TV Land, well known for its roster of reruns and reality, is taking a chance with their own spin on comedy. <em>Hot in Cleveland</em> is a new show with old tricks. The episodes are surprisingly formulaic and the punch lines are plentiful and often paired with a laugh track, making this new show reminiscent of the long-gone 80s and 90s sitcoms like<em> Friends</em> or <em>Seinfeld</em>.
The unapologetic use of these classic, albeit dangerously hackneyed plot lines, archetypal characters and one-liners is almost refreshing among the newest line-up of comedies that often strive too hard to break out of the norm. Perhaps there's room in the line-up for a refreshing retro sitcom, which feels remarkably at home among fellow classics like <em>The Cosby Show</em> and <em>Cheers</em>.
<em>Hot in Cleveland</em> stars four well-know and well-liked actresses, all previously staring in sitcoms of their own. Valerie Bertinelli plays the show's straight woman, teaming up with Wendie Malick and Jane Leeves as three best friends who find themselves middle-aged and, as the name suggests, stuck in Cleveland. After a series of incredible events and convenient plot developments, the three Los Angeles natives find themselves leasing a house in Ohio with a sassy and outspoken groundskeeper played by none other than Betty White.
While I laughed my way through the episodes I watched, and would likely consider tuning in were I to stumble upon it, I don't think <em>Hot in Cleveland</em> is the type of show I'm going to DVR. Betty White is arguably the funniest character on the show, but still . . . the jokes are a a pinch too predictable, the plot-lines a little too thinly veiled, and I find the rest of the cast only sometimes funny and too many times un-relatable.
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