Yeah, I know some of you cannot stand Whoopi Goldberg but I don’t mind her. In fact, I have come to enjoy her show quite a bit. Okay, it’s “edgy” only by the standards of broadcast TV and it had a bit of a slow start but Whoopi’s grown to be rather funny. And I like most of the supporting cast. Omid Djalili (Nasim) is funny while becoming less cartoonish than he started out, or as he is in most everything he’s been in*. Elizabeth Regan (Rita) is also stretching her character (and I’m a sucker for leggy blondes). Wren T. Brown (Courtney) doesn’t seem to have much to stretch so he’s getting pushed into the background. The addition of Gordana Rashovich (Jadwiga) has done much to improve the show–she’s so CREEPY! And I cannot forget the great Mary Testa as Sophia, Whoopi’s smoking buddy. Their interplay as a couple of menopausal tootses is lovely.
I haven’t seen his stand-up or his British shows, which may be different from his movies, but when Peter Sagel had him on “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” Sagel described his roles as all being “The Disreputable Arab Guy.” Djalili corrected him, saying that he was “Second Azerbajani Pipeline Worker” in one. But here he is getting enough screen time to fill out his character more.
I’m no fan of Whoopi and I’m not quite sure why she’s supposed to be funny. When I first saw commercials for her show, I remember thinking how pathetic it was they resorted to such witty dialogue as “Why is that your people <insert stereotypical action here>?” and “My people? Your people always <insert stereotypical action here>!!”
I’m glad you enjoy the show, though, as it’s nice to find one you like every once and a while. Me, I’ll stick to Chapelle’s Show and CYE reruns.
I have to admit the show has gotten better with time - maybe they just needed to feel their way into the characters. There are actually some very funny lines in that show, and if you (like me) are not a fan of Dubya you will find this show a lot funnier. Whoopi isn’t afraid to slam the Bush regime, but to be fair - she uses her Republican, conservative brother to balance out the bile.
Whoopi is not the greatest sitcom, but it is certainly getting better - and already far better than the current rash of fat guy/pretty wife sitcoms that still remain on the air.
Yeah, what is it with all those? They are totally indistinguishable, like the “Suddenly Susan” clones of the late 90s. And what really gets me is that they stay on the air while potentially great shows like Andy Richter’s get cancelled.
Juanita, I’ll admit it started out the way you described it but it has improved. What has helped is that Whoopi is becoming less the Star With All The Good Lines and more the butt of some of the jokes.
Clearly I’ve not seen the show and have no idea if it’s funny, but one thing is clear - whoopi is hot!!
I consider it a blessing that my wife and I aren’t neighbours with whoopi et al as it could become embarrassing - all my gawping and fawning, while Mrs Macau makes our excuses to leave.
Macau, that is the first time I’ve ever heard anyone refer to Whoopi as hot. To each his own, I suppose.
Bonus points to the Doper who gets the reference in the title of my post, by the way.
Danny Glover’s character to Whoopi’s character in The Color Purple?
And for all of those who bag on the fat guy/hot chick sitcoms needs to check out The King of Queens. Not every episode is a home run, but they knock their share out of the park. And how can you resist the greatness of Jerry Stiller?
She’s actually one of the funniest people in the world when she goes impromptu, but for some odd reason she mostly doesn’t, and her scripted stuff sucks. I’ve seen interviews with her where she didn’t know what question was coming or how her interviewer was going to respond, and she just cracks me up. Her so-called “comedy” films have been truly horrible and her “vignette” / “character” comedy routines are pretty thin on entertainment value too.
