It was one of those blips of a sitcom, on which remained comfortably in the background—not offending, not exactly appointment television. Less Than Perfect ran from 2002 to 2006; a drought period for sitcoms anyway, but a pleasant enough way to pass the time.
For those who missed it the first time around, Less Than Perfect joined the Lifetime family (various times, DISH 108) as of early this month. It’s a refreshing addition to what sometimes seems an endless menu of Will and Grace, Frasier, and Golden Girls (comforting TV food as they may be.) While it didn’t break any new ground where structure or humor angles are concerned, the show made a bit of a stir when it debuted due to its star’s figure. Sara Rue, who played Claudia Casey, was reportedly a size 10- 12 at the time of the pilot, which, while average for most American women, is considered positively enormous in the media world.
An office comedy which explored the social lines drawn between white and blue collar positions, Less Than Perfect also made the most of the occasional guest star. A recently aired episode brought in Valerie Harper and Joanna Kerns as the lesbian mothers of Andy Dick’s character. It was a far leap from Rhoda and Maggie Seaver, but the regular cast was quite outshone.
Reviews often made much of Rue’s charisma and warmth—and properly so. But the hidden gem of the show may well be Andrea Parker, who plays the comedic version of the darkly neurotic Miss Parker on The Pretender. Also watch for the always terrific Patrick Warburton, who currently has a lead role on Rules of Engagement but is best known as Puddy from Seinfeld.
Less Than Perfect airs at various times, but it’s nice background noise, and perhaps more complex than a first glance offers.
