''Mad About You'' is an American television

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

starring

Paul Reiser Paul Reiser (; born March 30, 1956) is an American actor, comedian, and television writer. He is known for his roles as Michael Taylor in the 1980s sitcom ''My Two Dads'', Paul Buchman in the NBC sitcom ''Mad About You'', Modell in the 1982 fi ...

and

Helen Hunt Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born June 15, 1963) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. Hunt rose to fame portraying Jam ...

as a married couple in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. It initially aired on NBC from September 23, 1992, to May 24, 1999, winning numerous awards including four

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

s and twelve

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

s. On March 6, 2019, a limited season 8 revival was picked up by Spectrum Originals for 12 episodes.

Plot

The series focuses mainly on newlyweds Paul Buchman, a documentary filmmaker, and Jamie Stemple Buchman, a

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. P ...

specialist, as they deal with everything from humorous daily minutiae to major struggles. Near the end of the show's run, they have a baby daughter, whom they name Mabel. They live in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...

. The 2019 limited series focuses on Paul and Jamie as empty nesters as Mabel starts college at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

, five blocks away.

Production

Helen Hunt and Paul Reiser were paid $1 million per episode for the last season (with their contracts calling for them to be paid equally). However, ratings fell sharply that year as the series was shuffled away from its Tuesday slot to prop up a fledgling Monday night line-up of comedies on NBC. The show's theme song, "Final Frontier", was composed by Reiser and Don Was. It was originally performed by Andrew Gold, with a later version covered by Anita Baker, and finally

Lyle Lovett Lyle Pearce Lovett (born November 1, 1957) Lyle Lovett Pageat Allmusic – Lovett's Genre and Styles. Retrieved February 2, 2007 is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. Active since 1980, he has recorded 13 albums and relea ...

and Kecia Lewis, who both had minor acting roles in the series. Exterior views of buildings were filmed in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. Paul and Jamie's

Apartment was located at 5th Avenue and 12th Street. The

Old Town Bar and Restaurant The Old Town Bar and Restaurant is a noted bar and restaurant located between Park Avenue and Broadway at 45 E. 18th Street in the Flatiron District, Manhattan in New York City, one block north of Union Square. Originally a German establishment ca ...

on 45 E. 18th Street was used for the fictional ''Riff's Restaurant'' in the series.

Revival

In April 2018, it was announced that Sony Pictures Television would revive the show with the two lead actors reprising their roles, though Reiser expressed doubt about it in July 2018. In September 2018, Reiser stated that the revival was still on the table, but that "the studio needs to figure out if they know how to do it." On March 6, 2019, the series was revived for an eighth season by Spectrum Originals, described as a 12-episode limited series, with Reiser and Hunt confirmed to reprise their roles. On September 5, 2019, it was announced that the first six episodes of the revival would premiere on November 20, 2019, and another six episodes would be released on December 18, 2019. The series is available in a traditional manner in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, with its episodes airing on the

CTV Comedy Channel CTV Comedy Channel (often shortened to CTV Comedy and formerly known as The Comedy Network) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Bell Media which focuses primarily on comedy programming. The channel first launched on Octobe ...

. Many of the main and recurring cast members reprised their roles for the revival, which ignored the events of the season 7 finale (a flash-forward story that told how the Buchmans would fare over the next 20+ years). The most notable former main cast member not to reprise her role was

Leila Kenzle Leila Kenzle (born July 16, 1960) is an American therapist and former actress best known for her role as Fran Devanow on ''Mad About You''. Leila Kenzle was born in Patchogue, Long Island, New York, the daughter of Lee, an antiques dealer, an ...

, who played Jamie's best friend, Fran Devanow. Kenzle retired from acting in 2003 and became a psychotherapist. Fran's husband, Mark, does return in the revival, but the character is now remarried.

