Sunday, August 02, 2015

The CW Summer Pilot Review: Significant Mother - Premieres Monday, August 3; Summer 2015 Week 10 Sitcom Ratings


Significant Mother

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:

Josh Zuckerman as Nate Marlowe
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.

Pilot Plot:

"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:

This show is a summer gem! While some of the previous summer comedies on other networks in recent years were either burn-offs or just not that good, this one is special. If given a chance, the show could be a building block for The CW in the comedy field. It should lure both young women and men, and not just lean towards one gender. It's a Graduate-esque plot, so it's a familiar plot. Broad appealing comedies should have an easy to follow & simple plot, familiarity, and of course should be funny. And this show has all of that. It's not a niche comedy. The pilot is a little predictable maybe, but there are a lot of wrenches that could change things up...so maybe it's not that predictable after all. Krista Allen deserves to show off her great talent and we hope she gets to do that for years to come on this comedy.

As for the timeslot, it will follow an all-new CW Monday so The CW is not burning this off or throwing it to the wolves, I think. Penn & Teller: Fool Us at 8 and the new season of Whose Line Is It Anyway? at 9 do pretty well in the ratings for The CW. If this show can hold on to most of Whose Line's numbers, it will be picked-up for more episodes we think. Perhaps a 0.5 or 0.6 18-49 rating will be good, if Whose Line does a 0.7 or 0.8 or so. Whose Line is probably the best lead-in possible, since it's the only type of funny The CW has. Forgetting the possible numbers, the show is solid and deserves to show what it can do. We hear the Denise Richards episode, which airs next week, is even better than the pilot. Krista and Denise on the same screen, screams for a great episode. This show was originally developed for CW Seed, which is where web series reside. However, the network must have really, really liked what they saw and now it is on the network itself. There are great funny one-liners in the pilot. In fact, the last one-liner to end the pilot is hilarious when Nate says "is it over yet?" I certainly didn't want the pilot to be over, so that's a good sign. Significant Mother is a great racy comedy...it's juicy and you'll want more. It's better than some of the recent sex comedies in recent years like Bad Teacher and others. Watch this show tomorrow night with your friends and family, but perhaps not with your mother!

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:

  • The CW Official Site
  • TV.com
  • epguides.com
  • Internet Movie Database
  • Wikipedia
  • Significant Mother Photo Gallery

    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
    TitleNetworkTimeDayTotal Viewers18-49 RtgNotes







    The Big Bang TheoryCBS8:00PMThu7,160,0001.50REPEAT
    MomCBS8:30PMThu5,350,0001.10REPEAT
    Mike & MollyCBS8:30PMMon4,490,0000.90REPEAT
    2 Broke GirlsCBS8:00PMMon4,520,0000.90REPEAT
    Modern FamilyABC9:00PMWed3,490,0000.90REPEAT
    The SimpsonsFox8:00PMSun2,100,0000.90REPEAT
    black-ishABC9:30PMWed2,980,0000.80REPEAT
    Family GuyFox9:00PMSun1,760,0000.80REPEAT
    The GoldbergsABC8:30PMWed3,130,0000.80REPEAT
    Fresh off the BoatABC8:00PMTue2,730,0000.70REPEAT
    Brooklyn Nine-NineFox8:30PMSun1,460,0000.70REPEAT
    The MiddleABC8:00PMWed3,800,0000.70REPEAT
    black-ishABC8:30PMTue2,200,0000.60REPEAT
    Bob's BurgersFox7:30PMSun1,230,0000.60REPEAT
    Bob's BurgersFox7:00PMSun1,180,0000.50REPEAT
    The Last Man on EarthFox9:30PMSun1,230,0000.50REPEAT
    Welcome to SwedenNBC8:00PMSun1,160,0000.30
    Welcome to SwedenNBC8:30PMSun1,120,0000.20
    DatesCW9:30PMThu550,0000.20
    DatesCW9:00PMThu550,0000.10
    Modern FamilyABC10:30PMWed

