Last night my wife and I watched a new show on ABC called Notes From The Underbelly. From ABC's writeup.
Andrew (Peter Cambor) and Lauren (Jennifer Westfeldt, "Kissing Jessica Stein") have just found out they're going to have a baby, and they're having a difficult time following rule number one keeping it a secret. Suddenly switching to decaf, becoming a teetotaler at cocktail parties, and going to the OBGYN are all difficult to keep from family and close friends.
I've heard somewhere that the best books, stories, and films are the ones we can identify with. When we see parts of ourselves in the characters it makes for a better story. Well, Notes from the Underbelly was written for my wife and I. No, the writers of the show did not call us and decide to write our life story, but it is really creepy how this show follows our lives and our impending parenthood.
My wife and I are expecting a baby. You've head it here first. We are running the early rollercoaster ride of fear and excitement. Listening to the conversations protagonists Andrew and Lauren had before they had the baby and then when they got pregnant eerily mirrored the same discussions we had.
Also, in the show there are friends of Lauren and Andrew, Julie and Eric. They are totally baby crazy, and are several months farther along. Julie and Eric are also the names of our baby-crazy and several months farther along sister-in-law and husband.
So aside from the similarities, this show is very funny. It is filmed in the laugh-trackless one camera approach most popular now in sitcoms (Scrubs, 30 Rock, and The Office). The writing is spot on accurate. As I said, it is basically mirroring the same discussion my wife and I had before we got pregnant, and then after we found the good news.
Even the way people discoverd our secret was the same as happened in the show. My usuallly chain-smoking, beer and coffee drinking wife suddenly switched to decaf and root beer; people knew right away.
This show had us laughing out loud at spots and looking nervously at each other at other spots. It was a fun ride, and I hope ABC keeps this show, and doesn't dump it like it did another great show about families and life, Sons and Daughters
This show is funny, well written, warm and satirical. Anyone who has ever had a child (if you have the time from parent stuff) or are currently with child (if you can bear to accept the reality of it) should give this show a shot. I'm sure you'll believe the same thing. This is a story about you.
Posted by psugrad98 at April 14, 2007 07:42 AM | TrackBack