Cast and characters

Original run (1992–1999)

Main *

as Paul Buchman, a filmmaker. After attending the

Film School, he struggled for recognition before finally succeeding in filmmaking in New York City. He and his family reside near

Union Square Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

, on lower Fifth Avenue. *

as Jamie Buchman (née Stemple, born February 19, 1963), the younger daughter of Gus and Theresa Stemple (although in several episodes, Jamie's birthdate is portrayed as November 11 and also February 11). On moving to New York, she took a job at Farrer-Gantz Public Relations, eventually rising to the position of Regional Vice President. After leaving Farrer-Gantz to continue her education, Jamie started her own public relations firm, which was eventually consolidated into City Hall's press department, under Director of Communications Lance Brockwell. When Brockwell set his sights on the Mayor's mansion, he selected Jamie as his campaign manager. After seven boyfriends at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, she met Paul Buchman at a New York newsstand shortly before Christmas in 1989 by stealing his copy of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' with an implausible excuse. The two married in April 1992. Her difficult relationship with her mother-in-law is an ongoing source of jokes on the show. The character also appeared in the ''Friends'' episode "

The One with Two Parts, Part 1 The first season of ''Friends'', an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994. ''Friends'' was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television. ...

". * Maui as Murray, the Buchmans' dog. He was a puppy when Paul found him, and Paul met Jamie while walking him. He sometimes chases what the couple assume is an invisible mouse, and often ends up crashing into the bedroom wall. In a later episode, Jamie discovers that there is indeed a real mouse that Murray has been chasing. In the two-part series finale, ''The Final Frontier,'' adult Mabel says that Murray died when she was six, but she was not told until she was twelve. Twice voted the most popular dog by the readers of ''TV Guide,'' Murray is loyal and endearing while being very laid back and a bit thick-skulled. Maui was originally found in a

Castaic, California Castaic () (Chumash: ''Kaštiq''; Spanish: ''Castéc'') is an unincorporated community in the northwestern part of Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 19,015. For statistical purposes the Census Bureau h ...

, animal shelter by noted Hollywood animal trainer

Boone Narr Boone Narr (born January 30, 1948) is an internationally known and respected animal stunt coordinator and one of the most celebrated Hollywood animal trainers. He is founder of the ''Boone's Animals for Hollywood'' animal training facility located i ...

. Maui weighed 58 pounds and was primarily trained by Betty Linn. His first assignments came in TV commercials and as the backup for the top dog in the feature film '' Bingo''. *

Anne Ramsay Anne Elizabeth Ramsay is an American actress best known for her role as Lisa Stemple on ''Mad About You'', for which she shared a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Ensemble in a Comedy series. Early lif ...

as Lisa Stemple (seasons 1–5; recurring season 7), Jamie's older sister. Lisa has unfathomable psychological issues. Jamie is referred to as "Stella" in a book written by Lisa's therapist: "It was Stella's overprotectiveness that suffocated her ability to relate to others, and tethered her to a lifetime of insecurity and neurosis." After an envious rage, she blames Jamie for all of her problems in an interview with her shrink that becomes a chapter of a book called "Manics." With no place else to go, she does her laundry at Paul's and Jamie's apartment while scavenging through her sister's clothes and food. Every visit from her parents triggers her eating disorder. In between bouts of weirdness, she still cares deeply for Paul and Jamie and is often trusted to house sit for them, usually with unfortunate results. Though billed in the opening credits of every episode of seasons 1 through 5, the character appeared less frequently over time, and was in only 22 of the 48 episodes produced in seasons 4 and 5. Anne Ramsay left the show entirely in season 6, but returned for recurring appearances in season 7. *

as Fran Devanow (seasons 1–6; guest season 7), Jamie's best friend. She is the regional vice president at Farrer-Gantz Public Relations who hired Jamie as her assistant. Near 1989, Fran quits Farrer-Gantz to spend time with her obnoxious five-year-old son, Ryan, and husband, Mark. Jamie is then promoted to Fran's position. Fran and Mark's relationship lasts 10 years, and their separation shocks Jamie and Paul. After divorcing Mark, Fran returns to her old position at Farrer-Gantz, since Jamie had quit. Eventually, Fran also quits and goes into business with Jamie. In time, Fran and Mark reconcile. The character also appeared in sitcom ''Friends'' (The One With The Two Parts Part One). * Richard Kind as Dr. Mark Devanow (season 1; recurring seasons 2–5 & 7), Fran's melodramatic ex-husband, with whom she is on good terms. A former obstetrician, Mark left Fran and their young son because he felt smothered and wanted to see the world. After returning to New York, he converts to Buddhism and works for a grocery store, although ultimately he returns to his old profession. In due course, he wins Fran back. *

John Pankow John Pankow (born April 28, 1954) is an American actor. He began his career on-stage in New York, in numerous Off-Broadway and Broadway plays including Peter Shaffer's ''Amadeus'', John Patrick Shanley's ''Italian American Reconciliation,'' and ...

