Skip to main content

ONE SEASON WONDERS: Accidentally on Purpose

On Wednesdays, I look at shows that lasted one season or less. Today I am looking at 2000s flop Accidentally on Purpose!

ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE












Programming Details:
September 21, 2009 - April 21, 2010
18 episodes
CBS

Starring: Jenna Elfman, Jon Foster, Ashley Jensen, Lennon Parham, Nicolas Wright and Grant Show
Created by: Claudia Lonow

Plot: Billie (Elfman) is a San Francisco movie critic who has a one night stand with a younger man and aspiring chef, Zack (Foster) and ends up pregnant. While dealing with her pregnancy and new complicated relationship, she also has to deal with ex-boyfriend and boss James (Show). Rounding out the main cast are Billie's friend Olivia (Jensen), Billie's sister Abby (Parham) and Zack's friend Davis (Wright).

Brief Pilot Review:
The pilot of Accidentally on Purpose certainly sets up at least a season of the show well with the pregnancy reveal. It gave the show a direction at least for the first season which is usually all a sitcom needs to get into its groove. Of course this never got the chance to get into a groove beyond the pregnancy storyline. It was a pretty standard CBS sitcom and definitely a vehicle for Jenna Elfman. The series rushed through the one night stand to the pregnancy test and it seemed like they could have given a little bit more time to build up to the pregnancy test. It felt rushed again when Billie went to tell Zack about the pregnancy.

I'm not always a fan of Elfman but she was definitely the strongest cast member. Ashley Jensen and Lennon Parham were pretty obnoxious as Billie's confidantes. Jon Foster was pretty vanilla as the baby daddy and I found myself wishing he was much more of a presence as a character. At least he had a little more to do than Grant Show, who was completely forgettable. The pilot really suffered from being filled with exposition. I feel like it didn't have to run the full gamut from Billie and Zack meeting to painting a nursery in one episode. They could have stretched it over a couple episodes and let us get to know the characters more in the pilot.

What Went Wrong:
CBS was high on Accidentally on Purpose heading into the Fall of 2009 as evidenced by its placement on their strongest comedy night. It marked Jenna Elfman's second return to TV after her successful Dharma & Greg and it was surrounded by huge hits How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory. In 2009, that was about as good a spot as a new comedy could get but CBS just couldn't find the fourth piece and kept reverting back to Rules of Engagement. The most recent example in the 2008-09 season was the short-lived Worst Week. It seemed fortuitous as well for Accidentally when Elfman announced her real life pregnancy shortly before the show's debut, giving it some added press.

Things started out okay but Accidentally was clearly the weak link in the night. It was pulled off the night in February but still had a shot at renewal. It blew its chance though when it resurfaced on Wednesdays after The New Adventures of Old Christine. Without a strong lead-in, the ratings tanked quickly and the show was cancelled at the end of the season. Jenna Elfman continued in a parade of flops over the next decade with 1600 Penn, Growing Up Fisher and Imaginary Mary but she has found success again as a regular on Fear the Walking Dead. 

Tomorrow: A recap of F Troop including my favorite and least favorite episodes!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Thursdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1995-96 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 Sep Charlie Grace The Monroes Various Programs Oct Murder One Nov Various Programs Dec Various Programs Thursday Night Movie Jan Feb World’s Funniest Videos Before They Were Stars! Mar Apr May NBC was the powerhouse on Thursday nights but ABC still gave it the old college try in the Fall of 1995 with a trio of new dramas that they hoped would help them cut into the Peacock's dominance. Headlining their night was Murder One , a high profile new show from Steven Bochco that received much of the network's attention before the season started. The series focused on one murder case for an entire season, whi...
Post a Comment
Read more

EPISODE GUIDES: Rhoda Season Five

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Five (the final season) of  Rhoda ! RHODA: SEASON FIVE 1978 13 episodes Rhoda' s final season was a truncated one as the show was cancelled in December 1978 after only 13 episodes had been produced (and only nine had aired). This feels like a continuation from season four in many ways except with the ill-advised split between Ida and Martin (more on that below). While  Rhoda  has an occasional good moment and even a couple decent episodes, it is a show that seems so wildly different from season one and not in a good way.  Rhoda  could never figure out what it fully wanted to be and only made it four and a half seasons as a result. Starring Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Julie Kavner as Brenda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Ray Buktenica as Benny Goodwin  (11 episodes) Kenneth McMillan as Jack Doyle  (9 episodes) Nancy Wa...
Post a Comment
Read more

DECADE IN REVIEW: The Best Comedies of the 2010s

During the month of December, I will be looking back at the decade that was the 2010s on TV. I will be sharing my favorite sitcoms, dramas, the best episodes, the best performances and the worst shows of the decade. To be eligible for this list, a show had to air the majority of its episodes in the 2010s. However, for the rankings and determination, all episodes were taken into account, including ones that may have aired before 2010. I will also preface that there are comedies that have aired this decade that I haven't watched yet so this is the best of what I have watched. To be fair, that preface is more true for dramas. There's not a ton of unwatched comedies sitting in my Netflix or Amazon watchlist. So here are my Top 10 comedies of the 2010s! Close Calls:  Master of None (Netflix) - An inconsistent but occasionally fascinating commentary on many life issues done so with innovative storytelling. The Good Place (NBC) - A show that aims high with a fascinating premis...
Post a Comment
Read more