The Worst Film Ever

Absolutely brilliant

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

This is one of those shows I miss and could have watched forever. I'd also love to see the characters revisited in fortysomething or fiftysomething, but the creators are having considerable success making movies (most notably Glory) so I'm not holding my breath.This show was ground-breaking in the depth and honesty of its portrayal of many aspects of modern life that had either never been dealt with on the big or small screen, or which had been treated superficially, including: * becoming a parent (e.g. there's an entire episode about the first time you leave your baby alone all night) * infidelity (one of the two central couples goes through a painful divorce, involving children, shared friends, etc.) * cancer (one of central characters has a long battle with cancer) * infertility * AIDS * unemployment * loneliness (at one point two of the characters get into a video-dating service together) * academic politics And probably a bunch of other things I haven't thought of.Despite being about "ordinary lives" in a way that only sitcoms such as Seinfeld even approach, it managed to be compelling, funny, and memorable. I was actually hooked sometime in the second season when I was channel surfing and listened to a snippet of conversation where one character referred to someone's behavior as being controlled by their "reptile brain" and realizing it was actually a show pitched at an intelligent audience.Almost uniquely among American television shows, there were no doctors, lawyers, or policemen. The two central characters (Michael and Elliot) run a small ad agency which goes under. The central idea of the show, according to the two creators in an interview with Playboy (1989, I think) was that it would be about two friends who go into business together and the business fails. This is, perhaps, one of the central experiences of middle class life in the United States, and I don't think it's ever been dealt with in a TV series before or since.And finally, Miles Drentel (David Clennon) is plays one of the most magnetically evil (insofar as anyone in this show was evil) characters in TV history.Correction to the data on display: Gary (played by Peter Horton) died towards the end of the final season. He may have appeared in some flashbacks but he was not in every episode. (For that matter, I think not every character appears in every episode... but this is a total quibble.)

Yeah, so they were yuppies, and yes they whined. so what. I loved this program when it first ran. And I watched every episode when it was shown this year on Bravo. Thank you, Bravo! I was disappointed to find out that it was the producers (Hershkovitz and his partner) who had pulled the plug on it back it 1991. They thought that 4 years was enough. It just dropped out of the Fall lineup, so there was never ever any closure to the plot line. Very Disappointing!

This is a series that started out good, and only got better! wow! The cast working together so well the way they did made it even better. Everyone fit together so nicely, and it went so well. I have this on tape and I wish I could buy it on permanent tape. So many fav episodes! wonderful series! Love it!

The much awarded television series was about Hope Murdoch Steadman played by Mel Harris (Something So Right) and her husband, Michael Steadman, played by Ken Olin (L.A. Doctors), and their relationships: as a couple, family, friends, at work, and at their place of worship. A series about the relationships of people in their home, school, and society as a whole. The best television series of my adulthood! Television can be a wonderful media if people with brains like this group can get hold of it and do great work.. My husband and I watched it, his boss and his wife watched. It was a great show even for book worms like us! We who were thirty something and could identify with the characters. The show had very good role models. If you take the time to read about it, you can see that they had directors such as Timothy Busfield, Mel Harris, Marshall Herskovitz, Peter Horton, Melanie Mayron, Ken Olin, and brilliant Oscar winner actor Gary Sinise (Forest Gump). What an ingenious group of people. Then the series was just taken off the air by someone obviously not brilliant, which made us all really mad! There had not been a drama series so well written since then. Thanks to Paul Reiser (The Story of Us) and Helen Hunt (As Good as it Gets) we had the privilege of watching some similar relationships on TV in their comedy Mad About You. Good series like those are hard to come by. I would love to tell more about the rest of the cast, but there are no time and space here. Perhaps one day it will run in syndication in reasonable hours and please do yourself a favor: Watch It! I would record the entire series and watch it over and over! Favorite Episodes: Thanksgiving Dinner; Melissa getting her work in a art show. Less liked episodes: Gary Shepherd played by Peter Horton, dying in a car accident. The series' most shocking scenes! I can still remember when Michael goes to the morgue to identify him. I remember it so vividly after all those years. Those last episodes of the show when Elliot Weston, Timothy Busfield (Quiz Show ) was finally beginning to be a responsible husband because his wife, Nancy Weston, Patricia Wettig (L.A. Doctor) had cancer. Favorite Scenes: Elliot and Michael playing basketball at their creative room in their advertising agency.