as Ira Buchman (seasons 2–7; recurring season 1), Paul's cousin. He first appears in the episode "The Wedding Affair." Ira is from the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn. He worked for Paul's father, Burt, at Buchman's Sporting Goods. Paul and Ira have a close friendship, but their hidden rivalry came out when Ira took ownership of Buchman's Sporting Goods upon Burt's retirement. Ira made Paul a silent partner in the store due to the mistaken belief that Paul resents his inheriting the store. Ira is a compulsive gambler and often takes Paul with him on Atlantic City junkets without Jamie's knowledge. When he remembers to, Ira attends Gamblers Anonymous meetings. Even so, he frequently appears as loving and supportive towards Paul and Jamie. *

Cynthia Harris Cynthia Lee Harris (August 9, 1934 – October 3, 2021) was an American film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for her roles in the television series '' Edward & Mrs. Simpson'' and the sitcom ''Mad About You''. Life and career C ...

as Sylvia Buchman (seasons 6–7; recurring seasons 2–5), Paul's mother. Sylvia almost always gives Jamie a hard time, but occasionally does show kindness towards her daughter-in-law. *

Louis Zorich Louis Zorich (February 12, 1924 – January 30, 2018) was an American actor. He played sporting good salesman Burt Buchman, Paul Buchman's father, on the NBC series ''Mad About You'' from 1993 to 1999. Early years Zorich was born in Chicago, I ...

as Burt Buchman (seasons 6–7; guest seasons 1–2; recurring seasons 3–5), Paul's father. Burt runs a sporting goods store – until he passes it on to Ira upon retirement. His signature line in the show occurs whenever he visits Paul and Jamie's apartment, exclaiming at the door, "It's me, Burt! Burt Buchman—your father!" * Alyssa and Justin Baric (twins) as Mabel Buchman, Paul and Jamie's daughter. She was finally named when Jamie's overbearing mother proclaimed that "Mothers Always Bring Extra Love", an homage to ''

The Dick Van Dyke Show ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Carl Reiner that initially aired on CBS from October 3, 1961 to June 1, 1966, with a total of 158 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. It was produced by Calvada Product ...

'' where Rob and Laura explain Ritchie's middle name. Alyssa and Justin Baric played Mabel from the beginning of season six when Mabel was brought home from the hospital ("Coming Home"). They continued to play the role of Mabel for numerous episodes. Carter and Madison Gale play the role at a later time. In the season six episode "Letters to Mabel," an 18-year-old Mabel is played by

Meredith Bishop Meredith Anne Bishop (born January 15, 1976) is an American actress, writer and producer. Bishop is best known for her role as Annie Mack in Nickelodeon's ''The Secret World of Alex Mack'', which ran on the network from 1994–1998. Bishop has ap ...

. In the series finale, a teen Mabel is played by

Cara DeLizia Cara Elizabeth DeLizia (born April 10, 1984) is a former American actress. She is best known for her role as Fiona "Fi" Phillips in the Disney Channel Original Series ''So Weird''. She is the younger sister of Melissa DeLizia, and the youngest d ...

, and an adult Mabel is played by

Janeane Garofalo Janeane Marie Garofalo ( ; born September 28, 1964) is an American comedian, actress, and former co-host on the now-defunct Air America Radio's ''The Majority Report''. Garofalo began her career as a stand-up comedian and became a cast member on ...

. Recurring roles and guest stars * Bradley White (actor) as Burtkus, Jaime's superior at her job at City Hall (2 episodes) * Jerry Adler as Mr. Wicker, the apartment building superintendent (10 episodes) * Hank Azaria as Nat Ostertag, Jamie and Paul's dog walker (15 episodes) * Robin Bartlett (29 episodes) and Talia Balsam (1 episode) as Debbie Buchman, Paul's sister. * Patrick Bristow as Troy, Jamie's scheming office underling (5 episodes) *

Mel Brooks Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began h ...

as Uncle Phil, Paul's uncle (4 episodes) * Carol Burnett (10 episodes) and

Penny Fuller A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is th ...

(4 episodes) and

Nancy Dussault Nancy Dussault (born June 30, 1936) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for playing Muriel Rush in the sitcom ''Too Close for Comfort'' (1980–1987). In a career spanning over half a century, Dussault received two Tony Award n ...

