Return of Jezebel James on FOX

I just wanted to let you know ...

• Apr 4, 2008 04:00 AM ET
• by Matt Roush

Question: I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed Monday's Ask Matt. I think it is the first Ask Matt I've ever read where all the letters were talking about how great certain shows, characters, actors and storylines are. There wasn't one of the usual rants about how stupid network programmers are, how a certain actor is completely messing up a show, how a storyline is the worst idea in the history of the world or how someone can't believe you, a critic, would dare to like/dislike/watch/recognize the existence of a certain show. (OK, there was a comment about how bad The Return of Jezebel James is, but not much good can be said about that.) Can it be that losing our shows for a few months has reminded us how good most of them really all are? Like you, "I just love it when someone writes in to gush without embarrassment," and I hope we'll be seeing more of that in the coming weeks (with some criticism still mixed in, of course). Thanks for a pleasant start to my week! Answer: ... read more

Thanks for recommending a ...

• Mar 31, 2008 04:00 AM ET
• by Matt Roush

Question: Thanks for recommending a show that I probably would not have watched otherwise: Dexter. I know there has been some controversy about airing a "diluted" version on CBS, but as a TV fan who can't afford premium cable, I appreciate the chance to see the show. It's dark and disturbing, but sometimes quite funny and surprisingly touching. It's definitely not for everyone, but I'm hooked! At the opposite end of the spectrum, The Return of Jezebel James was awful! I tried to be fair and watch both episodes, but it was a chore. Parker Posey seemed to force every line, none of which were particularly funny or interesting. (She may be the indie film queen, but I was not impressed.) I didn't believe the premise for a moment. What happened here?? Is Amy Sherman-Palladino a one-hit wonder? Answer: You're right about both shows, but don't jump the gun to write off someone just because their latest show didn't work. The failure rate in TV is formidable, and if a miserable flop show was ... read more

Exclusive: Fox Cuts Short Sherman-Palladino's Return

• Mar 24, 2008 08:56 PM ET
• by Michael Ausiello

The Return of Jezebel James by Michael Lavine/Fox

That was quick. Fox has closed the book on Amy Sherman-Palladino's post-Gilmore Girls comeback vehicle, The Return of Jezebel James, after three abysmally rated outings. A Fox spokesperson confirms that the comedy starring Parker Posey and Lauren Ambrose as unlikely sisters has aired its last episode.OK, time for some Monday afternoon quarterbacking: Who deserves the blame here? AS-P? Fox for burying it on Friday night? The person in charge of integrating that horrible laugh track? Posey for failing to be, well, Lauren Graham? Post your theories below. read more

I read reviews of The Return ...

• Mar 24, 2008 04:00 AM ET
• by Matt Roush

Question: I read reviews of The Return of Jezebel James that panned the show, but I decided to give it a try anyway. I was expecting it to be uneven, but I thought that maybe the combined talents of Amy Shermin-Palladino, Parker Posey, Lauren Ambrose, and Dianne Wiest would win out. And then, the laugh track. As anyone who has ever watched even one episode of Gilmore Girls knows, ASP's writing isn't meant for setups and punchlines. It's witty and certainly humorous, but not in that old "taped in front of a studio audience" kind of way. So what I want to know, Matt, is why? Laugh tracks are not in style. Surely ASP didn't want one. I would be willing to give this show a few more weeks to find its footing, if not for that laugh track. So again I ask, why? Answer: Why? Because Jezebel James isn't Gilmore Girls. Amy's background is in traditional sitcomedy (most famously with Roseanne), and it's not beyond reason that she would want to go back to that classic format after the exhausting ... read more

I was waiting around for your ...

• Mar 21, 2008 04:00 AM ET
• by Matt Roush

Question: I was waiting around for your review of The Return of Jezebel James and it never came! So what did you think? Personally, I had high hopes for this. Before the premiere it seemed it had everything going for it but the airtime: a great writer, an awesome cast and an interesting premise. But, alas, it seems I was dead wrong. The writing was awkward, the people all caricatures (aside from Scott Cohen, who was a breath of fresh air), and there was hardly any logic behind everyone's actions. The worst thing about it was the laugh track. Thirty seconds into the first episode when I heard that canned laughter, I cringed. I've never minded the laugh track in How I Met Your Mother but in Jezebel James it was incredibly obvious that it was canned laughter. The jokes weren't funny enough to warrant it, and it didn't even sound like the laugh track was that enthused. Really, it was just painful. The last 15 minutes of the second episode showed more promise than the 45 minutes that came ... read more

Canterbury's Verdict Is In! And Jezebel's Out?

