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.
Related Links:
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
Thursday, August 18
Young Sheldon - "Money Laundering and a Cascade of Hormones" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Missy asks some uncomfortable questions at church, and Meemaw and Georgie go into business together. Bill Fagerbakke returns as Officer Jake.
Ghosts - "Jay's Sister" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When Jay’s sister, Bela (Punam Patel), comes to visit Sam and Jay after being dumped by her boyfriend, they’re shocked to discover that she’s communicating with someone they know on a dating app.
Welcome to Flatch - "The Devil's Backbone" / "On the Hooky" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
To increase their social media following, Kelly and Shrub plan to record a surprise reunion with Father Joe and another former member of his religious boy band; Shrub gets a new job detailing cars; Cheryl and Mandy bond over a day of playing hooky.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 15)
Thursday, August 18
- Kirby Howell-Baptiste (The Good Place/Love/Downward Dog) - Catch Kirby on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Nicole Byer (Grand Crew/Loosely Exactly Nicole) - Nicole guest hosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Martin Short (Mulaney/The Martin Short Show) - Martin is a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Demi Lovato (Sonny with a Chance) - Demi is a musical guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Rhea Seehorn (Whitney/I'm with Her) - Rhea appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Juliette Lewis (Camping/A Family for Joe/I Married Dora) - Juliette is a guest on a repeat of The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
- Craig Robinson (Killing It/Ghosted/Mr. Robinson/The Office) - Craig chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Jenifer Lewis (black-ish/The PJs) - Jenifer will be on a repeat of The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
- Mark Consuelos (Alpha House/Hope & Faith) - Mark guest co-hosts LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings.
- Lily Tomlin (Grace and Frankie/Malibu Country)- Lily appears on a repeat of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
- David Duchovny (Californication) - David is a guest on a repeat of The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
- Ms. Pat (The Ms. Pat Show) - Ms. Pat appears on a repeat of The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
- Dave Coulier (Fuller House/Full House) - Dave speaks candidly about being an alcoholic and the moment that led him to sobriety on a repeat on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Topher Grace (Home Economics/That '70s Show) - Topher is a guest on a repeat on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Sherri Shepherd (Mr. Iglesias/Trial & Error/Sherri/Less Than Perfect/Suddenly Susan) - Sherri guest hosts a repeat of The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
- Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters) - Sharon talks about Bad Sisters on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Martha Plimpton (Sprung/The Real O'Neals/Raising Hope) and Garret Dillahunt (Sprung/The Guest Book/Raising Hope) - Martha and Garret talk about Freevee's Sprung on Access Daily, so check your local listings.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (April-August)
04/05 - Up All Night - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
04/26 - The Danny Thomas Show (aka Make Room for Daddy) - The Complete Fourth Season
04/26 - Jackie Gleason TV Treasures - 70th Anniversary Collection (including Honeymooners Rarities)
05/03 - No Activity - Season Three
05/13 - The Donna Reed Show - The Complete Seasons 1-5 (Time Life)
05/31 - Becker - The Complete Series (2022 Release)
06/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Eleventh Season
06/14 - Hacks - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
06/14 - Rutherford Falls - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
06/21 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season One / Season Two
07/19 - The Neighborhood - Season Four
07/19 - Reno 911! - The Hunt for QAnon (Blu-ray) (DVD)
07/26 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Three / Season Four
08/16 - And Just Like That... - The Complete First Season (Warner Bros. - Canada)
08/16 - South Park - The Complete Twenty-Fourth Season (Blu-ray) (DVD)
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