(1 episode) as Theresa Stemple, Jamie's mother. * Mo Gaffney as Dr. Sheila Kleinman, Jamie and Paul's therapist (13 episodes) *

Jeff Garlin Jeffrey Garlin (born June 5, 1962) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Murray Goldberg, patriarch of the eponymous family in the ABC sitcom '' The Goldbergs'', and Jeff Greene on the HBO sitcom '' Curb You ...

as Marvin, Ira's employee and semi-pro wrestler (13 episodes) * Judy Geeson as Maggie Conway, British neighbor across the hall (32 episodes) *

Tommy Hinkley Hiram Thomas Hinkley (born May 31, 1960) is an American actor. He made his feature film debut in the comedy '' Back to the Beach'' (1987), and subsequently appeared in the Academy Award-winning short film '' Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall'' ( ...

as Jay Selby, Paul's college friend (13 episodes, season 1 only). The disappearance of Selby is never explained, a fact referred to in season 5, episode 21 ("Guardianhood") * Lisa Kudrow as

Ursula Buffay Various characters appeared in the sitcom ''Friends'' and its spin-off series ''Joey'', which respectively aired for ten seasons and two seasons on NBC from 1994 to 2006. ''Friends'' featured six main cast members: Rachel Green-Geller (Jennifer ...

, absent-minded waitress at Riff's (24 episodes). The character also appeared in the sitcom, ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...

'' (1994-2004), in which Phoebe, a co-lead character played by Kudrow, was written as Ursula's twin sister. * Cyndi Lauper as Marianne Lugasso, Ira's on and off girlfriend/ex-wife (5 episodes) *

(2 episodes) * Gates McFadden as Allison Rourke, Paul Buchman's boss (4 episodes) * Larry Miller as Lou Bonaparte (5 episodes) * Carroll O'Connor (4 episodes) and

John Karlen John Karlen (born John Adam Karlewicz; May 28, 1933 – January 22, 2020) was an American character actor who played multiple roles on the ABC serial ''Dark Shadows'' on and off from 1967 to 1971. In 1971, Karlen starred as the male lead in ''Da ...

(3 episodes) and Paul Dooley (1 episode) as Gus Stemple, Jamie's father *

George O. Petrie George O. Petrie (November 16, 1912 – November 16, 1997) was an American radio and television actor. Early years Petrie was born on November 16, 1912, in New Haven, Connecticut.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biograph ...

as Sid, Paul's film editor colleague (10 episodes) *

Suzie Plakson Suzie Plakson is an American actress. Early life and education Born Susan Plaksin in Buffalo, New York, she was raised in Kingston, Pennsylvania and attended Northwestern University. Career Plakson began her career on the stage, and playe ...

as Dr. Joan Golfinos, Debbie Buchman's life partner (and Jamie's Ob/Gyn for a while) (18 episodes) *

Alan Ruck Alan Douglas Ruck (born July 1, 1956) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Cameron Frye, Ferris Bueller's best friend, in John Hughes's film ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986); Stuart Bondek, a lecherous, power-hungry member of ...

as Lance Brockwell (4 episodes) *

Eric Stoltz Eric Cameron Stoltz (born September 30, 1961) is an American actor, director and producer. He played the role of Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film ''Mask'', which earned him the nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Support ...

as Alan Tofsky, Jamie's ex-boyfriend (6 episodes) * Paxton Whitehead as Maggie's first and third husband Hal (9 episodes) * Jim Piddock as Maggie's second husband Hal (7 episodes) *

Steven Wright Steven Alexander Wright (born December 6, 1955) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and film producer. He is known for his distinctly lethargic voice and slow, deadpan delivery of ironic, philosophical and sometimes nonsensical jok ...

as Warren Mermelman (5 episodes) *

Scott Atkinson Scott Atkinson (July 23, 1966 – February 26, 2021) was an American actor and screenwriter from Pennsylvania best known for his many television roles, including recurring roles on ''Desperate Housewives, The Jamie Foxx Show, Commander in Chief (TV ...

as Doug the Handyman (season 5, episode 12: "The Handyman") Other notable guest stars *

Andre Agassi Andre Kirk Agassi ( ; born April 29, 1970) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He is an eight-time major champion and an Olympic gold medalist, as well as a runner-up in seven other majors. Agassi is the second of five men to ach ...

