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"Suddenly Susan" (1996)

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38 comments in total

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6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
I miss Suddenly Susan still!, 23 September 2002

Author: Sylvia Marciniak (sylviastel@aol.com) from United States

One of the reasons that Suddenly Susan works for me is the ensemble cast of characters including Brooke Shields. Even though she is the star of the show, she manages to evolve her supporting cast of characters like the unbelievable Vicki and Judd Nelson as her boss Jack Richmond. The show is well-grouped with this cast of zany characters working at a fictional San Francisco newspaper. When tragedy struck the cast, the loss of David Strickland who played Todd was so catastrophic for the cast and crew for it to ever recover from his loss. David Strickland committed suicide in a Las Vegas hotel room. The cast was never the same again without him. The pairing of Vicki and Susan living together brought great laughs. These two should get together and spin off the characters into their own series. The show was never an Emmy winner or critically acclaimed. But from all reports, this show actually had a pleasant environment to grow and mature. Brooke Shields as a producer was not afraid to let her supporting cast branch out which is why I like this show.

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Suddenly Noticed!, 15 March 2006
Author: scottallenkennedy@hotmail.com from fremont ca

Brooke Shields was long overdue for recognition when she was finally given her chance to shine in this funny, quiet, unassuming little gem. What people seem to forget was, that it finished its first year in the top 4 in the Nielson ratings. It more than held viewers from the lead in show. Then NBC foolishly moved it. Always the kiss of death...or at least the beginning of the proverbial handwriting on the wall. However, this show defied the odds and improved in years 2 and 3! Thanks mainly to Brooke's self-deprecating humor and delivery which was reminiscent of Mary Tyler Moore. And supporting her was the cast's individual and unique contributions which were also reminiscent of that glorious cast of MTM. Now, in all fairness the shows writing didn't rival the show I have just used in comparison, but it more than surpassed shows that were on TV for triple the number of years than SS. It is more than worth your time for viewing! One day, if she returns to Movies and TV, Mrs. Henchy will receive her long overdue awards of merit to go with her long overdue "awards of motherhood"!

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Great show! Two thumbs up!, 27 August 2005
Author: bookwormcassie from New York,NY

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Suddenly Susan is funny and creative. I watch it every single day. In New York, S.S. is on at 4pm on LRW. (lifetime real women) My favorite character is probably Todd. It's way too bad he killed himself. After the tribute episode to him, the show seemed to go down the hill. They moved to another office building and there were suddenly (excuse the pun) a bunch of new people we'd never seen before. I kind of don't care for the 1999 and 2000 episodes. That's not to say all of the 1999 episodes were that bad. Before Todd's character disappeared, it was a great laugh-out-loud comedy. Then it just got really inappropriate and I didn't race to the TV when it was time for S.S. anymore. In the beginning though, it was good.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Searching for something nice to say, 24 July 2003
Author: ProofUndeniable from United States

The one and only reason I ever tuned into this show was to see Judd Nelson on a regular basis. And on that point I was not disappointed. I found him to be charming and engaging and quite funny. And a pleasant surprise was the comedic abilities of the late David Strickland. He had an endearing quality combined with a knack for delivery. The glowing review ends there. Brooke Shields was hit and miss, with a strong emphasis on miss. She could be humorous at times, but it was usually due more to circumstance than her delivery or timing. Kathy Griffin's Vicky had an obnoxious nastiness that could wrangle a snicker out of me every now and again. But, Aundrea Benewald and Nestor Carbonell were forgettable window dressing for the most part. The last season was not pleasant and I think I only suffered through the season opener. I don't try and sit through any of the fourth season re-runs, even if nothing is on but infomercials.

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Weakly written show with good comic actors and charming, lovely Brooke Shields, 12 March 2002
Author: trpdean from New York, New York

This was never a wonderfully written program. In comparison to shows like Frasier, Friends, Seinfeld, even Mad About You, the plots, the jokes, were just thin. One good reason why is that the subplots never meshed with the plots.

For example, I just watched a rerun of one: the subplot is about the photographer taking pictures of Nana in order for Shields to present a portrait to her grandfather. Predictably, the photographs are far more racy than Shields expects. The main plot is about Griffin's jealousy over Shields' "sudden" success as a star player on Griffin's basketball team - the jealousy spills over into jealousy of Shields' beauty (and she responds that no one has life easy, being so tall, etc.). The plot has NOTHING to do with the subplot. They could have been put in different episodes - that's not very good writing.

