# Mad About You **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 8, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985 "2015-06-08T16:39:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2015, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/21 "2015-06-08T22:06:47Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > As the OP, I suppose I should chime in to say that I’m perfectly fine with Helen Hunt’s relative attractiveness being a point of conversation in this thread. I don’t think anybody’s comments have strayed near the line of offensiveness. > > Anybody care to discuss whether Paul Reiser was hot? Reiser was not hot. He was cute, like a puppy dog. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/22 "2015-06-08T22:09:08Z")
I forgot about the crossovers. Lisa Kudrow was on the show playing Phoebe’s twin sister Ursula, Paul Buchman’s old apartment was the one across from Jerry Seinfeld where Kramer lived, and Carl Reiner appeared as Alan Brady from the Dick Van Dyke Show. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2015, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/23 "2015-06-08T22:09:15Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Anybody care to discuss whether Paul Reiser was hot? Not so much. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2015, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/24 "2015-06-08T23:19:45Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > As the OP, I suppose I should chime in to say that I’m perfectly fine with Helen Hunt’s relative attractiveness being a point of conversation in this thread. I don’t think anybody’s comments have strayed near the line of offensiveness. > > Anybody care to discuss whether Paul Reiser was hot? He’s hardly ugly, but hot? No. Taye Riggs is hot. That guy from Will & Grace whose name I don’t know is hot. But not Paul Buckman. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/25 "2015-06-09T00:11:08Z")
My Two Dads … Was it in the same universe? Friends was. Didn’t In Living Color do a spoof skit? I seem to remember Whoopi in Mad About Jew. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/26 "2015-06-09T00:29:47Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Lisa Kudrow was on the show playing Phoebe’s twin sister Ursula Ursula actually came first. The producers of Friends liked Kudrow as Ursula on Mad About You, cast her in Friends, and created the twin connection. My wife and I were big fans of Mad About You when it was first on, though I seem to remember not watching much of the final season. I haven’t watched it since its original run; I suspect (as several of you have already noted) that it might not have held up. ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/27 "2015-06-09T00:45:58Z")
The laugh tracks take getting used to, but much of the earlier episodes/seasons are still funny. Lots of cliche sitcom stuff, but it’s carried out well. It’s nice to watch a show about a relationship where both sides have moments of stupidity, but neither is the stupid one, and where the humor is rarely mean. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/28 "2015-06-09T01:27:29Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > My Two Dads … Was it in the same universe? Friends was. Mad About You, Friends, and Seinfeld were all in the same universe, there were crossovers between them all. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/29 "2015-06-09T01:49:44Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Also curious was that, according to Wikipedia, Paul and Jamie’s daughter was born in season 6 (part of the reason I stopped watching the original run), but in this episode there was no baby, there was no mention of the baby, and no explanation as to why there is no baby. Did they care that little about continuity by this time? There’s absolutely no rule of TV writing (either sitcoms or drama) that requires the baby to be mentioned in every episode. Little Ricky was born in season 2 of\* I Love Lucy\*, and appeared in a total of 28 episodes. He only appeared in a single episode in season 4. Richie Petri spent entire episodes of the\* Dick Van Dyke Show\* playing next door or “in the bathtub.” Ben, Ross’ son on\* Friends\*, was last seen in season 8 and never shown with his half-sister. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/30 "2015-06-09T02:27:30Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > As the OP, I suppose I should chime in to say that I’m perfectly fine with Helen Hunt’s relative attractiveness being a point of conversation in this thread. I don’t think anybody’s comments have strayed near the line of offensiveness. > > Anybody care to discuss whether Paul Reiser was hot? > [@Honey](#): > > Reiser was not hot. He was cute, like a puppy dog. > [@Telemark](#): > > Not so much. > > 🙂 Okay, I know this is an emotional moment for all of us. I know that. But let’s not make snap judgments, please. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/31 "2015-06-09T15:01:02Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > There’s absolutely no rule of TV writing (either sitcoms or drama) that requires the baby to be mentioned in every episode. Little Ricky was born in season 2 of\* I Love Lucy\*, and appeared in a total of 28 episodes. He only appeared in a single episode in season 4. Richie Petri spent entire episodes of the\* Dick Van Dyke Show\* playing next door or “in the bathtub.” Ben, Ross’ son on\* Friends\*, was last seen in season 8 and never shown with his half-sister. No rule, of course. Just thought it was odd that Paul and Jamie popped over to the dry cleaners a couple times, had people over for dinner, watched a movie, and had a guest spend the night, without a trace of their 1-year-old baby around. Just made it that much harder to buy into. At least Ben didn’t live with Ross, and Richie was a kid during a time when kids weren’t always supervised 24/7. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/32 "2015-06-09T15:27:56Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Mad About You, Friends, and Seinfeld were all in the same universe, there were crossovers between them all. Too bad a xenomorph couldn’t get a walk-on during the last season. Seriously, baby episodes suck. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/33 "2015-06-09T15:27:56Z")
