What prompted me to watch this sitcom in the first place was, it took over the time slot vacated by “Friends” on Monday nights at 11:00 here in Singapore, 4th quarter in 1997.  That and the fact that I’ve always had a soft spot for Michael J. Fox starting from his “Family Ties” days.  It took me about 3 – 4 episodes before I actually caught on and enjoyed watching it.  It doesn’t have a huge following here in Singapore but I personally liked the humor of the show and it has a good cast. 

Backgrounder 
The show revolves around the life and times of Mike Flaherty, the young New York Deputy Mayor.  He had a live-in girlfriend Ashley who worked as a newspaper and TV reporter but was written out of the show.   They somehow broke off (which is good because I didn’t like her that much) and towards the end of the 1st season, the show focused more on the politics of the Mayor's office and the staff that Mike works closely with.   

There’s of course Mayor Winston who is somehow not your average glib-tongued politician and relies a lot on his deputy who might as well double as his manager cum spin-doctor.  Stuart is the chief of Staff, thinks of himself as a stud extraordinaire then there’s Paul Lassiter, the neurotic and disoriented press secretary who has a one-member fan club.  He’s now seriously involved with the fan club president.  James is the young small-town boy speechwriter and Nikki is the accountant who can never find the right man.  Rounding up the group is bald-headed Carter who joined the administration as the special assistant for minority affairs who happens to be gay.  He and Stuart seem to rub each other the wrong way all the time. 

What I like about the show 
Good humor, snappy dialogue.  Michael J. Fox’s character is loyal and committed to the Mayor while leading a semi-dysfunctional workgroup, it is really an entertaining show revolving around the workplace where all working people spend most of their time on a regular day. 

And there’s the proverbial BUT 
Are you sure Carter is gay? 
 

First time I ever heard of this t.v. series was during the telecast of the Golden Globe and Calista Flockhart went up the stage to collect her award. I thought then:  “My, she certainly looks familiar!”  It was later then that I learned she was the same girl who played the fiance in the Birdcage.  Two weeks later, just when I thought my Thursday nights were going down the drain with the last episode of “e.r.” (1996-1997 season), Ally McBeal hit the Singapore t.v. screens with the first episode and I found myself hooked since then.  I’ve so far missed out only on two episodes of the 1st season and I am looking forward to the new season. 

Backgrounder 
Ally McBeal is a 27-year old lawyer, who works in a law firm in Boston.  Ally was voted most likely to be “Julie Andrews” back in her high school days which she thoroughly resents.  Armed with a wild, and I mean wild, imagination, she has a knack for finding herself in the most embarrassing situations.  She’s very insecure, except in the courtroom, and emotional. 

On her way out, after quitting her job from this prominent law firm because she was sexually harassed by a senior associate, she meets Richard Fish, who was one of Ally's classmates when they were at Harvard. He offers her a job at his law firm that he recently started.   Richard’s favorite expression is “Bygones”, has his own set of out-of-this-world philosophy referred to in the show as “Fishism” and has a fetish for touching women’s wattles.   
  
Ally finds out on her first day at work that her ex-boyfriend Billy Thomas also works in the same firm and that is now married to Georgia, who is also a lawyer.   The couple goes through a lot of trials in their marriage brought about Ally’s constant presence in their lives. There is no doubt that Billy loves Georgia very much but somehow a part of him is still emotionally attached to Ally.   

Elaine is Ally’s busybody assistant who strives for the attention of the crowd and loves to stick her nose into everybody’s business.  Perhaps the best lawyer in the law firm is John Cage or “The Biscuit”.  As the other partner of the firm, he likes to “take a moment” and his unorthodox ways ingenuously throw the people around him off-balance.  He is into “smile therapy” and flushes the toilet bowl with a remote control before he enters their Unisex Washroom because he likes his toilet bowl fresh among many other weird habits.  Renee shares a flat with Ally and surprise, surprise  ~  she works in the D.A.’s office as Assistant District Attorney.  She tends to  be a bit wild, knows her way around men and has a great singing voice.  

There are also recurring roles such as Vonda Shepphard as their in-house singer in the pub they hang out after work.  Another permanent fixture in the show as well as in the pub, are the Dancing Twins.  Tracy Ullman has appeared in the show as John Cage’s shrink whom he recommended to Ally; Dyan Cannon as Whipper, the judge who Richard was seriously dating for some time; the Dancing baby in diapers that appears to Ally.  

What I like about the show 
Well for one thing, the songs in the series are good.  The different characters in the show are refreshing, albeit some of them are a little eccentric to the point of being weird but then I guess that is what makes them special.  The cases they handle are somehow uncommon and even bizarre at times but the writers seem to be able to come up with the viable closing arguments for their courtroom scenes that would bring down the jury and the t.v. viewers.   

