Starring: Sutton Foster, Kaitlyn Jenkins, Julia Goldani Telles, Bailey Buntain, Emma Dumont, Kelly Bishop
Creator: Amy Sherman-Palladino
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: B
Michelle Simms (Foster) has fallen in life. While she used to be a ballerina somehow her life has slipped past her, to the point that she's now a dancer in Vegas - although she is not yet a stripper. Finally, at an all time low as she comes to the conclusion that her career, and by extension her life, is at an end, Michelle decides to take up the offer of longtime, and persistent, admirer, Hubbell Flowers (Alan Ruck). The two get married and she moves with him to his sleepy coastal town of Paradise. Life, however, is not as pleasant as Hubbell promised, particularly after Hubbell dies in a car accident just one day after their marriage. Now Michelle must decide what to do with her life, figure out how to adjust to Paradise, and come to terms with her mother-in-law, Fanny (Bishop). Like her, Fanny is also a former dancer, and in Paradise Fanny runs a ballet school, the Paradise Dance Academy, where Michelle very slowly begins to find a new life.
You can really tell that this show comes from the mind of Amy Sherman-Palladino. The relationship between Michelle and Fanny is very reminiscent of the one between Lorelai and Emily in Gilmore Girls, despite the fact that Fanny is nothing like Emily - asides from being portrayed by the same actress. There is no Rory here, but you can really see a relationship growing between Michelle and the dance students that is also reminiscent of that. The other thing that is reminiscent of Gilmore Girls is the small town and the oddballs that come with it. At times they appear to be a bit much, but I know that with time each one of them is going to really grow on us. I particularly liked the fact that we got to see some of the old cast members from Gilmore Girls too - it'll help with the attachment to these surreal people.
The plot in itself is a bit questionable, but I like the basic idea. You can really tell that the marriage is just a tool to get Michelle to Paradise, and I suspect it could have been done without, but it Sherman-Palladino makes it work. This really feels like a show that is going to grow with time, and looking back at Gilmore Girls again I remember how that grew as well. There is a lot that I'd like to see happen with Michelle - namely her getting a good friend in Paradise who can support her - and I'm looking forward to seeing how the show plays out. There's an episode when Michelle's best friend comes to town and I thought it was one of the best episodes of the season - I'd like to see more like that. Oh, one last thing that I really liked, there are a lot of really random pop culture references here, and they don't simply cover things that are current. That was one of my favourite features of Gilmore Girls and I'm glad it's being continued here.
Michelle Simms (Foster) has fallen in life. While she used to be a ballerina somehow her life has slipped past her, to the point that she's now a dancer in Vegas - although she is not yet a stripper. Finally, at an all time low as she comes to the conclusion that her career, and by extension her life, is at an end, Michelle decides to take up the offer of longtime, and persistent, admirer, Hubbell Flowers (Alan Ruck). The two get married and she moves with him to his sleepy coastal town of Paradise. Life, however, is not as pleasant as Hubbell promised, particularly after Hubbell dies in a car accident just one day after their marriage. Now Michelle must decide what to do with her life, figure out how to adjust to Paradise, and come to terms with her mother-in-law, Fanny (Bishop). Like her, Fanny is also a former dancer, and in Paradise Fanny runs a ballet school, the Paradise Dance Academy, where Michelle very slowly begins to find a new life.
You can really tell that this show comes from the mind of Amy Sherman-Palladino. The relationship between Michelle and Fanny is very reminiscent of the one between Lorelai and Emily in Gilmore Girls, despite the fact that Fanny is nothing like Emily - asides from being portrayed by the same actress. There is no Rory here, but you can really see a relationship growing between Michelle and the dance students that is also reminiscent of that. The other thing that is reminiscent of Gilmore Girls is the small town and the oddballs that come with it. At times they appear to be a bit much, but I know that with time each one of them is going to really grow on us. I particularly liked the fact that we got to see some of the old cast members from Gilmore Girls too - it'll help with the attachment to these surreal people.
The plot in itself is a bit questionable, but I like the basic idea. You can really tell that the marriage is just a tool to get Michelle to Paradise, and I suspect it could have been done without, but it Sherman-Palladino makes it work. This really feels like a show that is going to grow with time, and looking back at Gilmore Girls again I remember how that grew as well. There is a lot that I'd like to see happen with Michelle - namely her getting a good friend in Paradise who can support her - and I'm looking forward to seeing how the show plays out. There's an episode when Michelle's best friend comes to town and I thought it was one of the best episodes of the season - I'd like to see more like that. Oh, one last thing that I really liked, there are a lot of really random pop culture references here, and they don't simply cover things that are current. That was one of my favourite features of Gilmore Girls and I'm glad it's being continued here.
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