Imaginary Mary

The show is OK, but nothing Mary does or says anymore is funny. Most of her lines these days are like "way to go!" or "woo who!" - what would make the show great is if Mary was a total nutcase and made Alice's life a living hell.

There are funny moments that come from the interaction between Alice and the family though.

Alice (Jenna Elfman) survived the disintegration of her family at the age of 6 by creating Imaginary Mary (Rachel Dratch). Mary slowly disappeared as Alice grew up. Alice now runs her own PR firm. She lives an independent relationship-free life until divorcée Ben (Stephen Schneider) shows up at her work. He has three kids; Andy (Nicholas Coombe), Dora (Matreya Scarrwener), and Bunny (Erica Tremblay). Mary reappears in Alice's life as she faces the challenges of being in a new relationship.

Critically panned with no audience, this late-season replacement was canceled after seven episodes. I love Jenna Elfman ever since Dharma and I don't see the hate for Mary. Ben could be more appealing but I like his kids. It's love at first sight and I don't really see it. The show does lack Alice's friends or professional life. She should have at least an assistant although I guess Mary is her friend. I like the characters and therefore I like the show.

On paper, the show's premise turned me away but I found myself watching ten minutes of it and not turning it off. Mary is more of the voices in the main character's head, a la JD's voice overs in Scrubs. I hate to compare the two shows but that is the heart of Imaginary Mary- an insecure character like Scrubs. Give it a chance, you will probably be surprised.

If this had been made in the 1990s, it would be right at home on TGIF between Step by Step and Boy Meets World. Jenna Elfman is the QUEEN of physical comedy (and Stephen Schneider is no slouch either). My favorite characters have to be the kids though, especially Andy. The kid that plays him is HILARIOUS. (Teenage me would have been super in love with him, for sure.) Rachel Dratch as Mary is super fun too and she is used just the right amount, not overwhelmingly so.

Imaginary Mary is just one of those sitcoms with a simple, well executed premise that the whole family can enjoy. It really has so much potential, hopefully ABC thinks so too.

Cute idea but needs better writers and directors! Was looking forward to the show because I love Jenna Elfman but it goes beyond funny to stupid/ridiculous. I believe it could work with more imaginative writers. Doubt it lasts. I may watch one more episode just to see if they get it together but from what I've seen so far(one episode), not optimistic. I was even disappointed with Jenna's over the top silliness. Even Mary could be more "human". Although she is the title character she hardly seems relevant since her advice is usually bad or ignored... so what's the point? As it is, TWO THUMBS DOWN!