For me, the reason for watching the program is to watch Brooke Shields -whose graciousness, modesty and essential sweetness come through in all she's done as an adult. (I was too old to be a fan in her "Endless Summer", "Blue Lagoon" days). More than any other actress, she has that Mary Tyler Moore character's humility, that eagerness to please. I would expect that she is always one of the most diligent actresses in any project.

When someone so beautiful is also so obviously this lovely seeming a person, one's in danger of losing one's heart. That's why I watched this fairly weak program. Shields deserves better writers - and she's really born to be a movie star, not one on television.

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
I like it!, 20 April 2001
Author: Bob-785 from Darlington, England

Although this is not one of the best television shows ever created, I have to say that the writers are very good. The way that they handled the tragic death of actor David Strickland was excellent. And I have to praise the stars for their performances in that episode. During the story it cuts to all of the main characters in a blackened room all relaying their favourite memories of Todd (David's character) and they were blatantly speaking, not just about the loss of the their fictional friend but also their real life friend. The characters are extremely run of the mill, present in every sitcom set in a work place but their is something endearing about all of them. Sometimes the redhead's 'spunkiness' is sometimes a little over played she is an interesting character for the majority. And the show would be nothing without the presence of the irreplacable, majorly talented Judd Nelson. His characters wit and charm are inexpendable, not to mention the fact that he provides a nice little spot of eye candy! Overall, I have to say that this is a watchable, though not excessively brilliant show.

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prior to David Strickland's death, 29 December 2006

Author: mltmn from United States

This show and its ensemble of characters was one of the funniest and creative shows on television. The comedy's center was the workplace with each character finding his/her own niche, completely separate and different from the others. Brooke Shields was excellent as the foil to many pranks/quips relating to her relationship with her cohorts, especially after the addition of Maddie. Unfortunately the shows strengths diminished after the death of David Stickland and the departure of Jack and Maddie. The whole show's premise and hilarity was lost with the addition of Eric Idol and the change to the magazine as well. Bring back the origin of this sitcom. David Strickland must have never known how he affected so many in his life. It is a shame, God rest and bless his soul.

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Hard to comment on but here it goes:, 28 March 2005
Author: policy134 from Denmark

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I have tried to come up with the right words to describe this show and I always came up short. Therefore, I will simply try to describe how I feel about it, because even though I don't think it is terribly funny, I do think some of it's background story is fascinating and it featured my one time favorite wise ass, Judd Nelson.

Actually, I haven't even seen the first episode of SS and though I don't think that's very important, the first episode is a guideline to what the show will become, even if it's something completely different (eg. the Seinfeld Chronicles). Brooke Shields has become famous for being a pretty face more than anything and her attempt at doing comedy is a bit "iffy". Judd Nelson has played in comedies before but playing a nice guy doesn't suit him very well, especially someone who is a total introvert when it comes to women. So what saved this show was the supporting players like Kathy Griffin and David Strickland.

The story of David Strickland is the most fascinating aspect of the show. If you saw the E! True Hollywood Story you pretty much know how he died but the fascinating part is the way you could see him deteriorate on the show. He started out as the one with the quick lip and slowly become a ghost like creature in the background.

As for Kathy Griffin, she is too much like Peggy Bundy in a way, that I don't really find her funny but I admire her for being able to make a completely ass of herself time and time again and just shrug it off as being just another day at work.

The many cast changes I didn't mind that much, except when the eternal guest star Rob Estes found his way to the show. Why is it that in shows that have women in the foreground must make every male character look like buffoons. It happened here and essentially every hit women's show like Ellen and to a lesser extent Friend's because it's not really a women's show as much as a teenage girl show. So to put it mildly when even Eric Idle can be transformed into a raving simpleton you know what you are in for.

So to repeat what I said at the beginning these may not be the right words to describe SS but is how I feel. Take it or leave it.

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Wonderful Show, 17 September 2003
Author: Dustin Bell (dbell8400@hotmail.com)

I still watch re-runs of this show on FOX and love it so much. The casting is great and the storylines in each EP were wrote well. I was a huge fan of Kathy Griffin David Strickland's characters. Them two are the main reason I watch - both amazing performers. It was said once I learned of David's death. He will live on, in my mind each time I watch a re-run. :]

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not very funny but really lovable, 8 August 2003
Author: Bibi-10 from Netherlands

After watching reruns of Suddenly Susan over the last couple of months I got strangely addicted to it. I find myself really looking forward to the "new" old episodes every day. I don't usually fall for American sitcoms, I prefer British sense of humour, but I really got to like this show. I love the characters (especially those in the first three seasons), and unlike some other viewers who have commented on it, I think there is real chemistry between Susan and Jack. I also think that Luis is an excellent character.

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