Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! This week, I’m sharing some thoughts on Samantha Who? (2007-2009, ABC), a two-season single-camera sitcom from the late 2000s that boasts a premise similar to My Name Is Earl’s. As you’ll note, I’m retaining the straightforward template of a Potpourri entry — from which this show is a notable pop-out!
SAMANTHA WHO? (October 2007 – July 2009, ABC)
Premise: An amnesiac restarts her life, hoping to be a better person than she was before.
Cast: Christina Applegate, Barry Watson, Jean Smart, Kevin Dunn, Jennifer Esposito, Melissa McCarthy, Tim Russ
Writing Staff: Donald Todd, Bob Kushell, Alex Reid, Christine Zander, Justin Adler, Ric Swartzlander, Cecelia Ahern, Pamela Ribon, Jim Reynolds, Jessi Klein, Jenny Lee, Kim Duran, Marco Pennette, Matthew Carlson, Dawn DeKeyser, Rafael Garcia, Chad Drew, Annie Weisman, Tad Quill, Andy Bobrow, David Walpert, Robin Shorr
Thoughts: This two-season single-camera sitcom starring Christina Applegate and a strong ensemble of excellent talents like Jean Smart, Melissa McCarthy, and Jennifer Esposito feels very much in the My Name Is Earl vein. Its premise similarly revolves around a former jerk who’s recently committed to doing good — only the high concept here is a bit different, for its lead, Samantha, is an amnesiac who was in a car accident and now only has occasional flashes of her past as a mean, bitter person. This chance to start over allows her to redefine herself, and with an eye on being better than she was before. In this regard, there’s no list or procedural “person I’ve wronged” of-the-week format — which means the show can theoretically be more about her and the other regulars, and how she’s attempting to do better by them within her own personal life, where there are more intrinsic, situation-rooted character stakes. Unfortunately, Samantha Who? is not as adept as Earl at playing to its high-concept premise in plot — not just the amnesiac bit, but even the general born-again altruism that both share, for it instead devolves too often into sappy rom-com tripe about Sam’s teased reconciliation with her ex-boyfriend, the least comedically defined member of the main cast and someone who enables clichéd story beats that lack the specificity or personalization that we hope for in all situation comedy, even high concept idea-driven efforts like Samantha Who? This is a shame, for the show otherwise has everything it needs to be great — from a solid premise to a sublime, funny cast (all the women are well-defined, with big laughs and real chemistry) — but it just doesn’t deploy those elements well enough in weekly story to feel like totally satisfying sitcommery. It’s simply not as good as it should be, since it’s not often as good as it should be. And it really makes me appreciate My Name Is Earl more for getting as much out of its premise as it did.
Episode Count: 35 episodes produced and aired over two seasons (15 + 20).
Episodes Seen: All 35.
Key Episodes: #3: “The Wedding” (10/29/07)
#8: “The Car” (12/03/07)
#10: “The Girlfriend” (04/07/08)
#16: “So I Think I Can Dance” (10/13/08)
#18: “The Pill” (10/27/08)
#31: “The Sister” (07/02/09)
Why: After the initial two episodes capably set up the premise and got Sam back into her life, #3 is the series’ first and most straightforward example of what it should theoretically be — as Samantha has a real, tangible, specific opportunity to be a better person to someone she’s wronged, while several of her primary relationships with members of the main ensemble get fleshed out in relation. Also from the first season, I like #8 because it illustrates (like #3) how Sam still has elements of her old personality inside her, which is a great source of conflict that I wish was more often invoked, and it’s a fine showcase for Jean Smart, as is #10, for which Smart won an Emmy, thanks to some funny material in a subplot that pairs her with Melissa McCarthy — two outstanding performers. From Season Two, I appreciate #16 for how it uses the premise and seeks a strong comedic climax (even though it’s overly silly), and I enjoy #31 because it deploys Sam’s do-gooding efforts within her own family as she attempts to reconcile her mom with her mom’s sister, played by Christine Ebersole (and Florence Henderson is their mother). As for #18, I think it’s the best of the entire series, earning that honor because it’s a rom-com entry that also smartly displays the premise — giving Sam flashes of her former self — and with an amusing subplot for McCarthy and Jennifer Esposito that builds their chemistry.
Come back next week for a new Wildcard! And stay tuned Tuesday for more sitcom fun!