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38 out of 47 people found the following comment useful :- A once classic sitcom that became it's own worst enemy, 25 March 2004 Author: howTVshouldbe from star range: 1 - 4, expanded to 5 for classics
Network: ABC; Genre: Sitcom; Average Content Rating: TV-14 (language and strong scatological humor); Classification: Contemporary (Star Range: 1 - 4); Season Reviewed: Seasons 6 - 9To keep myself from stretching back into the halls of TV history I've roped off the turn of the century/millennium as a benchmark forward to look at a particular show's season. In the 9 years that 'The Drew Carey Show' was on the air it went through 3 big phases. The first was of a standard comedian-vehicle sitcom originating back in the days when every 2-bit comedian was getting their own self titled sitcom (signified by the 'Moon over Parma' intro). However, Drew Carey was better than the rest. The 2nd phase was the show hitting its prime- in that, its longest phase, it was a free-for-all comedy barn-burner. Like a little weekly Farrelly brother movie, 'Drew Carey' was crude, bawdy humor at its finest.The show had the guts to center around a group of characters that where, without question, losers and made no attempt to glamorize them in the usual sitcom way. Drew was the ultimate, put-upon everyman and this show epitomized the workaday world of office life better than any other on TV. The cast was exceptional - with breakout performances from Ryan Styles and Diedrich Bader, who make their Louis and Oswald the classic drunken, aimless stooges. The writing was sharp, bawdy, crude and was often bust-a-gut hysterically so. Stick with the '5 o'clock World' or original 'Cleveland Rocks' intro that accompanies these seasons and you'll see a show that was heading for 'classic' status.However, as we pick up with season 6 and forward the show is in its 3rd phase - a flaming, chaotic tailspin that strips away everything that made it great and innovative in the first place and ultimately sending it sinking into the abyss with barely a whisper. How did this happen? I can say the turning point where I lost interest came when Drew's transvestite brother Steve married and brought into the family Drew's long-time rival Mimi. But that was nothing compared to all the insane turns the show would take for the next 3 years. Drew nearly dies and sits in a coma for several episodes? Drew accidentally gets married to two women? To his long time loves and his boss Mr. Wick (a terrific Craig Ferguson by the way) no less? Drew looses his job at Winford Lauder and gets one at an internet company. The show was always absurd, but it used to have a solid foundation that it honored.Worst of all Drew ditches his old persona - growing his hair out, losing weight and tossing his trademark glasses. In it's final years the show doesn't seem tired as much as it does a complete about-face, doubling-back to undo everything that it has set up and spitting in the face of the fans. It's unclear if Carey is mellowing with age, trying to conform more with the acceptance of the Hollywood establishment or has simply become arrogant. Arrogant in dragging this show out past it's prime and into territory it should know would disenfranchise it's audience. And arrogant into thinking that he can sing and is a great comic improve and so revamping special shows of nothing but musical numbers and live improve. What was once the voice of the working stiffs is now just a mouthpiece to nourish Drew's ego with a talented cast going to waste in the process. What was once the anti-sitcom has now taken turns fitting of an NBC tent-post series.It's a sad state of affairs. The only one quick enough to jump from this sinking ship was Christa Miller. Caught in the thankless role of the straight-women in the locker room atmosphere of the show, she left for NBCs 'Scrubs' leaving 'Titus' alumni Cynthia Watros to fill the void. Anybody that thought the richly developed and sophisticated 'Titus' was just a standard dumb sitcom should have a look at the talented Watros now going to waste in this plane crash.Jerry Seinfeld taught us all that the sign of a great comedian was one who knows when it is time to pull out and leave the audience wanting more. Drew should have been taking notes.*Series: * * ½ / 4
27 out of 32 people found the following comment useful :- Innovative, 2 December 2003 Author: REOFan-moi from Champaign, Illinois
I just read a review of this show on this site calling the show "absolutely awful." Wrong! This show is, and always has been innovative and creative. Carey and his cast have done things never seen before and have pushed the envelope of mundane sitcoms. We should all be thanking the creators & producers of this show for giving us an alternative to the run-of-the-mill sitcom bilge that has been pumped out over the past few years. One day, this program will be regarded as one of the most influential television program of our time. Thanks Drew, for mixing things up a bit & providing us with pure entertainment.
