Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
The most poignant episodes revolve around Toni and her husband Todd. After the birth of their daughter Morgan, they struggle as new parents trying to keep their marriage intact. The show does a nice job of depicting a mom who loves her child, but doesn’t immediately feel the bond that a mother is supposed to have for her baby. And it depicts how fear of the unknown can ravage a relationship.
A pregnancy, career change, and the unraveling of a relationship are front and center on the fifth season of “Girlfriends.” The sitcom, which is executive-produced by Kelsey Grammer, takes a more serious approach this year. Yes, the jokes and physical comedy are all still here.
Like “Living Single” and “Sex & the City,” “Girlfriends” captures the warm camaraderie (and competition) between good friends. Succinctly balancing comedy with real-life issues, the sitcom returns for a strong third season. Joan (Tracee Ellis Ross), Maya (Golden Brooks), Lynn (Persia White), and Toni (Jill Marie Jones) are all back and they are as sassy and conflicted as ever.
The second season of “Girlfriends” offers more drama than the sitcom served up during its debut year. But it also offers plenty of laughs, though they are sometimes bittersweet. Joan (Tracee Ellis Ross, daughter of Diana Ross), a sensible attorney who’s unlucky in love, is back, along with her assistant Maya (Golden Brooks), her cheerful roommate Lynn (Persia White), and their often thoughtless boy crazy pal Toni (Jill Marie Jones).
On the first season of “Girlfriends”–which aired during 2000-2001–we are introduced to a comely group of women. There’s Joan (Tracee Ellis Ross, daughter of Diana Ross), a sensible attorney who’s unlucky in love; her sassy assistant Maya (Golden Brooks); Joan’s happy-go-lucky roommate Lynn (Persia White); and their man-eating friend Toni (Jill Marie Jones).
A well-written sitcom that infuses romance with slapstick humor, “Wings” takes off in its third season with the inclusion of series regular Tony Shalhoub (Monk), who plays immigrant cab driver Antonio Scarpacci. Some of the funniest storylines in this 22-episode collection revolve around Antonio and his quest to stay in the United States.
“Kate & Allie: Season One” introduced a new type of nuclear family to the 1980s: a pair of divorced women living with their children together in a somewhat cramped New York brownstone. A mid-season replacement in 1984, the sitcom starring Susan Saint James as Kate McArdle and Jane Curtin as Allie Lowell was both a critical and commercial success. The shoulder pads, clunky answering machine, and hairdon’ts give away the decade, but the storylines of grown-up best friends supporting and, at times, sparring with each other during personal and professional crises are timeless.