | Thu | canceled | ||
Parks & Recreation | NBC | 10:00PM | Tue | canceled | ||
Golan the Insatiable | Fox | 9:30PM | Sun | completed | ||
Undateable | NBC | 9:00PM | Tue | completed | ||
New Girl | Fox | 9:00PM | Tue | completed | ||
Last Man Standing | ABC | 8:00PM | Fri | completed | ||
Galavant | ABC | 8:00PM | Sun | completed | ||
American Dad! | Fox | 9:30PM | Sun | completed |
SOURCE: Nielsen Media Research
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Tuesday, April 29
St. Denis Medical - "This Place Is Our Everything" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
A storm causes chaos in the Emergency Department; Alex is torn between an obligation to her husband and her co-workers' needs; Joyce goes on a spending spree with found money.
Night Court - "Blood Moonstruck" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
On the night of the blood moon, Abby and Gurgs help Julianne with a surprising romantic prospect; Wyatt finds himself in hot water when he fills in as Dan's replacement.
Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Adjust Your Crown, Sis" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Ella sponsors the membership of the new wife of a longtime dea-con into her social club, Incomparable Crowns, she begins to suspect something may be going on behind closed doors in the new marriage.
Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Ay-Bay-Bay" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Leah wants to try for another baby, but when Jeremy plays hard to get, Leah hatches a plan to seduce him; Mr. Brown has to babysit Kimberly's grandson who appears to be the perfect angel, until he reveals himself to be a mischievous handful.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 28)
Tuesday, April 29
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Watching Ellie/Seinfeld/Day by Day) - Catch Julia on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Mo Amer (Mo/Ramy) - Mo is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Mary Lynn Rajskub (Rob Riggle's Ski Master Academy/How to Be a Gentleman/Veronica's Closet/The Larry Sanders Show) - Mary appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Tina Fey (The Four Seasons/Only Murders in the Building/30 Rock) - Tina stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also talks about The Four Seasons on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
- Tim Bagley (The Great North/Teachers/Grace and Frankie/Web Therapy/Stril Mall) and Andy Richter (Andy Barker, P.I./Quintuplets/Andy Richter Controls the Universe) - Tim and Andy are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Paul Feig (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch/The Louie Show/The Jackie Thomas Show/Dirty Dancing) - Paul talks about Another Simple Favor on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
- Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws/The New Adventures of Old Christine/Wanda at Large) - Wanda talks about the Wanda Sykes: Please & Thank You Tour on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Ed Helms (Rutherford Falls/The Office) - Ed talks about SNAFU: The Definitive Guide to History’s Greatest Screwups on The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT. He will also be on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Essence Atkins (Poppa's House/Marlon/Mr. Box Office/Are We There Yet?/Half & Half/Smart Guy/Under One Roof) - Essence joins Tamron Hall for a candid conversation on everything from her recent abstinence journey to her career longevity as a working mom, so check your local listings.
- Bill Bellamy (Mr. Box Office/Men, Women & Dogs/Cousin Skeeter) - Bill will be on CBS Mornings Plus in the 9am hour.
- Stanley Tucci (Central Park) - Stanley drops by Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Jaleel White (Family Matters/Grown Ups) - Jaleel talks about his CBS game show, Flip Side, and shares stories from his memoir, Growing Up Urkel, on Sherri, so check your local listings.
- Erika Alexander (Run the World/Living Single/The Cosby Show) and Kim Coles (Living Single/The Geena Davis Show) - Erika and Kim join Sherri to discuss their latest projects, so check your local listings.
- Joe Manganiello (How I Met Your Mother) - NBC's Today catches up with Joe in the 9am hour.
- Will Forte (The Four Seasons/HouseBroken/MacGruber/The Last Man on Earth/The Cleveland Show) and Erika Henningsen (The Four Seasons) - Will and Erika talk about The Four Seasons on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Keegan-Michael Key (Schmigadoon!/Friends from College/Playing House/Gary Unmarried) - Keegan-Michael is a guest on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
- Harry Hamlin (Movie Stars) - Harry appears on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
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