(season 2, episode 15) * Ed Asner (2 episodes) * John Astin (season 2, episode 23) * Kevin Bacon (season 5, episode 7) *

Lewis Black Lewis Niles Black (born August 30, 1948) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. His comedy routines often escalate into angry rants about history, politics, religion, or any other cultural trends. He hosted the Comedy Central series ''Lewis ...

(season 6, episode 7) * Christie Brinkley (season 2, episode 15) *

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...

(season 2, episode 23) * Michael Buffer (season 7, episode 17) *

Steve Buscemi Steven Vincent Buscemi ( ,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself, some may insist that his pronunciation of his own name is "wrong" because it does not match the original Italian pronunciation as well. It is not uncommon for people to pronou ...

(season 1, episode 7) *

Sid Caesar Isaac Sidney Caesar (September 8, 1922 – February 12, 2014) was an American comic actor, comedian and writer. With a career spanning 60 years, he was best known for two pioneering 1950s live television series: ''Your Show of Shows'' (1950� ...

(season 5, episode 15) *

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...

(season 6, episode 23) *

Dan Castellaneta Daniel Louis Castellaneta (; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Abraham "Grampa" ...

(season 7, episode 10) *

William Christopher William Christopher (October 20, 1932 December 31, 2016) was an American actor and comedian, best known for playing Private Lester Hummel on ''Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.'' from 1965 to 1968 and Father John Mulcahy on the television series ''M*A*S*H ...

(season 7, episode 2) * Tim Conway (season 7, episodes 21–22) * Ellen DeGeneres (season 6, episode 23) * Paul Dooley (season 1, episode 5) *

(season 1, episode 5) * Patrick Ewing (season 3, episode 20) * Jamie Farr (season 7, episode 16) * Barbara Feldon (season 1, episode 20) *

(season 7, episodes 21–22) * Brad Garrett (season 4, episode 18) *

Marita Geraghty Marita Geraghty (born March 26, 1962) is an American television and film actress. She had roles in several movies during the late 1980s and early 1990s, most notably as Nancy Taylor in ''Groundhog Day''. She was married to actor Michael Maguire. ...

(season 3, episode 10) * Steven Gilborn (Season 5 episode 13) * Rudolph "Rudy" Giuliani (season 3, episode 10) *

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...

(season 6, episode 10) *

Kerri Green Kerri Lee Green (born ) is an American actress, best known for her roles in ''The Goonies'' (1985), ''Summer Rental'' (1985), and '' Lucas'' (1986). She also co-wrote and directed the film ''Bellyfruit'' (1999). Early life Green grew up in Wo ...

(season 1, episode 4) *

Seth Green Seth Benjamin Green ( ''né'' Gesshel-Green; born February 8, 1974) is an American actor, producer, and writer. Green's film debut came with a role in the comedy-drama film ''The Hotel New Hampshire'' (1984), and he went on to have supporting ...

(season 5, episode 21) *

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...

(season 7, episode 15) * Bruno Kirby (season 5, episode 9) *

Robert Klein Robert Klein (born February 8, 1942) is an American stand-up comedian, singer, and actor. He is known for his appearances on stage and screen. He has released four standup comedy specials: ''A Child of the 50s'' (1973), ''Mind Over Matter'' (197 ...

(season 7, episode 9) * Nathan Lane (season 6, episode 11) *

Phil Leeds Phil Leeds (April 6, 1916 – August 16, 1998) was an American character actor. He is best known for appearing in many movies and television series, including guest appearances in ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'', '' Maude'', ''Friends'', ''Barney ...

(season 1, episode 6) *

Eugene Levy Eugene Levy (born December 17, 1946) is a Canadian actor and comedian. From 1976 until 1984, he appeared in the Canadian television sketch comedy series '' SCTV''. He has also appeared in the '' American Pie'' series of films and the Canadian ...

(season 6, episode 22) *

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...

(season 1, episode 17) * Mark McGwire (season 7, episode 13) *

Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism. Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ' ...

(season 5, episode 23) *

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

(season 4, episode 6) * Regis Philbin (season 1, episode 18) *

Sydney Pollack Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack directed more than 20 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 movies or shows and produced over 44 films. For his film ''Out ...

(season 6, episode 13) *

Beata Poźniak Beata Poźniak (; born 30 April 1960) is a Polish-American actress, film director, poet, painter and an Earphones Award-winning narrator. She is also a human rights activist who introduced the first bill in the history of US Congress to offici ...