And there’s the proverbial “BUT” 
I do understand the awkwardness of the situation with Ally, Georgia and Billy in the same work place. BUT since the writers have already made it for Ally and Georgia to seemingly like each other enough to co-exist together in Billy’s life, I hope Ally would stop reacting absurdly stupid to everything that concerns the couple.  Just let it go, they should have accepted the situation by now and it’s time for all to move on.  Sure I like Ally’s quirkiness and penchant for shooting off like a machine gun when she’s agitated but maybe they should mellow it down a bit. 
 

Veronica’s Closet was a welcome relief after watching almost a whole year of “Cybill” on Monday nights.  Moreover, I also heard that it was well-received by both critics and audience on its first season. 

Backgrounder 
Kirstie Alley (from “Cheers”) is Veronica Chase or more affectionately known as “Ronnie” by her staff.   Heading a lingerie and romance empire, she lived in denial from the fact that her philandering husband of 14 years have been cheating on her all the while.  With the encouragement of Olive, her second-in-command, and her father, she finally filed for divorce from Bryce but can not seem to shake him off of her life.   Primarily because, Bryce is a good-for-nothing lowlife who wants a piece of her fortune. 
Juggling between getting over a divorce, running her business and consistently exposed to young sexy models while she’s out of shape, Ronnie constantly turns to her staff for help and support.  The likes of Olive, the senior merchandising executive who is Ronnie’s outspoken and trusted confidante;  Josh, her ever-efficient personal assistant who has a ready smart-ass retort for everything.  Unlucky with women to which Ronnie has a theory, he’s gay;  Perry, the PR executive and former model.  He is savvy, loves the fact that his job allows him to be constantly around scantily-clad women and Josh’s sparring partner; and then comes Leo, the junior executive.  The greenhorn of the group, he fumbles his way with new ideas that had taken him as far as trying out women’s lingerie himself.   

What I like about the show 
It’s a show that helps make my Monday nights in Singapore end on a good note with some laughs.  My favorites in the show are Olive and Josh.  Both are loyal but not afraid to point out to Ronnie of her shortcomings.  Regular suggestions that Josh is not straight add a lot of humor to the plot. 

And there’s the proverbial BUT 
I can’t decide whether it’s Kirstie’s cracking voice or her dreadful hairstyle that irritates me more but at least the writers do make fun of both in the show.  
 
 

Friends is about six ‘friends’ in their twenties with plots and story lines revolving around their day to day life living in the bustling city of Manhattan.  First there’s Monica Geller(Courteney Cox), the compulsive chef and den mother to the band of lovable neurotics.  She once dated a computer-icon-billionaire but eventually broke off with him since she couldn’t handle seeing him get hurt(physically) when he’s determined to win the Ultimate Fighting Champion(not a chance or I don’t think so..).  There’s Ross Geller(David Schwimmer), the paleontologist and reliable friend of the group.  He is also the only divorced parent among the cast but shares the responsibility of raising his son Ben with ex-wife Carol who married Susan(yes, it’s a lesbian wedding) in one of the episodes in season 2.  Rachel Green(Jennifer Anniston) is the pampered princess turned coffeehouse waitress roommate of Monica.  She eventually acquired a position as buyer at Bloomingdales and once had a steady relationship with Ross.  Chandler Bing(Mathew Perry) -who is my personal favorite, is the wisecracking computer programmer and Baywatch scholar.  He seems to fail in every romantic relationship but still does not give up on looking for the right girl.  Joey Tribbiani(Matt le Blanc), the aspiring actor who has been extremely good natured about playing dumb and dumber on the show.  His very interesting career has led us to a few laughs such as his stint playing Dr. Drake Ramoray in ‘Days of our Lives’ and let’s not forget his role as the butt double of Al Pacino.  Lastly, there’s Phoebe Buffay(Lisa Kudrow), the good-hearted air-head who is somewhat mentally challenged.  She sings at the Central Perk, the coffee shop where the friends like to hang out, and her famed single ‘Smelly Cat’ even got picked up by a recording studio but Phoebe stopped them from releasing it since they tried to revise the song to an upbeat tempo(You should’ve seen the video!).  

Being labeled by some critics as the “Seinfeld clone” during its first season, Friends emerged from the rumor unscathed as the show seem super-real compared to the absurd situations of Seinfeld.  Aside from its smart but funny script, you will love Friends down to each of the characters facial expressions, delivery of punchlines and mannerisms. No wonder that after its 4th season (it started in 1994), it's still slated to give more years of laughters to its audience.  
 

Favorite Episodes 
The one with the Prom Video 
The one with the Hypnosis Tape 
The one with the Flashback 

Famous "friends" of Friends 
There are a couple of familiar and famous faces who have guested in Friends.  Examples are Tom Selleck as Richard Burke, Monica's one-time true love who is about 20 years her senior, she even jokingly said it's funny that she's going out with the man whose pool she peed in while she was a kid; Julia Roberts as Suzie, Chandler's classmate in 4th grade; Jeane Claude Van Damme as himself;  David Arquette as Phoebe's stalker; Brooke Shields as Joey's fan;  Charlie Sheen as Phoebe's sailor boyfriend;  Isabelle Rosselini as herself;  Chris Isaac as a kindergarten singer who likes Phoebe; Tate Donovan as Rachel's love interest Joshua to name a few. 

