In its new sitcom “Happily Divorced,” TV Land poses the question nobody asked: What would a middle-aged “Will & Grace” look like?
The answer: kinder and funnier than their younger versions.
Co-creators and writers Fran Drescher (“The Nanny”) and her ex-husband Peter Marc Jacobson based the show on their own lives after he came out to her after years of marriage.
You might not think such a crisis would lend itself to a sitcom, but “Happily Divorced” marries seasoned pros with a breezy script.
Drescher, her signature foghorn voice ratcheted down a notch (or perhaps TV Land has just found a way to Auto-Tune it), stars as Fran, a Los Angeles florist who is stunned when her husband, Peter (John Michael Higgins, “Best in Show”), wakes her up one night for an overdue confession.
“But we just had sex during ‘Leno’ — how gay can you be?”
Fran’s parents Glen (Robert Walden, “Lou Grant”) and Dori (Rita Moreno, “Oz”) are unfazed.
“Sweetheart, don’t throw a good marriage away over nothing,” Dori advises.
Because of the recession, Peter can’t afford to move out and takes over the den.
Flash-forward six months later: Fran is trying to rebuild her personal life with the help of best friend Judi (Tichina Arnold, “Everybody Hates Chris) and remain on good terms with her roomie.
“I blow the leaves, he blows my hair. It’s like we’re still married,” Fran says.
She even ventures out on a date with music producer Elliott (D.W. Moffett), who asks if she’s heard of Coldplay.
“I love Gwyneth Paltrow,” Fran zings.
In “Happily Divorced,” TV Land, the cable channel for baby boomers, finally may have found the perfect companion to its smash “Hot in Cleveland” (which returns with new episodes at 10 p.m.). The one bit of discord comes in the form of Fran’s flower delivery guy Cesar (Valente Rodriguez), who borders on an ethnic stereotype. Drescher and Jacobson are smarter than that.
Still, if Drescher were, say, of the E! generation and a Kardashian, she and her ex would have turned their personal turmoil into a reality series. To that, you can only praise the wisdom — and humor — that comes with maturity.
The answer: kinder and funnier than their younger versions.
Co-creators and writers Fran Drescher (“The Nanny”) and her ex-husband Peter Marc Jacobson based the show on their own lives after he came out to her after years of marriage.
You might not think such a crisis would lend itself to a sitcom, but “Happily Divorced” marries seasoned pros with a breezy script.
Drescher, her signature foghorn voice ratcheted down a notch (or perhaps TV Land has just found a way to Auto-Tune it), stars as Fran, a Los Angeles florist who is stunned when her husband, Peter (John Michael Higgins, “Best in Show”), wakes her up one night for an overdue confession.
“But we just had sex during ‘Leno’ — how gay can you be?”
Fran’s parents Glen (Robert Walden, “Lou Grant”) and Dori (Rita Moreno, “Oz”) are unfazed.
“Sweetheart, don’t throw a good marriage away over nothing,” Dori advises.
Flash-forward six months later: Fran is trying to rebuild her personal life with the help of best friend Judi (Tichina Arnold, “Everybody Hates Chris) and remain on good terms with her roomie.
“I blow the leaves, he blows my hair. It’s like we’re still married,” Fran says.
She even ventures out on a date with music producer Elliott (D.W. Moffett), who asks if she’s heard of Coldplay.
“I love Gwyneth Paltrow,” Fran zings.
In “Happily Divorced,” TV Land, the cable channel for baby boomers, finally may have found the perfect companion to its smash “Hot in Cleveland” (which returns with new episodes at 10 p.m.). The one bit of discord comes in the form of Fran’s flower delivery guy Cesar (Valente Rodriguez), who borders on an ethnic stereotype. Drescher and Jacobson are smarter than that.
Still, if Drescher were, say, of the E! generation and a Kardashian, she and her ex would have turned their personal turmoil into a reality series. To that, you can only praise the wisdom — and humor — that comes with maturity.