(season 1, episode 12) * Carl Reiner as

Alan Brady Alan Brady (1909-1969) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. A New South Wales representative three-quarter back, he played in the NSWRFL Premiership for Sydney's the Western Suburbs ...

(season 3, episode 16) *

Michael Richards Michael Anthony Richards (born July 24, 1949) is an American actor, writer, television producer, and comedian best known for playing Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom '' Seinfeld''. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, first enterin ...

as Cosmo Kramer (season 1, episode 8) *

Alex Rocco Alex Rocco (born Alessandro Federico Petricone Jr.; February 29, 1936 – July 18, 2015) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive, gravelly voice, he was often cast as villains, including Moe Greene in ''The Godfather'' (1972) and his Pr ...

(season, 5, episode 7) * Al Roker (season 3, episode 6) *

Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a Jerry Seinfeld (character), semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom ''Seinfeld'', which he ...

(season 7, episode 1) *

Brent Spiner Brent Jay Spiner (; born February 2, 1949) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the android Data on the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', as well as four subsequent films. In 2019, he reprised the role for ...

(season 3, episode 15) *

Carol Ann Susi Carol Ann Susi (February 2, 1952 – November 11, 2014) was an American actress whose career spanned 40 years. Her best known roles were probably her first and last; she debuted as the recurring character of semi-competent but likable intern Mo ...

(season 1, episode 9) *

Wayne Tippit Wayne Tippit (December 19, 1932 – August 28, 2009) was an American television and stage character actor. He was best known to television audiences for playing Ted Adamson on the 1970s and 1980s CBS soap opera, ''Search for Tomorrow'', for five ...

(season 1, episode 11) * Patrick Warburton (season 1, episode 16) * Bruce Willis (season 5, episode 24) * Randy Savage (season 7, episode 17)

Revival (2019)

Main *

as Paul Buchman *

as Jamie Buchman (''née'' Stemple) *

as Lisa Stemple, Jamie's older sister *

as Ira Buchman, Paul's cousin * Abby Quinn as Mabel Buchman, Paul and Jamie's daughter * Richard Kind as Dr. Mark Devanow * Kecia Lewis as Tonya, Mark's new wife * Antoinette LaVecchia as Lucia Francavella, Ira's girlfriend then fiancée Returning *

as Sylvia Buchman, Paul's mother *

as Marvin * Jerry Adler as Mr. Wicker * Carol Burnett as Theresa Stemple, Jamie's mother * Mo Gaffney as Dr. Sheila Kleinman, psychiatrist Recurring * Asif Ali as Rishi * Sofia Hasmik as Ashta * Makena Lei Gordon as Shannon * Kimia Bellpoornia as Yasmeen Other * Cloris Leachman as Mrs. Mandelbaum, one of Jamie's therapy patients *

Jason Alexander Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor, comedian, host and director. An Emmy and Tony winner, he is best known for his role as George Costanza in the television series '' Se ...

as himself *

Blake Cooper Griffin Blake Cooper Griffin is an American actor. He is best known for his roles on HBO Max's '' Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty'', AMC's ''Preacher,'' TNT's '' Animal Kingdom'', and Ryan Murphy's '' Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Sto ...

as Aaron * Omar Adam as Craig * Jennifer Westfeldt as Donna Lawson * Jean Smart as Chelsea Stevens-Kobolakis * Isaac Cheung as Waiter * Joe Gillette as Vincent Maslin * Christina Marie Karis as Mara Buckland * Dylan Mattina as a New York City pedestrian * Layla Mohammadi as Meg Martin * Thomas Daniel Smith as Mark Buckland

Episodes

Crossovers

''Mad About You'' has had numerous connections to other NBC sitcoms set in New York City, as well as various other programs. ''

'' (owned by Warner Bros. Television): Lisa Kudrow played the recurring role of Ursula, a flaky waitress at Riff's Bar, a local restaurant that Paul and Jamie frequented. Kudrow went on to star in the NBC sitcom ''Friends'', playing the also somewhat flaky character of

Phoebe Buffay Phoebe Buffay is one of the six main characters from the American sitcom, ''Friends''. She is created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and portrayed by actress Lisa Kudrow. In the series' universe, Phoebe was born on February 16 and is the d ...

