Just started watching this on YouTube. Actually alot better than many of the current crop of network sitcoms.
10 Reviews
Too bad this was cancelled.
ssssteve11 March 2020
Traditional Single Gal Sitcom
SnoopyStyle14 December 2014
Jennifer Doyle (Jaime Pressly) is a single mother Gretchen (Dylan Gelula). She loses her high paying investment banking job and is forced to move back with her mother Maggie (Jessica Walter). The only job prospect is a waitress in her brother Wayne (Ethan Suplee)'s bar which he owns with his wife Stephanie (Nora Kirkpatrick). She reconnects with her childhood friend Dina (Missi Pyle).
This is a pretty traditional single gal sitcom. Jaime Pressly is pretty good for the comedic genre. They also have some good comedic talents like Walter, Suplee, and Pyle. The situation is mostly unlikely but it's light enough to be funny. It's average without consistent big laughs. It's a good show for the smaller cable networks but nothing special or original. It's canceled after one season.
This is a pretty traditional single gal sitcom. Jaime Pressly is pretty good for the comedic genre. They also have some good comedic talents like Walter, Suplee, and Pyle. The situation is mostly unlikely but it's light enough to be funny. It's average without consistent big laughs. It's a good show for the smaller cable networks but nothing special or original. It's canceled after one season.
Fundamental problems
cherold14 July 2021
This show has a really good cast, but it's not an especially good show. It fails on two levels, on the basic level of just not being funny, and on a deeper level.
First the simple level. Jennifer Falls just isn't very funny. It is a traditional sitcom with jokes you can see coming from a mile away and follows a tired and pedestrian formula. The most interesting character in the show is actually the passive-aggressive sister-in-law, who makes me think of the boss in Office Space. She's very unlikable, but at least she's different.
My deeper objections have to do with the way Jennifer's character is treated by the show. This is more of a feminist analysis type of objection, so if you hate looking at subtle sexism just ignore this part.
The show begins as Jennifer is fired from her high paying job because she has "anger issues." It is established that she is good at her job but that people don't like working with her. When she's told she is abrasive (or similar words) she points out that this is exactly what is appreciated in male businessmen.
It's nice they acknowledge that, but the show as a whole still reinforces the idea that there's something wrong with Jennifer. She is frequently told she has anger issues even though nothing she does is exceptionally hostile; at worst she has highly-irritated issues. By echoing her ex-boss's sentiments, the show seems to be accepting that it was reasonable to fire her.
It is later established in the pilot that her success lead her to ignore her friends and left her unhappy. In other words, this show reinforces that pervasive idea that businesswomen lose themselves, are unhappy, and need to be nicer. This is the sort of thing Susan Faludi wrote about in Backlash, and it's a shame it's still going on. I'm sure the show's creator would deny that he's trying to put women in their place by portraying a high-powered woman executive as mean and hollow and dressing her in a sexy waitress outfit while she bonds with old friends and finds the man of her dreams, but that's what's happening.
Subtly putting women in their place is so common that I won't not watch a show for doing it. I'm a little concerned with the sitcom Playing House having a high-powered executive quit her job to nurture her pregnant friend, but the show is quite funny so I watch it anyway. Ultimately the problem with Jennifer Falls is it's just not funny. But the other stuff bugs me tool.
First the simple level. Jennifer Falls just isn't very funny. It is a traditional sitcom with jokes you can see coming from a mile away and follows a tired and pedestrian formula. The most interesting character in the show is actually the passive-aggressive sister-in-law, who makes me think of the boss in Office Space. She's very unlikable, but at least she's different.
My deeper objections have to do with the way Jennifer's character is treated by the show. This is more of a feminist analysis type of objection, so if you hate looking at subtle sexism just ignore this part.
The show begins as Jennifer is fired from her high paying job because she has "anger issues." It is established that she is good at her job but that people don't like working with her. When she's told she is abrasive (or similar words) she points out that this is exactly what is appreciated in male businessmen.
It's nice they acknowledge that, but the show as a whole still reinforces the idea that there's something wrong with Jennifer. She is frequently told she has anger issues even though nothing she does is exceptionally hostile; at worst she has highly-irritated issues. By echoing her ex-boss's sentiments, the show seems to be accepting that it was reasonable to fire her.
