Rock Me, Baby (2003–2004)

I realize that the show airs on UPN, which is regarded as the lowest of all networks, but I find it hard to believe that nobody else watches it. No comments on any message boards on the net 7 weeks after it premiered. One of the only posts I've found was from before the premiere, and someone compared it to BABY BOB. BOB, it's certainly not!

I figured I'd give the show a shot for Dan Cortese, though I wasn't sure after seeing the pilot. But the next week, I was hooked, when they brought in Oded Gross as a gay character who, once it was revealed that he was gay, proclaimed: "Pudgy guys like to have sex with men too!" It was refreshing to see a gay character who wasn't so stereotypical, who has a gut and drinks beer (particularly with the overtly stereotypical characters currently seen on IT'S ALL RELATIVE). They need to bring Gross and his "old balls and chain," Ken Marino, back in upcoming episodes... if the show lasts that long.

I'm a gay guy who drinks beer and is a little pudgy too, so I can't really relate to the leads, however, my best friends are a 20-something married couple with a soon-to-be 2-year old. I can completely see them in these characters. The idiotic arguments, the loss of their freedom now that they have a child, and the off-the-wall sense of humor that dominates the show and the "Jimmy and Carl" segments. By no means is this going to be an award-winning series (we'll leave that to the over-rated competition, FRASIER), but it is a lot of fun and has a lot of potential. Each episode is better than the previous one -- though the singed sphincter references in "Ring of Fire" pushed the boundaries of taste. But, I suppose they had to do something outrageous what with The Violent Femmes guest-starring.

Perhaps since it is on UPN, the show will get a little more of a chance to survive. After all, SHASTA McNASTY got a full season (though it seems grim for the goofy Loni Anderson vehicle, THE MULLETS, which just got yanked and probably isn't gonna return anytime soon).