22 out of 26 people found the following comment useful :- Gotta love the Drew, 9 December 2002 Author: popamochrie from NYC
Ever since I first discovered the Drew carey Show, it's hard not to get addicted. The chemistry of all the castmembers is awesome, and every one of them is so lovable. Drew's brand of humor has carried the show for seven years, along with the talent of his costars. However, you can't just watch this amazing show because of the jokes. Make sure you catch the dance numbers that made the show revolutionary, like the incredible routine for Five O Clock World and Drew and Mimi's real voices in The Brotherhood of Man. This show was the first to do live episodes the way they should be (go Ryan Stiles!). The Drew Carey Show is one of the most wonderful entertaining shows on TV! DON'T MISS IT! DREW IS THE MAN!
15 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :- ABC killed this show, 3 February 2005 Author: kconner21685 from Delaware
I was a big fan of the show when it was on, and I've been watching a lot of the episodes again in syndication. Drew Carey was always a funny stand up. The cast was great...Ryan Stiles and Diedrich Baker are two very underrated guys in playing comedy, and Craig Ferguson was always fun to watch.Maybe the show ran its course and it was smart for Drew to close it out on a high note, and wrap the series up nicely with a final episode, but I can't help but think that ABC killed this show.The show was a staple of the network for so many years, and it finally began to slip in the ratings a little and ABC got worried to quickly and juggled it around to a bunch of different time slots. Add that with the reality TV craze, and a show like the Drew Carey Show which I think cost quite a bit to produce became obsolete very quickly.That's a nice thank you after the show and the show's main actor did a lot to help the network.A lot of people peg Christa Miller leaving the show as the down turn. I don't think so. Cynthia Watros was did a decent job for having to come in 7 years into a series and take over the lead actress role. The series was still funny and could have been had ABC left it alone.Sadly, the final season was run completely out of order with large gaps in between air time which made it nearly impossible to keep track of.Hopefully, they'll release it on DVD to give this very underrated and funny show a proper sendoff.
16 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :- Very good., 6 February 2001 Author: DancingPotato from Jonquiere, Canada
The Drew Carey Show might not be original in its premise, but it's more original than other shows out there (cough, cough, can you say Bette? or The King Of Queens?). This show is about Drew, an overweight man with thick glasses who works in a department store. He is constantly followed by his best friends: Kate (Christa Miller), Oswald (Driedrich Bader) and Lewis (the hilarious Ryan Stiles). Drew is also surrounded by co-workers Mimi Bobeck (Kathy Kinney) and Mr. Wick (Craig Ferguson) all of whom try to make his life miserable. The actors are good. Drew Carey is pretty good as well as Miller. Ryan Stiles is a hoot as the bizarre Lewis and Bader, even with his considerably cliche character, makes the best out of it. Kathy Kinney is funny when what she says isn't "Bite me, Doughboy" and "Shut up, Pig!". The writing is also very good. Carey isn't afraid of taking potshots at himself, and the show considerably pushes the envelope. Take this, for example: Drew enters the house."Where's Oswald?" he asks Lewis. Out of a closed door: "I'm waxing my bike!" says Oswald. (In that episode, Oswald's father had given him a bike.) Drew, with a smirk:"Is that what you guys are calling now?" Then he sees the bike. "Wait a minute. His bike is here." Says Lewis, "Well then, I guess he's masturbating." Won't be seeing that on Suddenly Susan! (Well, I won't be, anyway.) I have a suspicion that if the F-word (which I would gladly say, mind you, if I didn't have the risk of being censored) is ever allowed on network TV, this show will be the breakthrough. Also, ever once in a while, instead of pumping us with moralistic sap, they have an original show, like one full of bloopers or one supposedly "Live". A good show, especially in its time slot.
16 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :- FUNNY SHOW!!!!!!, 16 February 2000 Author: starwarstrek from Modesto, California
This is one funny sitcom! Drew Carey and his co-stars (especially Kathy Kinney as Mimi Bobeck) each have an ingenious sense of comic timing! In addition, the show itself fairly accurately portrays the plight of the normal, everyday guy who's trying to find both love and success in today's world. Plus, the show sometimes has some highly loony episode storylines and crazy sight-gags that are normally only seen in movies! I would highly recommend this TV series to any serious comedy buff!