    preempted
    black-ishABC9:00PMWed

    preempted
    black-ishABC8:00PMWed

    preempted
    black-ishABC8:30PMWed

    preempted
    The Odd CoupleCBS8:30PMThu

    preempted
    Significant MotherCW9:30PMMon

    8/3 prem
    The MillersCBS8:00PMSat

    canceled
    The McCarthysCBS9:00PMSat

    canceled
    Weird LonersFox9:30PMTue

    canceled
    One Big HappyNBC9:30PMTue

    canceled
    Marry MeNBC9:00PMTue

    canceled
    About a BoyNBC9:30PMTue

    canceled
    CristelaABC8:30PMFri

    canceled
    The Mindy ProjectFox9:30PMTue

    canceled
    MulaneyFox7:00PMSun

    canceled
    Bad JudgeNBC9:00PMThu

    canceled
    A to ZNBC9:30PMThu

    canceled
    SelfieABC8:00PMTue

    canceled
    Manhattan Love StoryABC8:30PMTue

    canceled
    Two and a Half MenCBS9:00PMThu

    canceled
    Parks & RecreationNBC10:00PMTue

    canceled
    Golan the InsatiableFox9:30PMSun

    completed
    UndateableNBC9:00PMTue

    completed
    New GirlFox9:00PMTue

    completed
    Last Man StandingABC8:00PMFri

    completed
    GalavantABC8:00PMSun

    completed
    American Dad!Fox9:30PMSun

    completed

    SOURCE: Nielsen Media Research

    Saturday, August 01, 2015

    SitcomsOnline Digest: Married... with Children Spinoff/Reboot in the Works?; New King of the Hill DVDs

    Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! This week, we've got news of reboots and spinoffs of more 90s series, news of the next season of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and an update on new King of the Hill DVDs. Let's get going!

    HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB
    • Since talk of reboots or spinoffs of every classic 90s sitcom is mandatory these days, things wouldn't be complete if there wasn't talk of a reboot of Married... with Children. And now, there is. (Wall Street Journal)
    • Despite previous reports that the Olsen twins would not be part of the Netflix series Fuller House, there may still be a chance. (Toronto Sun)
    • The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt may be airing on Netflix (instead of NBC as originally planned), but creator Tina Fey believes that there is still value in broadcast network comedy, and plans to keep the second season (which, unlike the first which was already produced with NBC in mind, is being produced with Netflix in mind) as a PG sitcom that adults can enjoy without worrying about younger kids seeing. (Hollywood Reporter)
    • Cosby Show executive producer Tom Werner is referring to the series that was part of his legacy as being "kind of tarnished" in light of recent accusations regarding Bill Cosby. (Entertainment Weekly)
    • A lot of rumors have been swirling about Valerie Harper in the past week regarding a recent health scare, but she has personally posted to Facebook to let fans know that rumors of her being in a coma (which were circulated by certain entertainment media outlets) are simply not true and that she is recovering. (TV Guide) 
    • Welcome to Sweden returned for a second season a few weeks ago on NBC, but after two weeks of anemic ratings, it has been pulled from the lineup. (SitcomsOnline)

    HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
    • Olive Films is not giving up on King of the Hill, and after having already released four seasons of the series and a fifth set (season 11) on the way later this month, season 12 has already been announced for September. That leaves only season 13 unreleased, which according to a previous announcement from the studio, should arrive by the end of the year (perhaps October?).
    • Neither release dates nor complete details are available yet, but VEI has hinted at some of their first releases from their recent acquisitions with box art on their website, including the complete series of Hotel and Grace Under Fire.

    AUGUST 4 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

    FOLLOW ME

    Who to Follow: Sarah Hyland (Twitter), "I have bird bones. Therefore I am a bird."
    Claim to Fame: The 24 year old actress first appeared in the Howard Stern movie Private Parts, but when it comes to TV, her first series appearance was in All My Children. Following that, she appeared in several different Law & Order series, as well as several episodes of One Life to Live. She had a recurring role in Lipstick Jungle in 2007, but it was in 2009 that she got her most memorable role, playing Haley Dunphy in ABC's Modern Family.
    Pick of the Tweets: "Hi. I'm falling asleep. But today we had our first table read for Season 7 of @ModernFam and it was really funny. And you guys will be happy" (July 29, 2015)


    Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

    Wednesday, October 21

    Scrubs - "My Best Friend's Birthday" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
    Turk is determined to have a fun birthday with J.D. and Elliot; the interns are challenged during the night shift.

    Abbott Elementary - "The Tryouts" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
    The step team tries out for a major competition; Melissa and Barbara take a special ed certification course; Janine, Gregory and Jacob welcome a new substitute.

