What’s Wrong with Me? What’s Wrong with Them?

I just learned the sad news that NBC will likely cancel its new sitcom Perfect Couples.

I love the Waitress (although, obviously, not as much as I love Sweet Dee), so I was delighted when I learned that the Waitress will have a starring role in the new NBC sitcom Perfect Couples. I have seen every single episode of the show, and I absolutely love it. After all, with the creators of Friends (Scott Silveri) and 30 Rock (Jon Pollack) behind it, how could the new show possibly go wrong (although I don't get Silveri's obsession – I assume it's his – with always making two of the six main characters a brother and a sister)? I was looking forward to writing many blog posts based on and inspired by future episodes of Perfect Couples.

According to industry sources, however, NBC has apparently decided to cancel Perfect Couples and replace it with a new Paul Reiser vehicle. I haven't seen any Nielsen statistics, but I assume NBC's move was prompted by low ratings. I can't believe the show I love so much, the show I thought was one of the best sitcoms to emerge in many years, turned out to do so poorly.

Is it me, or is it everyone else? How come my taste in TV shows is so different from middle America's? Of course, I've loved shows that have become huge hits in the past. I love 30 Rock and I believe Cheers is the best sitcom in American TV history. But I also loved Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. I may be the only person who loved both 30 Rock and Studio 60. I must wonder if Mr. Sunshine will be next on the chopping block.

I have a sorted history of predicting showbiz success. Upon seeing his guest appearances on Family Ties in 1983, I confidently predicted that Tom Hanks will become the greatest actor of his generation. Of course, I was proven right. But then, a few years later, after the release of her debut album Out of the Blue in 1987, I equally confidently predicted that the then 16-year-old Debbie Gibson will become a bigger musical talent than Paul McCartney. I may have been wrong about that one. And I can't believe Debbie Gibson is 40 now.

I realize that, with a blend of personal observations and Hollywood tidbits, this post is decidedly Jen-Kimesque. I have previously and repeatedly said that Jen Kim is the best Psychology Today blogger, out of more than 1,200 PT bloggers. Let's just hope that she is more like Tom Hanks and less like Debbie Gibson.