S01.E01: There Is No Line

[Meredith Quill]

Quote

An entitled young writer and a waning comedy legend put aside their differences to save their careers.

Airs May 13th.

[BingeyKohan]

Larraine Newman’s daughter is going to have to grow on me but I love a showbiz BTS show and I love Jean Smart. I laughed at the show but not at any of the “comedy.”

[arc]

Paul Downs as a cheerfully oblivious and more successful than the protagonist guy is super in his wheelhouse. A delight on Broad City and a delight here. (Also, many reviews have said that his own assistant is very funny and I look forward to seeing that develop.)

I liked Deborah and Ava trying to work out the best version of the Senator Rogers joke.

Interesting that the show first said Deborah's sister was on the phone, establishing that they're very estranged. Then right after that, she finds out on the news that her ex, Frank Vance, had just died. And then at the end, Ava drops the bomb (to the audience) that Frank had left Deborah for her sister.

Edited May 15, 2021 by arc

[BingeyKohan]

The assistant is Meg Stalter whose Instagram bits got me through the pandemic.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

This was a fun episode to watch (it might help that I watched this after Mare of Easttown which definitely cannot be described as fun or upbeat). I love Jean Smart so I was happy to see her just on principle, but I also love that a 69 year old woman is the star of this project. That is a rarity in Hollywood!

Thanks to the internet, I learned that the actress who plays Ava is the daughter of SNL cast member Laraine Newman!

[DB in CMH]

You would hope that a show about comedy would be... funny. Oh well.

[arc]

I actually don’t need it to be that funny. Deborah’s act is supposed to be somewhat safe and stale, and Ava’s clearly been getting by on imperfect instincts more that focused craft. That they care about being funny and are visibly working towards that goal is more important, at least for now.

[chaifan]

On 5/14/2021 at 10:28 PM, arc said:

Interesting that the show first said Deborah's sister was on the phone, establishing that they're very estranged. Then right after that, she finds out on the news that her ex, Frank Vance, had just died. And then at the end, Ava drops the bomb (to the audience) that Frank had left Deborah for her sister.

I assumed at the time that the sister was calling to tell Deborah the news about her ex.  And that seemed to be confirmed when Ava reveals the reason Deborah and her sister are estranged.

I like this show.  It's not laugh out loud funny, but I don't think that's what they're going for.  Shows about comedy don't have to be all hawhaw funny all the time.  It's quirky, and it's funny, but in its own way.  Loving Jean Smart in this role.  Dry sarcasm fits her so well.

 

 

 

[whiporee]

On 5/19/2021 at 8:47 PM, DB in CMH said:

You would hope that a show about comedy would be... funny. Oh well.

To each their own. I thought it was pretty darn funny. 

[Bruinsfan]

Some of the stuff centered on Ava was cringeworthy, but I liked all her scenes with her manager, and of course Jean Smart is a goddess. Her over-the-top reactions to things were funnier to me than any of the jokes told.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 5/22/2021 at 11:23 PM, chaifan said:

I assumed at the time that the sister was calling to tell Deborah the news about her ex.  And that seemed to be confirmed when Ava reveals the reason Deborah and her sister are estranged.

II guess it's possible that Ava knows that the QVC lady's husband left her for her sister years ago but doesn't know any of her jokes.  It does seem careless not to have done any research if she's hoping to write for her.  

[Sweet-tea]

Late finding this series. I liked the first episode, especially Jean Smart and the agent. One nitpick: would a writer really be unemployable from a controversial joke? The way I’ve seen it happen is it’s the person who actually told the joke. 

I liked the part when they were working together trying to improve the politician joke. I enjoy the inside baseball stuff of these Hollywood shows. 

[arc]

On 6/23/2022 at 2:09 PM, Sweet-tea said:

Late finding this series. I liked the first episode, especially Jean Smart and the agent. One nitpick: would a writer really be unemployable from a controversial joke? The way I’ve seen it happen is it’s the person who actually told the joke. 

Ava tweeted the joke. She was the teller.

It's rare in real life that anyone is full-on unemployable in showbiz forever, but one can get kicked several rungs down the career ladder. And as a fairly early career TV writer, she was busted back down to the scrabbling, not-really-making-it level.

[LuvMyShows]

On 6/23/2022 at 5:09 PM, Sweet-tea said:

Late finding this series.

I'm even later!  I've heard about it for awhile and finally decided to check it out.  Wasn't really sure what to expect, but am really enjoying it.  Of course I remember Jean Smart from Designing Women, but I also remember her from a TV show that only lasted one year in the early 2000s called In-Laws, with Dennis Farina.  And she was very good in Mare of Eastown, very nuanced performance, with layers, like in this show.

[SeanBug]

Rewatching to get ready for Season 3. 

The scene in this episode, toward the end, when Debra tells Ava what "hard" really is has me tearing up...again. 

I love how they go at each other but truly do care about each other. And that a woman in her 60s and a younger woman in her 20s can really learn something from each other. 

I have to say, the insults Debra throws at Ava have me lmao.  The writers on this show are sharp AF. 

And may we all raise a glass the the utter brilliance of Jean Smart. I have loved this woman since Designing Women.  Her body of work is amazing and she always brings her A+ game.