I loved it when it first came on and stopped watching when Jaime had her “affair”. To me, that killed the mad about you vibe. Which one had the really annoying sister who was married to the kvetching tall guy? I couldn’t stand either of them. Man, for a show I loved and watched religiously, I can now only remember little bits and pieces. Tangently-- does anyone remember Helen Hunt’s younger twin Leelee Sobieski? I thought they were related-- HAD to be related. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/34 "2015-06-09T15:54:27Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I loved it when it first came on and stopped watching when Jaime had her “affair”. To me, that killed the mad about you vibe. It really annoyed Mr. Plant (v.2.0), too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/35 "2015-06-09T16:54:16Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Mad About You, Friends, and Seinfeld were all in the same universe, there were crossovers between them all. The _Seinfeld_/_MAY_ crossover is … strange. In one _Seinfeld_ episode, George and Susan are shown in bed watching an episode of _MAY_. So _MAY_ exists as a fictional program in the _Seinfeld_ universe. But, as mentioned, it is revealed that Paul’s old apartment is being sublet by Kramer. Hence, _MAY_’s own universe directly crosses over into the _Seinfeld_ universe. And to throw another complication in, in a late episode, Paul is very excited (well, he was on Viagra), to run into his comedian hero, Jerry Seinfeld, in the street. So the real Jerry Seinfeld exists in the _MAY_ universe. The latter is even stranger given that in the apartment episode, Paul seems not to think much of Kramer’s neighbor: the fictional Jerry Seinfeld. (And that’s not getting into the more mundane actor crossovers of which there were many. E.g., the actor who played Kramer in the _Jerry_ pilot also appeared on _MAY_ as a security guard. And he totally took the raisins.) I don’t think there were any _Friends_/_Seinfeld_ crossovers. There was an episode where Courtney Cox played Jerry’s fake wife, but she wasn’t acting as Monica. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/36 "2015-06-09T16:54:57Z")
Seems my experience is the same as most of the rest of the folks here. Watched it when it was first shown, have vaguely pleasant memories of it if I bother to think about it at all, and have never been inclined to watch any episodes again. I probably also wandered away before it ended but I honestly do not remember. (The Wife and I still do the “okay, see you at breakfast” line from their Indecent Proposal joke.) ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/37 "2015-06-09T17:03:14Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > And to throw another complication in, in a late episode, Paul is very excited (well, he was on Viagra), to run into his comedian hero, Jerry Seinfeld, in the street. So the real Jerry Seinfeld exists in the _MAY_ universe. > > The latter is even stranger given that in the apartment episode, Paul seems not to think much of Kramer’s neighbor: the fictional Jerry Seinfeld. Those two aren’t strange. Jerry Seinfeld the real comedian exists in the \*Seinfeld \*universe. Kramer’s neighbor - that was a very early episode of MAY, before Seinfeld had become big. Paul the obsequious decided he \*loved \*Seinfeld as he got more famous. Fine. None of it makes sense. But that was never a priority on MAY. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/38 "2015-06-09T17:07:57Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > The _Seinfeld_/_MAY_ crossover is … strange. > > In one _Seinfeld_ episode, George and Susan are shown in bed watching an episode of _MAY_. So _MAY_ exists as a fictional program in the _Seinfeld_ universe. > > But, as mentioned, it is revealed that Paul’s old apartment is being sublet by Kramer. Hence, _MAY_’s own universe directly crosses over into the _Seinfeld_ universe. > > And to throw another complication in, in a late episode, Paul is very excited (well, he was on Viagra), to run into his comedian hero, Jerry Seinfeld, in the street. So the real Jerry Seinfeld exists in the _MAY_ universe. > > The latter is even stranger given that in the apartment episode, Paul seems not to think much of Kramer’s neighbor: the fictional Jerry Seinfeld. > > (And that’s not getting into the more mundane actor crossovers of which there were many. E.g., the actor who played Kramer in the _Jerry_ pilot also appeared on _MAY_ as a security guard. And he totally took the raisins.) > > I don’t think there were any _Friends_/_Seinfeld_ crossovers. There was an episode where Courtney Cox played Jerry’s fake wife, but she wasn’t acting as Monica. There was also the “Blackout Thursday” event (for certain values of “event”), which started on _Mad About You_ when Jamie caused a power outage that affected all of New York City. It cascaded through all of NBC’s Thursday night sitcoms that night. Except for _Seinfeld_, which did not participate. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/39 "2015-06-09T17:18:07Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I loved it when it first came on and stopped watching when Jaime had her “affair”. To me, that killed the mad about you vibe. Which one had the really annoying sister who was married to the kvetching tall guy? I couldn’t stand either of them. > > Man, for a show I loved and watched religiously, I can now only remember little bits and pieces. > > Tangently-- does anyone remember Helen Hunt’s younger twin Leelee Sobieski? I thought they were related-- HAD to be related. I quit about the same time. I also had a thing for Helen Hunt, but part of that thing apparently depended on her being the kind of person who doesn’t stray. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985/40 "2015-06-09T18:33:49Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > There was also the “Blackout Thursday” event (for certain values of “event”), which started on _Mad About You_ when Jamie caused a power outage that affected all of New York City. It cascaded through all of NBC’s Thursday night sitcoms that night. Except for _Seinfeld_, which did not participate. Wasn’t there a third show that was affected? I remember that Seinfeld didn’t participate but I thought another show did. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-about-you/721985.md?page=3)