9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :- A Cut Above, 31 July 2004 Author: Katie Marie (meboja) from Sacramento
I don't usually like shows starring stand-up comics. They end a great comics career and usually aren't acted that well. Drew Carey is different. Every part is played pitch perfect and it has good, plausible storylines.The show went downhill after Kate and Oswald broke up, but that happens with all shows. The Mimi/Steve pairing was well-played and emotionally fulfilling. I'm not much of a fan of Drew/Kate and the show would have been better without it. Wick is the strongest character, albeit cartoonish. But the whole show is.My favorite episode would be when they attempted to win an Emmy. It was the epitome of the show-goofy.
9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :- The working class sitcom for working class people..., 11 April 2001 Author: AllisonLVenezio from Jersey shore, USA
U know, before Drew Carey got his own show, I didn't even know who he was. This show truly captializes his talents as a comedian and actor."The Drew Carey Show" is by far one of the funniest sitcoms on television in recent years. It also happens to be my third favorite show. Our bespectacled hero, Drew, works in a Winfried-Louder Depaertment Store's offices, run by a dorky Scot, Nigel Wick (Criag Ferguson). His archnemisis, Mimi Bobeck-Carey (Kathy Kinney) wears tons of make-up and tacky clothes, much in the same sense that Peggy Bundy on "Married with Children" was the queen of tacky. Of course, Drew has his girlfriend, Kate (Christa Miller) and his dopey buddies, Lewis Kiniski (Ryan Stiles, who upstages Carey) and Oswald Lee Harvey (Deidrich Bader).This show is very funny. The plotlines are always interesting, and of course, Lewis and Oswald have to accomplish some stupid feat in the 1/2 hour (ie: they used $8000 to record an album using classic songs, with them--"Tequilla" or Lewis saying "Wipeout!") Of course, everyone gets into a big mess, Mimi insults Drew, Drew plots revenge, and everything is said and done in the half hour.I love this show, and highly recommend it to everyone who has a good sense of humor. Drew Carey's standup is excellent, and this show just adds another good credit to a very talented man!Cleveland truly does rock! (Except I'm a Yankees fan!)
8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :- What used to be the best... is no more., 6 September 2004 Author: devil_dude140 from Burlington, Ontario
Do not get me wrong, I still absolutely love the Drew Carey show, but the new episodes suck. It is a good thing this show is going off the air, at least it goes out with dignity. The show used to be very funny, until Kelly comes into the show. Lets just call Kelly, the "Malaria" virus. But let us go onto the good things about the drew carey show. Oswald and Lewis, pure genius characters... one of my favorite characters on any show! Drew (in the early season) used to be hilarious, I love it when him and Mimi fight! As for Mimi, her dresses are just crazy, love the dresses, especially the wedding gown. I don't care much for Kate, but as for Steve, he used to be really funny when he was a cross-dresser. It is too bad that this show has gone to the dump, I would've liked it if the show had kept going like it was before 2002. Too bad... Season Ratings: 1- 2.5/5, 2- 3.5/5, 3- 3/5, 4- 4/5, 5- 5/5, 6- 4/5, 7- 2.5/5, 8- 2/5, 9- 1.5,Average Rating: 3.05 My Rating: 2.5Last Comments: Jeez this show has really gone downhill, take it away!
6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :- From best to worst, 28 June 2003 Author: Raleon
This show used to one of the best satires of office life, ironically being aired the same year The Kids In The Hall ended. But at some point I watched it and said to myself "what happened?". It was innovative as a comedy, especially the shows where they purposely had something wrong. It was by far the best sitcom I've ever seen, which is saying a lot because I'm not much of a fan of American comedy. But mixing it with Whose Line Is It Anyway ruined it for both shows a bit. Then it became all the things it was set out to make fun of in the first place. Drew accidentily became a bygamist which led to Kate leaving- which is irritatingly stupid of the writers because in the same episode she would not quite belly-aching because she knew Drew would do something foolish. What, she wasn't expecting that?? The worst was the total change in the company. Now that it is the new millenium, it is no longer a satire for office jobs in the nineties, but office jobs in the new millenium. So it changed to having teen owners and Drew having no idea what his job really is. This was where it became the worst sitcom, because it didn't have any good ideas anymore. It used plots which were used by most other sitcomes that didn't even last two seasons: Steve cheated on Mimi, the new owners were fresh out of college, Drew went looking for marriage... on and on. It lost its edge and it stopped being funny. Drew Carey is one of my favorite American comedians, but he really needs to take a break and get that edge back or else his career will be on a decline.
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