• Mar 19, 2008 11:35 PM ET
• by TV Guide News

Looks like the verdict is in on Canterbury's Law. Sources confirm to TVGuide.com that after two low-rated outings on Monday night, Fox is banishing the Julianna Margulies-led courtroom drama to Friday nights, beginning March 28. The show's already seen the last of its unhappy Mondays.It's unclear what this means for Fox's The Return of Jezebel James, which last Friday tanked in its double-header debut. read more

Do you have any scoop on ...

• Mar 19, 2008 04:00 AM ET
• by Michael Ausiello

Question: Do you have any scoop on ASP's new show, The Return of Jezebel James? I thought the first episode was kind of weak but the second one was pretty good. Are they really only showing seven episodes?

Answer: Judging by the ratings for the premiere, I'm not even sure we'll see a third episode, let alone all seven.

"Pilot Episode" and "Frankenstein Baby"

• Mar 15, 2008 05:34 AM ET
• by Joshua Green

The Return of Jezebel James has one of most unique stories ever created for the small screen. Independent movie star Parker Posey portrays Sarah Tompkins, an editor for a prominent book publisher that distributes the Jezebel James series of novels. She has a strictly sexual relationship with Marcus, seemingly afraid of anything personal due to the aftermath of a rough divorce. As she was gazing at her co-worker's daughter, Sarah decides that her path to happiness will occur with motherhood. She soon discovers that she has a rare disease that makes her possibilities of conception impossible. So Sarah seeks out her estranged sister, Coco, hoping that she will carry her child for her. After a lengthy argument, the obstinate Coco agrees to carry Sarah's baby!I requested the assignment of writing for The Return of Jezebel James because of how much I respect the creator of the show, Amy Sherman-Palladino. Her masterpiece, Gilmore Girls, was a truly innovative show with its characters so... read more

Indie Queen Parker Posey Previews Jezebel James

• Mar 14, 2008 04:00 AM ET
• by Brantley Bardin

Parker Posey, The Return of Jezebel James

Parker Posey, the indie-film darling and Christopher Guest stock-company perennial, is at last on television, starring in her very own sitcom, The Return of Jezebel James (Fridays at 8:30 pm/ET, Fox; premiering tonight at 8 pm/ET). Created by Gilmore Girls' Amy Sherman-Palladino, the show's about a single, workaholic children's-book editor who wants a kid of her own as she feels her biological clock ticking. Parker, it seems, can relate. TV Guide: You've been stuck with this moniker "the queen of the indies." Not bad, though maybe that's made it hard for you to become a superstar?Parker Posey: But, see, I don't want to be a superstar. I like what my career has been. It's been very, you know, diverse, and every time I read something, a lot of [reviewers] are like, "Ooh, what a departure, we never thought read more

Chaos Theory: Fox Reshuffles the Poststrike Deck

• Nov 8, 2007 12:25 AM ET
• by Matt Roush

Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz by Kwaku Alston/FOX

As if the implications of the writers’ strike weren’t already giving us migraines, along comes Fox to make our heads explode with its latest incomprehensible schedule announcement, covering the strike-impacted midseason from January to April (consider most everything you read from here on subject to change). The first piece of bad news was expected: The seventh season of 24 is being postponed indefinitely, until Fox can ensure the entire season can run intact and uninterrupted. Who knows when that will be? Another blow: Fox is finally living up to its threat to move Bones to Fridays, effective Jan. 4, where it will be paired with repeats of House (the Fox equivalent of Law & Order, considering how often the hit medical drama will be peppered throughout the network’s new and unimproved lineup).To try to help make sense of it all, let’s look at the schedule night by night:Monday: With 24 out of the picture, the new big-ticket midseason item is now the action-pa... read more