It is later established in the pilot that her success lead her to ignore her friends and left her unhappy. In other words, this show reinforces that pervasive idea that businesswomen lose themselves, are unhappy, and need to be nicer. This is the sort of thing Susan Faludi wrote about in Backlash, and it's a shame it's still going on. I'm sure the show's creator would deny that he's trying to put women in their place by portraying a high-powered woman executive as mean and hollow and dressing her in a sexy waitress outfit while she bonds with old friends and finds the man of her dreams, but that's what's happening.
Subtly putting women in their place is so common that I won't not watch a show for doing it. I'm a little concerned with the sitcom Playing House having a high-powered executive quit her job to nurture her pregnant friend, but the show is quite funny so I watch it anyway. Ultimately the problem with Jennifer Falls is it's just not funny. But the other stuff bugs me tool.
A good show
taylorkingston2 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I'm honestly quite upset, and sad that this show got cancelled. I thought it was good. I found it quite different to a lot of other shows.
This show is about a woman who was very wealthy, and had a great career, who loses her job, and has to move, with her teenage daughter, back into her Mother's house. She has to work at her brother's bar just to make ends meat. Now, back in her hometown, she, and her daughter, both have to get used to their new lives.
Best part of the show: The fact that Randy, and Joy (from My Name Is Earl) are back together in the same show again.
Overall, I give this TV show an 6 out of 10, which in my ratings book is: Good.
This show is about a woman who was very wealthy, and had a great career, who loses her job, and has to move, with her teenage daughter, back into her Mother's house. She has to work at her brother's bar just to make ends meat. Now, back in her hometown, she, and her daughter, both have to get used to their new lives.
Best part of the show: The fact that Randy, and Joy (from My Name Is Earl) are back together in the same show again.
Overall, I give this TV show an 6 out of 10, which in my ratings book is: Good.
It Can't Fall Much Lower
RJBose2 July 2014
What started out as an unoriginal and generally unfunny show has now sunk into abject unwatchability. The premise of an adult child moving in with a parent is well worn, and there is nothing new or original that "Jennifer falls" adds to this genre. In fact, there is nothing new or original (or particularly funny) about this show at all. The characters are unlikable and unfunny, and the scripts have collapsed into boring platitudes in a desperate attempt to substitute vulgarity for wit.
A well-traveled path, instead of having Jennifer- an ostensible fired investment banking wiz- come up with a financial strategy to help her brother's bar, or otherwise demonstrate competence or generate some interest, the show lazily mimics the speaking to the camera tactic of the truly well-written "Modern Family" while the main characters merrily discuss sexual encounters "in the summer of sophomore year" (i.e. at age 15) and defecating on their sexual partner's doorsteps as adults, apparently in some sort of retribution.
Jennifer has indeed fallen, and she can't get up.
A well-traveled path, instead of having Jennifer- an ostensible fired investment banking wiz- come up with a financial strategy to help her brother's bar, or otherwise demonstrate competence or generate some interest, the show lazily mimics the speaking to the camera tactic of the truly well-written "Modern Family" while the main characters merrily discuss sexual encounters "in the summer of sophomore year" (i.e. at age 15) and defecating on their sexual partner's doorsteps as adults, apparently in some sort of retribution.
Jennifer has indeed fallen, and she can't get up.
If that is the pilot,i have zero expectations
vlad_dracula198311 June 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The pilot kept me in the dark about everything,in the upcoming episodes anything can happen,i mean literally anything,nothing is clear for the viewers so you can turn the show into whatever you want to.It must be a blessing for the writers to have so many options to write about,but for the vievers we should be able to associate events with one and other,not all just the basics at least.The only thing that is clear is that there is a "fall".Its like asking someone to guess the number you had in mind and saying its between one and infinite.Show is called j.Falls,so the pilot had to be built around the fall,but instead it started with her attempt to get up,let us absorb whats happening then start building up the show.And even worse The pilot was 21minutes and 30 seconds long,which is exactly how much i've waited to laugh and eventually i did laugh,at my bad judgement to watch this so called comedy.If only it was at least a bit funnier maybe I could overrule the unclarity completely and just focus on having good time for 21 minutes.
Funny, maybe a bit typical but quite enjoyable!
lara-winfield16 January 2015
I started watching this show today, and i watched 6 episodes without even realising, to me, that's a sign that i like the series. It's funny, and as i said, maybe typical, but it doesn't loose it's humor. I had to stop myself from watching more episodes, and then later i had to check IMDb because i really hoped they would make more seasons, but sadly it has been cancelled. I understand some people may not like, but it's definitely not a 1 out of 10, and i see no reason why 38 people should rate it like so. Anyway, it's a shame it was cancelled, i really couldn't wait for season 2, but i guess i'll have to find something else :/
Chappy Watched: Jennifer Falls - The Complete Series
chappywatched1 May 2016
The whole reason I even wanted to watch this was for the mini My Name Is Earl reunion with Jaime Pressly (Joy Turner) and Ethan Suplee (Randy Hickey).