    Complete TV Listings


    Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 19)

    Wednesday, October 21

    • Billy Crystal (The Comedians/Soap) - Watch Billy on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
    • Josh Charles (Best Medicine/Sports Night) - Josh appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
    • Kate Berlant (Ghosted/Search Party) - Kate is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
    • Natasha Leggero (Broke/Dice/Another Period/Free Agents) and Jimmie Walker (Good Times/At Ease/Bustin' Loose) - Natasha and Jimmie will be on a repeat of Funny You Should Ask at 12:37am on CBS.
    • Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
    • Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) - Olivia appears on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
    • Giancarlo Esposito (Bakersfield P.D.) - Giancarlo talks about The Only Living Pickpocket in New York on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
    • Max Casella (Doogie Howser, M.D.) - Max talks about Jimmy on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
    • Sara and Erin Foster (Producers of Nobody Wants This) - Sara and Erin talk about Nobody Wants This on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.


    New on DVD and Blu-ray

    Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD) The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (Blu-ray) The Bill Dana Show - The Complete Series (DVD) I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray) Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

    01/20/26 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
    01/27/26 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
    02/11/26 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
    03/24/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
    04/11/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
    04/21/26 - Famous Studios Champion Collection (Blu-ray) (DVD)
    05/19/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (DVD)
    05/19/26 - Looney Tunes Cartoons - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
    06/16/26 - Difficult People - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
    06/30/26 - Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
    07/14/26 - The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (Blu-ray)
    07/28/26 - The Bill Dana Show - The Complete Series (DVD)
    07/28/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
    07/28/26 - The Paper - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
    08/25/26 - Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
    09/08/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
    09/22/26 - Bridget Loves Bernie - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
    10/20/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

    More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


    Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

    10/21 - Charmed Joining Hulu This Huluween; Prime Video's Comedy Variety Series Hosted by Nick Kroll
    10/20 - Hulu's Phony Premieres Today; Janelle James Netflix Comedy Special Drops November 10
    10/19 - Lil Kev Season 2 Premieres December 9; It's a Wonderful Lifetime 2026 Schedule
    10/18 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 19, 2026)
    10/17 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Hulu Picks Up Reboot for The X-Files; Roseanne Self-Produces New Sitcom
    10/16 - Christa B. Allen in Night of January 16th Play Through Sunday; Remembering Sitcom Writer and Producer Bernie Orenstein
    10/15 - Guest Stars for Peacock's Comedy Dig; Apple TV Renews Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed for Season 2
    10/14 - HBO Brings Back Girls for 5 Episodes; Hulu's The X-Files Picked Up to Series
    10/13 - Full Cast for Three's Company Live Reading in New York City; High Potential to Air After Super Bowl on ABC
    10/12 - Bob's Burgers Holiday Special on Hulu; The Rookie and The Rookie: North Wednesdays on ABC in January
    10/11 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 12, 2026)
    10/10 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Colin Jost and Danny Chun to Launch Free Streaming Comedy; Paramount/Warner Merger Completed
    10/09 - Apple TV Comedy Stick Returns November 4; News from New York Comic Con 2026 Day One
    10/08 - FETV Acquires I Dream of Jeannie and The Bionic Woman; Netflix Renews The Hunting Wives for Season 3, Before Season 2 Launch
    10/07 - More Live Three's Company Readings; Lucy Hale is Scarlett Holmes for Roku in 2027
    10/06 - NBC's Happy Place Season 3 Trailer; Apple TV's Imperfect Women Renewed for Season 2
    10/05 - A Different World to Return for Season 2 on Netflix; Prime Video's Barbershop Comedy Series Premieres February 10
    10/04 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of October 5, 2026)
    10/03 - SitcomsOnline Digest: A Different World Renewed for Second Season; A First Look at Ted: The Animated Series
    10/02 - Mike Judge's Beavis and Butt-Head Season 4 Launch; Anthony Anderson Returns to Soul Train Awards
    10/01 - Ted: The Animated Series Premieres December 17 on Peacock; Trailer for Apple TV's Small Prophets
    09/30 - AMC Orders Charlie Sheen and Martin Sheen Sitcom; Netflix's The One About Matthew Perry Documentary Series
    09/29 - Michael Che's Third Netflix Special; Remembering Dennis Haskins of Saved by the Bell
    09/28 - Hulu's Family Guy Halloween Special; AMC Announces New York Comic Con Panels for 2026
    09/27 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 28, 2026)
    09/26 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Seth Meyers Developing The Game Room for NBC; Glee Reboot Script Written
    09/25 - Apple TV's 2026 Holiday Lineup; First Look at SCTV: The Greatest Show You've Never Heard Of
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    09/23 - Disney+ Orders New Darkwing Duck Series; Great American Christmas 2026 with 18 New Holiday Movies
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