X-Files is a section in the FBI where unexplainable and unsolvable cases are filed.  Most cases involves UFOs, aliens and dark conspiracies which has consumed the interest of FBI Special agent Fox William Mulder(David Duchovny), who has always been fascinated with the paranormal and extraterrestial life ever since his sister disappeared when they were children.  As Mulder’s superior are concerned about his obsession with the X-Files, in come Dr. Dana Katherine Scully M.D.(Gillian Anderson), a medical doctor assigned to work with Mulder to debunk his theories.  Though Scully is a scientist, skeptical by nature, she was still unable to explain some of the bizarre happenings in some of their investigations.  Both of them has investigated cases which led them to believe in aliens and conspiracies that the U.S. government is trying to cover up.  Supporting the agents during their critical moments is FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner(Mitch Pillegi).  Skinner is Mulder and Scully’s direct superior who has to answer to his superiors who seek to control the X-Files. 
 

The Other Players 

-The “Cigarette Smoking Man”/“Cancer Man”(William B. Davis) plays an obscure role who is a member of a secret organization including the “Well Manicured Man”.  There is also a possibility that he could be Mulder’s real father.  He was later revealed to be working with FBI agent Alex Krycek(Nicolas Lea) who was first assigned to replace Scully as Mulder’s partner when she was abducted by aliens during season 2.   

-There are a few characters in the show who play as sources feeding valuable information to the special agents.  There’s “Deep Throat” (Jerry Hardin), though he died by the end of the first season in an attempt to save Mulder.  “X”(Steven Williams) is the mysterious informant who ended in the same fate as “Deep Throat” in the beginning of season 4.  Whenever Mulder and Scully has any object they need to be tested or analyzed, they turn to the Lone Gunmen-Bryers, Frohike and Langly who has the same belief as Mulder and Scully. 

Of My Favorite Episodes 

Tooms from season 1 will scare you to your bones and is incomparable to pinoy thrillers made for t.v.  Humbug is interesting to watch as this episode is an ensemble of strange looking creatures, Scully even ate a cockroach!  Home is another episode that will make you scream, you will realize that there may be sick people in the world called the Peacock Family.  In Small Potatoes, the suspect changed form to the exact duplicate of Mulder, he even tried to kiss Scully but was caught just in time by the real Mulder.  Post Modern Prometheus is the one where there’s a boy who look like the elephant man, they even had a drag queen dressed like Cher singing “Walking in Memphis” by the end of the show. 

Trust No One 

Watching the X-Files has the “X-Philes” around the world hooked up on the smart storytelling of the show.  The audience are often left to fill in the blanks and are addicted to watch every episode in order to discover deeper secrets that are revealed in each season.  In line of this, the producer of the show Chris Carter has decided to award the fans after 5 years of searching the truth on the long awaited “The X-Files Movie-Fight the Future”, which is said to unravel theories that will lead us to better understanding on the government conspiracy. 

What is it about 
Winner of the 1996 Golden Globe Award for Best Drama, the critically acclaimed PO5 is about 5 siblings whose parents were killed by a car accident. As the eldest among the Salinger’s, Charlie (Matthew Fox) is the family’s legal guardian who works as a bartender of the family owned restaurant. Bailey (Scott Wolf) is the most responsible and reliable second brother who later on turned alcoholic. Julia (Neve Campbell), the scholarly oldest sister who refused the opportunity to attend Stanford University, had a miscarriage and was engaged in early marriage and divorce. Claudia (Lacey Chabert) who’s favorite expression is “duh” is the heir to their mother’s talent in playing the violin. Owen (Stephen and Andrew Cavarno) is the youngest member of Salinger family. Significant to the lives of these 5 orphans are Kirsten Bennet (Paula Devicq), Owen’s nanny and Charlie’s ex-fiancee. Sarah Reeves (Jennifer Love Hewitt), Bailey’s on-again off-again girlfriend. Griffin Holbrook (Jeremy London), Julia’s former husband. The last but not the least is Thurber the bulldog.  

What I like about the show 
Aside from the cast, what made me an avid fan of PO5 is it’s theme about survival, staying together and struggling to continue without their parents. One of my favorite episodes is the one about the trauma Claudia went through due to the grocery hold-up that she encountered. At that time, Charlie was planning to live-in with Kirsten apart from the Salinger residence. When the robber was finally arrested, Claudia still feels unsafe. She dreamdt of herself left alone in the empty San Francisco house. She realized that it is not the mugger that she is scared of, she is afraid that when Charlie moves out, there will be no one to take care of them because after all he is considered the father. Regardless of how Claudia hates Charlie and how the two of them argue,  there’s a soft spot in their hearts to keep the family together as they hugged each other inside Claudia’s little tent.