NBC fail

[ArnoldBabar]

On the list of things NBC has done wrong in the past six months, this isn't even on the first page. They knew they had a lot of eyeballs, and used the occasion to introduce something they had in development that stars one of the most successful people in the history of television. Why would they not do that?

 

[murphyc]

I'm a huge Seinfeld fan. But from what I've seen in the promos, I have zero desire to watch even a minute of the show. Based on the comments here, sounds like I'm not missing anything.

 

[NoOneLikesUs]

Marriage Ref isn't as quite as bad as the new HBO series Funny or Die. After watching the second episode of it, I'm CERTAIN with every fiber of my being that it is the worst half hour episode of television ever produced.

The thing is, I think that's supposed to be the joke.

 

[linotype]

Marriage Ref was horrible. Unwatchably so. The host had that horrible combination of being a.) unfunny, and b.) trying too hard. As I watched Jerry go over the top by laughing out loud at everything, as if to sell the viewing audience on the show, I kept coming back to one word: Sad. Sad that the namesake of my favorite sitcom now is now nothing more than a *****/shill.

The subject matter was decidedly unfunny, too. Taxidermy? Give me a break. When the dog's body was shown, my wife was mortified to the point that we spent the rest of the show discussing way-down-the-road cremation options for our beloved puppy.

Brought me to another point. While I don't find Leno at all funny, at least when he goes Jaywalking, the tone of the segment is playful and light-hearted, as if to say, "Ha ha, we all could've forgotten the president's name if we had a camera in our face." The tone of this show is downright mean-spirited -- to the point where I felt legitimately bad for each of the average Joes on the show. Whomever described this show as "celebs mocking people" was spot-on.

 

[dog428]

Marriage Ref was horrible. Unwatchably so. The host had that horrible combination of being a.) unfunny, and b.) trying too hard. As I watched Jerry go over the top by laughing out loud at everything, as if to sell the viewing audience on the show, I kept coming back to one word: Sad. Sad that the namesake of my favorite sitcom now is now nothing more than a *****/shill.

The subject matter was decidedly unfunny, too. Taxidermy? Give me a break. When the dog's body was shown, my wife was mortified to the point that we spent the rest of the show discussing way-down-the-road cremation options for our beloved puppy.

Brought me to another point. While I don't find Leno at all funny, at least when he goes Jaywalking, the tone of the segment is playful and light-hearted, as if to say, "Ha ha, we all could've forgotten the president's name if we had a camera in our face." The tone of this show is downright mean-spirited -- to the point where I felt legitimately bad for each of the average Joes on the show. Whomever described this show as "celebs mocking people" was spot-on.

If he doesn't have Larry David to clean his **** up, Seinfeld sucks at anything entertainment-related except stand-up. This is not the first idea he's pitched NBC since the old show went off the air. It was the best idea, though, which should tell you something.

I hope it dies the quick, embarrassing death it deserves, and I hope we never hear from Seinfeld again. He deserves to fall off the Earth for walking away from "Seinfeld" when he did.

 

[DanOregon]

While cutting away from the closing ceremonies for The Marriage Ref may not be as bad as the Heidi Game, the closing ceremonies aren't a pro football playoff game, but then, The Marriage Ref was no Heidi.
I had the show pegged just from the promos. Something happened to Seinfeld and his wife, Papa was in the room. NBC came to Seinfeld begging for something, anything that they could put his name on. He mentions the argument with his wife and how they settled it and they said "Wow, what a great idea for a TV show. It's almost like Seinfeld is punking NBC by coming up with the dumbest idea for a show that gets on air. Probably the worst self-absorbed decision since Battlefield Earth. More appropriate for Bravo (at best).
I remember looking forward to the last day of the Olys for a solid montage of the highs and lows of the Games while they roll credits. Ending with a bang.
Why not put the Seinfeld show on at 7 p.m. Have Costas on previewing the closing - segue to the stupid show then come back to the ceremony?
I hope we can go back to hammering NBC now.

 

[Flying Headbutt]

While I enjoyed Seinfeld even after Larry David left, it's become abundantly clear that David is more of a comedic genius than Jerry is and didn't get nearly enough credit for the show's success.

 

[dooley_womack1]

Marriage Ref will not be the most excruciating show ever as long as Moment of Truth remains in the annals

 

[DanOregon]

"Jerry, were you drunk when you pitched the show to NBC?"
"That is true."
"Jerry, do you think the NBC executives were drunk when you pitched the show to NBC?"
"That is true."
"Jerry, are you currently pitching a show where kids deliver their report cards to their parents to the amusement of some of your celebrity friends and assorted yahoos we plucked of the Universal Studios tram ride?
"That is true."