, and for a time both series shared the same Thursday night line-up. While not originally intended, the characters of Ursula and Phoebe were later found to be identical twin sisters. In a ''Friends'' episode ("The One With The Two Parts", 1st Season), as part of a night of NBC sitcom crossovers, Jamie and Fran walk into

Central Perk ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...

and mistake Phoebe for Ursula. Hunt and Kenzle were not identified on screen as Jamie and Fran. In the season three episode "Pandora's Box", Jamie causes a citywide power blackout in New York City, and the effects of the blackout are seen in the ''Friends'' episode, "The One with the Blackout", and there was also a blackout in the episode "Birthday in the Big House" of the short-lived NBC sitcom ''

Madman of the People ''Madman of the People'' is an American sitcom television series created by Chris Cluess and Stu Kreisman, that aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to June 17, 1995. It was scheduled in the Thursday 9:30 timeslot, part of Must See TV. ''Madman ...

''. All three episodes originally aired during the evening of November 3, 1994, alongside a ''Seinfeld'' episode which did not incorporate the blackout premise. ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...

'': In one episode ("The Apartment", 1st Season), Paul, pressured by Jamie, decides to sign over the lease of his old "bachelor pad" to the current tenant who is subleasing. When the tenant is revealed to be Cosmo Kramer (

) of ''Seinfeld'', Paul asks Kramer "What ever happened to that Jerry guy who used to live there?" ''Seinfeld'', however, twice contradicted this connection, once even featuring a running joke about George's distaste for his fiancée Susan's fondness for watching ''Mad About You''. In the ''Mad About You'' season seven episode "Season Opener", Paul, under the effects of

Viagra Sildenafil, sold under the brand name Viagra, among others, is a medication used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension. It is unclear if it is effective for treating sexual dysfunction in women. It is taken by ...

, ran into

in the street, who tells Paul to go away. At this point in ''Seinfeld''s chronology, Jerry Seinfeld was supposed to be in prison. ''

'': Carl Reiner reprised the role of Alan Brady from the 1960s sitcom. The episode made several references to the older show, such as Jamie at one point crying and whining "Oh, Paul!" – a take on

Mary Tyler Moore Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), which ...

's character Laura Petrie's frequent refrain "Oh, Rob!" – Ten episodes earlier, Paul almost trips over a box and says, "Get me, I'm

Dick Van Dyke Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. His award-winning career has spanned seven decades in film, television, and stage. Van Dyke began his career as an entertainer on radio and telev ...

." '' Style & Substance'': In the 2019 revival ("Real Estate for Beginners", 8th Season), Jean Smart appeared as Chelsea Stevens-Kobolakis, a controlling, abrasive, short-tempered character that she had previously portrayed in showrunner Peter Tolan's short-lived 1998 series. Paul and Jamie attend a weekend team-building workshop that Chelsea hosts, mistakenly thinking that it's the marriage counseling seminar which is being held in a nearby room.

Nielsen ratings

* 1992–93: #54 (10.18 rating) * 1993–94: #31 (12.69 rating) * 1994–95: #11 (15.2 rating) * 1995–96: #37 (10.8 rating) * 1996–97: #24 (11.0 rating) * 1997–98: #32 (13.4 million viewers) * 1998–99: #85 (9.1 million viewers)

Awards

''Mad About You'' won a

, a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

, a

Genesis Award The Genesis Awards are awarded annually by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to individuals in the major news and entertainment media for producing outstanding works which raise public awareness of animal issues. Presented by the HSUS ...

, received five

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series, and was chosen Best Quality Comedy by the

Viewers for Quality Television Viewers for Quality Television (also called "VQT") was an American nonprofit organization (under 501(c)(3)) founded in 1984 to advocate network television series that members of the organization voted to be of the "highest quality." The group's go ...

won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Comedy Series four years in a row (1996–99).

Media

Soundtrack

In 1997, Atlantic Records released a ''Mad About You'' soundtrack. The soundtrack from and inspired by the sitcom, is composed of fun and sentimental songs and clips from the show. The tracks are organized chronologically marking the milestones of the couple's relationship. The album is bookended by the two versions of Paul Reiser's song "Final Frontier"—the first track is the classic version used in the show's opening, and the last track is Anita Baker's jazzy, full-length rendition, with Reiser on keyboard. The 21 tracks are as follows: # "Final Frontier (TV Theme)" – Andrew Gold/The Sonora's Tucson Band # "Who I Am" – Faith Hill # "No Pressure" – Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt # "

I've Been Lonely Too Long "I've Been Lonely Too Long" is a song written by Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati and performed by The Young Rascals. Released as a single in 1967, it reached #7 in Canada, while in the U.S. it reached #16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, # ...

