'The Return Of...' the creators of 'Gilmore Girls'
Posted: Wednesday, July 25, 2007 9:45 PM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
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TV
Somehow Fox neglected to send me certain pilots (nothing personal, I hope), so I haven't viewed "The Return of Jezebel James" yet. But I can give you the lowdown. It's a sitcom about a woman (Parker Posey) who can't carry a child, so turns to her younger sister (Lauren Ambrose) to help her out.
But that's not the real news: "Gilmore Girls" fans will delight in the knowledge that the show marks the return of "Gilmore" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband, Daniel Palladino. Amy created the show and directed the pilot, and both she and her husband will serve as executive producers. More good news for "Gilmore" mourners: Scott Cohen, who played Max on that show, was the very first actor to be cast on "Jezebel James." This isn't quite going to soothe the irritated souls of fans who still wish their show would come back, but it's something.
GAEL'S GRADE: Can't grade it till I've seen it, but with Sherman-Palladino on board, even what sounds like a basic sitcom plot could be magical. Or at least better than average.
TIDBITS:
--The show will film in New York, because that's where Posey and Ambrose, a new mom, were living. Said Sherman-Palladino: "you gotta go with the best (actors). And if the best is saying we're not leaving New York, you pack your bags, you take your crazy dog, you put her in a crate, and you go to New York."
--"Jezebel James" is shooting at the same studio where "The Cosby Show" once shot. Remember Bill's many colorful sweaters, and the kids' oh-so-1980s clothes? Apparently they kept them awfully clean. Joked Sherman-Palladino: "It took forever to get the 'Cosby' washer and dryers out of our offices. There's your television legacy, ladies and gentlemen."
--Sherman-Palladino says the sitcom format is tougher than the hour-long scope of "Gilmore." "Because hour-long, you come in. It's an enclosed environment," she said. "You know, you do it. You screw up. You start again. You go back. Sitcom -- it's putting on a one-act play every five days."
--It had to happen: Sherman-Palladino was asked about the famous last line she supposedly wrote for the "Gilmore Girls" series finale, the line that was not used. She wouldn't reveal the real answer, but had a joke answer ready. "It was, 'You're adopted.' Just sell the entire series out like it's coming out of the shower or, by the way, she's in the shower, and she says, "By the way, Rory, you're adopted." No, that's not the last line. Save it, just in case."