 

[Baron Scicluna]

J: "This 10 p.m. thing is absolutely the stupidest thing they've come up with yet."
C: "Yeah, and I'll bet when it blows up they'll try to stiff all the staff people who move out here with me."

Flipping away from the closing ceremonies for a bit, I stumbled upon TV Guide's 25 worst TV blunders of all time. Conan/Leno was ranked No. 1, followed by Janet Jackson's Nipplegate.

NBC has been full of fail for a long time. Anyone remember when they tried the color-coded TV packages?

 

[imjustagirl]

Marriage Ref will not be the most excruciating show ever as long as Moment of Truth remains in the annals

Wrong on so many levels. That was people doing it to THEMSELVES. Admitting on national TV every horrible thing you've done to your husband (I still have that blonde chick that was a special show on my old DVR. She will stay there forever) just for some money, then blowing it anyway? Self-destructing every relationship you've built?

That exposed people as the money-grubbing assholes they were. And it was a GREAT character study for that.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I'm watching it right now, it's beyond awful. The show is proof that NBC will do anything to stay in bed with Seinfeld.

Baldwin is qualified to be a judge based on being married to one of the most despicable people on the planet. I'm sure he wasn't easy to deal with either, but based on Basinger releasing the message he left for his daughter a few years back and encouraging her to call the ambulance when he had just taken a couple Ambien and was about to sleep, shows what a truly vindictive person she is.

She also has to be the worst actress to ever win an Oscar.

 

[Ace]

I didn't think it was that bad -- but Alec Baldwin is just really funny.

I couldn't get over wondering how they found these people to talk about their taxidermied dog or wanting a stripper pole in the bedroom and then wondering if it was real or not.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I didn't think it was that bad -- but Alec Baldwin is just really funny.

I couldn't get over wondering how they found these people to talk about their taxidermied dog or wanting a stripper pole in the bedroom and then wondering if it was real or not.

Baldwin is hilarious. I'm guessing they will not have this kind of star power every week, although Seinfeld could probably call in enough favors to do it for awhile. Oprah, Chris Rock...

I definitely thought some of the dog episode might have been staged, but there are a lot of strange people out there and a lot of people who will do or say anything to get on TV.

It would have been nice if either issue was actually tough to make a ruling on.

 

[Dyno]

Seinfeld famously dated Shoshanna Lonstein when he was close to 40 and she was 17. And his wife was barely back from her honeymoon when she left her husband for Jerry. So I'm not quite sure what makes him an expert...

 

[dooley_womack1]

Marriage Ref will not be the most excruciating show ever as long as Moment of Truth remains in the annals

Wrong on so many levels. That was people doing it to THEMSELVES. Admitting on national TV every horrible thing you've done to your husband (I still have that blonde chick that was a special show on my old DVR. She will stay there forever) just for some money, then blowing it anyway? Self-destructing every relationship you've built?

That exposed people as the money-grubbing assholes they were. And it was a GREAT character study for that.

May make it a great sociological or pathological study. Doesn't make it non-excruciating to watch.

 

[CitizenTino]

As I watched Jerry go over the top by laughing out loud at everything, as if to sell the viewing audience on the show, I kept coming back to one word: Sad.

Among many choices, I think that's what annoyed me the most about this show: how many times somebody tried to crack an unfunny joke and they immediately cut to one of the panelists LAUGHING~!

Not just laughing, but LAUGHING~! See! It's funny! Look how funny our panelists are!

It all just seemed so ... forced.

 

[Bodie_Broadus]

I am not any kind of expert on TV, but can one really say David Caruso overacts when he has that same look on his face in every seen? His voice is barely audible, and he acts like every sentence is a question?

To me overacting is yelling lines of dialogue.

As far as Seinfeld goes, Jerry should have quit that show three years before he did. The last few seasons were not anywhere close to what Seinfeld was in its prime.

 

[Bob Cook]

I can't remember where I saw it, but there was this line: "I look forward to the Curb episode where Larry David tells Jerry what a lousy idea The Marriage Ref was."

 

[Ace]

I can't remember where I saw it, but there was this line: "I look forward to the Curb episode where Larry David tells Jerry what a lousy idea The Marriage Ref was."

According to the previews, Larry David is a panelist in an upcoming show, along with Madonna.

So, whatever else it lacks, the show sure has some pull in bringing in stars.