" – The Young Rascals # " At Last" –

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...

# "That's Marriage?" – Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt # "Ice Cream" – Sarah McLachlan # " I Love the Way You Love Me" – Eric Martin # "Nobody Knows Me" –

# "Sneaky Feelings" –

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

# "A Talk in the Park" – Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt # "Love and Forgiveness" –

Julia Fordham Julia Fordham (born 10 August 1962) is a British singer-songwriter. Her professional career started in the early 1980s, under the name "Jules Fordham", as a backing singer for Mari Wilson and Kim Wilde, before signing a recording contract of h ...

# "A Magic Moment" – Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt # "The Things We've Handed Down" – Marc Cohn # "Lullaby for You" –

BeBe Winans Benjamin "BeBe" Winans (born September 17, 1962) is an American gospel and R&B singer. He is a member of the noted Winans family, most members of which are also gospel artists. Winans has released nine albums, seven with his sister CeCe Winans, C ...

# "She Crawls Away" – Hootie & the Blowfish # "My First Child" – Nil Lara # "

Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" is a song written and performed by John Lennon. It was released on the 1980 album ''Double Fantasy'', the last album by Lennon and Ono released before his death. Paul McCartney has stated this is one of his favour ...

" –

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

# "Baby Girl" –

The Tony Rich Project Antonio Jeffries (born November 19, 1971), better known as Tony Rich and The Tony Rich Project, is an American Grammy-award-winning Contemporary singer-songwriter best known for his hit single " Nobody Knows". Early career Rich was born in D ...

# "Unconditional Love" – Paul Reiser & Helen Hunt # "''Mad About You'' – The Final Frontier" – Anita Baker

Home media

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home video distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures lib ...

has released the first three seasons of ''Mad About You'' on DVD in Region 1 and 4. The first two seasons were also made available in Region 2. No subsequent seasons were released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. In February 2010,

Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...

acquired the distribution rights to the remaining seasons of ''Mad About You'' on DVD. They subsequently released seasons 4 and 5 on DVD. On August 27, 2013, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to various television series from the Sony Pictures library including ''Mad About You''. They subsequently re-released the first and second seasons on DVD on August 5, 2014. Mill Creek released the complete series on a 14-DVD set on May 3, 2016. As of August 1, 2019, the entire series has been available to

Spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors i ...

subscribers as part of the run-up to the premiere of the revival series. On December 8, 2020, the revival season, alongside the original series, was added to

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

Season releases

Best-of releases

Adaptations

A Chilean adaptation under the title ''Loco por ti'' (translated as ''Crazy About You'') aired on TVN during 2004. An Argentine adaptation under the title ''

Loco por vos ''Loco por vos'' (translated as ''Crazy About You'' and stylized as ''Loco x Vos'') is an Argentine sitcom, remake of the American series ''Mad About You''. The series stars Juan Minujín, Julieta Zylberberg, Gino Renni, Adriana Aizemberg, Agust ...

'' (translated as ''Crazy About You'') stylized as ''Loco x vos'' aired on

Telefe Telefe (acronym for Televisión Federal) is a television station located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The station is owned and operated by Paramount Global through Televisión Federal S.A. Telefe is also one of Argentina's six national television ...

from September 5 until December 29, 2016. The second season was originally going to air in 2017 but was scrapped later on. A British adaptation under the title ''Loved by You'' aired for two seasons on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

from 11 March 1997 until 27 August 1998. An Italian adaptation under the title '' Innamorati pazzi'' (''Crazy Lovers'') aired on Italia 1 from 1998 until 2003 A Chinese adaptation aired on Dragon TV on January 4, 2016.

References

External links

*
''Mad About You'' at faqs.org site
{{Charter Communications 1992 American television series debuts 1999 American television series endings 2019 American television series debuts 2019 American television series endings 1990s American romantic comedy television series 1990s American sitcoms 2010s American romantic comedy television series 2010s American sitcoms American television series revived after cancellation Best Musical or Comedy Series Golden Globe winners English-language television shows Friends (1994 TV series) Jewish comedy and humor Television series about Jews and Judaism NBC original programming Peabody Award-winning television programs Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series Television franchises Television series about marriage Television series by Sony Pictures Television Television shows set in Manhattan Spectrum Originals original programming