While it was okay to watch, it was pretty much another version of Mom, the CBS comedy starring Anna Faris and Allison Janney but I haven't watched that yet so I couldn't tell you if it is better or worse.
The story was okay, there we some laughs and Pressly and Suplee were definitely the highlights of the cast as well as some of the guest stars like Jeffrey Tambor, Kurt Fuller, Steve Howey and Chris D'Elia.
Whlie it was good to watch once, it isn't something I need to watch again and I'm not fussed that it was cancelled.
While it was okay to watch, it was pretty much another version of Mom, the CBS comedy starring Anna Faris and Allison Janney but I haven't watched that yet so I couldn't tell you if it is better or worse.
The story was okay, there we some laughs and Pressly and Suplee were definitely the highlights of the cast as well as some of the guest stars like Jeffrey Tambor, Kurt Fuller, Steve Howey and Chris D'Elia.
Whlie it was good to watch once, it isn't something I need to watch again and I'm not fussed that it was cancelled.
complex summer comedy, hopefully it survives into the fall
jamie-59-31285421 July 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Let's face it, expectations for a breakout comedy during the summer are low, but after binge- watching the first four (21min) episodes I really enjoyed this new show and want to see more from these characters.
Centered around Jaime Pressly who plays a very believable pit bull exec with anger issues and Missi Pyle who delivers as the high school co-conspirator who never got out of town, there is a lot of there there in this adult oriented dramatic comedy.
Shot on actual sets/locations, it feels much warmer than the typical small budget studio shows... and thankfully the smart female oriented humor doesn't require a laugh track to tell me when to laugh! Such a great TV cast, and their portrayal of these multi-dimensional characters are each superb. The whole Modern Family "talking to the camera thing" is getting a little old and could be accomplished by more creative means, but as it's the current fad in monologue injecting I'll put up with it.
The idea of epic failure and having to move back home to start over seems dark and depressing, what better place to find humor? They don't shy away from dealing head-on with the psychological and sociological stresses, or Jennifer's rat-race separation anxieties. Having Jennifer's mother be a work at home shrink allows for dialog that is neither clinical or pandering.
I feel that this show has the potential to be much more than a whimsical comedy. Hopefully the studio will throw some money behind Jennifer Falls and keep it going into the fall.
Centered around Jaime Pressly who plays a very believable pit bull exec with anger issues and Missi Pyle who delivers as the high school co-conspirator who never got out of town, there is a lot of there there in this adult oriented dramatic comedy.
Shot on actual sets/locations, it feels much warmer than the typical small budget studio shows... and thankfully the smart female oriented humor doesn't require a laugh track to tell me when to laugh! Such a great TV cast, and their portrayal of these multi-dimensional characters are each superb. The whole Modern Family "talking to the camera thing" is getting a little old and could be accomplished by more creative means, but as it's the current fad in monologue injecting I'll put up with it.
The idea of epic failure and having to move back home to start over seems dark and depressing, what better place to find humor? They don't shy away from dealing head-on with the psychological and sociological stresses, or Jennifer's rat-race separation anxieties. Having Jennifer's mother be a work at home shrink allows for dialog that is neither clinical or pandering.
I feel that this show has the potential to be much more than a whimsical comedy. Hopefully the studio will throw some money behind Jennifer Falls and keep it going into the fall.
Great idea poorly planned and executed
Dunham1618 July 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The new concept of only recently independent adult children horning in on an aging parent by surprise to live in the childhood home again to mooch off the parent while sulking is a recent phenomenon the press is labelling the boomerang kid. There is so much current press coverage and so much need to analyze or publicize this new trend that the premise of the show seems quite timely and well focused. The show could very well spin this idea to be a timely and commercial success. What has happened is it is poorly funded single camera meaning the visual is not up to, for example, the show slotted immediately before it on cable - HOT IN CLEVELAND, which may end up among the most successful half hour situation comedies in broadcast history I can't really bond to a single member of the tight ensemble cast or to any of the half hour comic plots which focus away from rather than toward the current news issue. A great opportunity by a forward thinking cable station which is totally wasted.
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