Of the NBC series that attempted to carry viewers from
Seinfeld to
ER in NBC's vaunted Thursday night line-up,
Caroline in the City came closest to "Must-See" status (no offense,
Veronica's Closet). Unlike other woman-anchored sitcoms,
Caroline in the City is not in the "you're going to make it after all" vein of
That Girl or
The Mary Tyler Moore Show. As with series creator Fred Barron's previous series,
Dave's World,
Caroline in the City revolves around an artist whose chaotic personal life provides a fount of material. Caroline (the babe-dorable Lea Thompson, best known as Marty McFly's mother in the
Back to the Future trilogy) is already a success. She draws the highly popular "witty and carefree" comic strip about a hapless single woman who is not
Cathy. As this inaugural season unfolds, Caroline finds herself increasingly torn between two men. The first is Del (Eric Lutes), her on-again-off-again boyfriend for whom she creates Caroline merchandise for his dad's greeting card company. The second is Richard (Malcolm Gets), Caroline's new assistant and a struggling artist with a sardonic wit that's a tonic to the show. Caroline and Richard don't generate sparks like Sam and Diane or David and Maddie; They are more Ross and Rachel, and the season gets more involving once the romantic tension tightens. Adding spunk to the series is Annie (Amy Pietz), Caroline's neighbor and best friend, and a Broadway dancer (she's in
Cats). Annie and Richard make fine and funny natural-born enemies (they address each other as "tightass" and "tart"). Helping to get the fledgling series aloft like the
Caroline in the City parade balloon in the Thanksgiving episode is a roster of fellow "Must-See" stars (David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves from
Frasier, Matthew Perry from
Friends, and Jonathan Silverman from
The Single Guy), as well as future
Gilmore Girl Lauren Graham in a recurring role as Richard's flakey and impossible to shake girlfriend, and TV icons (Jean Stapleton as Caroline's aunt, Florence Henderson as herself, and in the poignant episode, "Caroline and the Watch," Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam, though it's off-putting to hear the former Buddy and Sally joke about "screwing"). A top 5 show in its first season,
Caroline would prove it was more than a time-slot hit (a series that benefits from the popular show that precedes it) when it went on to hold its own on Tuesday, and then Monday, nights. Those who were living for the
City will welcome its arrival on DVD. Those just making
Caroline's acquaintance should beware the bonus episode promos; some, like "Caroline and the Folks," contain major plot spoilers.
--Donald Liebenson
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