TV Land is branching out from airing some of the best sitcoms ever made to creating one of their own. Tonight at 10p their first scripted show Hot in Cleveland will be heating up the airwaves and will instantly become a classic like the shows that already air on the network.
Hot in Cleveland is about three LA women a former Soap star (Wendie Malick), a recent divorce’/author (Valerie Bertinelli) and an eyebrow professional to the stars (Jane Leeves) who decide to take a trip to Paris. When the plane that they are on has to make an emergency in Cleveland the BFFs explore the city and they find out C-Town is so much different than Los Angeles. They don’t have to starve themselves so guys can ignore them for girls half their age, so they eat, drink and enjoy some Cleveland men. Valerie loves the city (and men) so much that she decides to rent a house there, only problem it comes with a caretaker played by Betty White. She is a wise cracking old woman you shouldn’t like, but she is Betty White and you are going to love her and her track suits! When Valerie’s friends realize she is going to stay, they decide to join her for a month and experience a life they never knew existed and along the way we will get a lot laughs!
I love Betty White, and if she gets you to tune in to this brilliant show than that is wonderful because it is a show worthy of her. But she is not the only star on the show and the three other TV icons are just as good and lovable on the show. I have to admit I have watched the pilot a few times (because I love it that much) and the first few times I was so fixated how Valerie doesn’t look anywhere near 50, in fact she looks exactly like she did during the final years of One Day at a Time. Once I got past that, I found myself loving her just as much as I did when she was on the show we got introduced to her in. She is just so cute. And she is not alone Jane Leeves is just so funny and so different than she was on Frasier and it works for her on this show. Wendie Malick always makes impression and stands out and on this show she does the same. And Betty is well Betty! The chemistry between the four of them is something you can’t make up and the writing will have you hooked from the first laugh which is as soon as the show starts.
Hot in Cleveland sincerely reminds me of another show I love love love and that show is The Golden Girls. I am not saying that because Rose Nylund is on the show, but because the writing, acting and chemistry is the same appeal to people of all ages and sex and it has exact feel I got when I saw that show for the first time. I went to taping on Friday of HIC and the closeness you see between the four of them on the tube is exactly what you see in person. Wendie Malick said there is a “167 years of experience between them” granted 100 of them are Betty’s! Joking, but seriously how many shows can say that with just 4 leads? And how many shows can say that they have four women who have been on some of the biggest and most well known shows of all-time. Not many, and 20 years down the line when Betty is doing yet another sitcom we will be saying what a classic show this one was for Betty, Valerie, Jane and Wendie and it still makes you laugh all these years late!
So don’t miss out on the show that everyone is talking about and watch Hot in Cleveland tonight and every Wednesday 10p with anyone and everyone! I can’t tell you how many people have said to me they can’t wait for this show and all I will summarize this by saying good things come to those who wait!!!
