''Less than Perfect'' 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 ...

created by

Terri Minsky Terri Minsky is an American television writer and producer who created '' The Geena Davis Show'', ''Lizzie McGuire'', ''Less Than Perfect'', and ''Andi Mack''. Early and personal life Minsky grew up in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. A mother of two ...

and starring

Sara Rue Sara Rue (born January 26, 1979) is an American actress. She is known for her performances as Carmen Ferrara on ''Popular'', as Claude Casey on ''Less than Perfect'', and as the Attorney General in ''Idiocracy''. In 2011, she hosted The CW realit ...

and

Sherri Shepherd Sherri Shepherd (born April 22, 1967) is an American actress, comedian, author, broadcaster, and television personality. She currently hosts the daily syndicated daytime talk show, ''Sherri''. From 2007 to 2014, Shepherd was a co-host of the day ...

which originally aired on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

from October 1, 2002, to June 20, 2006. It follows Claude (Rue), who works at a television network named GNB, as well as her friends and colleagues.

Overview and premise

The show centers on Claude Casey (

), a young woman who works at a television network called GNB. Though at first a temp who fills in on other assignments, Claude is hired in the pilot by anchor Will Butler (

Eric Roberts Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. His career began with a leading role in '' King of the Gypsies'' (1978) for which he received his first Golden Globe Award nomination. He was nominated again at the Golden Globes ...

) to be his assistant. Claude's fellow co-assistants Lydia Weston (

Andrea Parker Andrea N. Parker is an American film and television actress. She is known for her roles on '' ER'', '' The Pretender'', ''Less than Perfect'', ''Desperate Housewives'', and ''Pretty Little Liars''. Career Her first documented film role was at ...

) and Kipp Steadman (

Zachary Levi Zachary Levi Pugh ( ; born September 29, 1980) is an American actor. He received critical acclaim for starring as Chuck Bartowski in the series '' Chuck'', and as the title character in '' Shazam!'' and its 2023 sequel, as a part of the DC Ex ...

) are unhappy at Claude's arrival, and do everything they can to make her miserable. Luckily, Claude is able to navigate the workplace with the help of her best friends Ramona Platt (

) and Owen Kronsky (

Andy Dick Andrew Roane Dick (born Andrew Thomlinson; December 21, 1965) is an American comedian, actor, musician, and television and film producer. Known professionally as a comic, his first regular television role was on the short-lived but influential ...

), who also work at the network in other departments. In season two, two new characters joined the series:

Will Sasso Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and wil ...

as Claude's neighbor and GNB cafeteria head Carl Monari; and

Patrick Warburton Patrick Warburton (born November 14, 1964) is an American actor. On television, he has played David Puddy on '' Seinfeld'', the title character on '' The Tick'', Jeb Denton on ''Less Than Perfect'', Jeff Bingham on ''Rules of Engagement'' and Lem ...

as Jeb Denton, ladder-climbing news anchor and Lydia's love interest. Sasso, who had recurred throughout the last half of the first season, was upgraded at the beginning of the season; Warburton began as a recurring character in the first half of the season, before being upgraded at midseason. Much was made at the time of the show's premiere about the central character of the show being a "full figured" woman, and that the title correlated to Claude being "Less Than Perfect." Over the course of the series, Rue lost . She has since become a spokesperson for

Jenny Craig Jenny Craig, Inc., often known simply as Jenny Craig, is an American weight loss, weight management, and nutrition company. The company has more than 700 weight management centers in Australia, the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. The pro ...

and lost a total of . As the series progressed, Rue's figure became less of a focus on the series.

History

Though it was never a rating juggernaut, ''Less Than Perfect'' aired at a time when ABC was seeing a large ratings decline across the network. However, the series received steady, respectable ratings, especially for being in the last slot of ABC's Tuesday night sitcom lineup. The overall ratings for season two, which creator Terri Minsky later departed, actually saw an increase from the ratings of season one. However, in its third season, ABC moved the series to its TGIF revival lineup on Friday nights. This led to a major decline in ratings, and put the show at risk for cancellation; VGuide.com featured the show on a list of "Endangered Series." Due to the series being near the threshold for the number of episodes needed for

syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

, and the series still earning respectable ratings in the coveted 18–49 demographic, ABC ordered a 13-episode fourth season to air as a mid-season replacement. For the fourth season, the series underwent a retooling that saw the departure of cast member Eric Roberts. Despite the close renewal, the future of the series was not assured. In January 2006, Zachary Levi said that many of the cast members were ready to move on after filming the season. In March, Sara Rue was cast in a CBS sitcom pilot ''Play Nice'', starring as a woman who runs a toy company with her brother (the pilot was ultimately not picked up). After almost a year off the air, the series returned on April 18, 2006, in its old Tuesday night timeslot. After airing only three episodes of the fourth season, ABC cancelled ''Less Than Perfect.'' The series was one of several sitcoms cancelled by the network, as they discontinued both the Tuesday night and Friday night sitcom lineups.
ABC initially planned to burn off the remaining nine episodes with fellow cancelled sitcom '' Rodney (TV series), Rodney'', which had taken over its time slot the season prior. ABC ultimately aired only three more episodes before pulling both series off the schedule. The show joined

Lifetime Television Lifetime is an American basic cable channel that is part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a subsidiary of A&E Networks, which is jointly owned by Hearst Communications and The Walt Disney Company. It features programming that is geared toward ...

's lineup on June 1, 2009 in syndication. The network aired all 81 episodes, including the seven unaired episodes from season four. However, Lifetime dropped the series in 2010. In April 2012, ''Less Than Perfect'' joined the lineup of new

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

network,

ABC Spark ABC Spark is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel was launched on March 26, 2012, replacing the declining channel Dusk. ABC Spark is based on the U.S. subscription channel Freeform (previously ...

Opening credits and theme

From the beginning, ''Less Than Perfect'' had a simple opening sequence, credits which were played over the opening scene of each episode of season one. However, a new theme song and opening sequence were introduced at the beginning of season two. The intro was abandoned after the first seven episodes, reverting to the previous simple credits which lasted until the end of season three. Season four introduced a five-second opening, in which the title can be seen on post-it notes on an office desk, while a brief instrumental version of the theme tune is played.

Cast and characters

Main

as Claudia "Claude" Casey, the quirky, sweet lead character. From Pittsburgh, Claude works as the executive assistant for GNB anchorman Will Butler. Initially insecure due to the fish out of water template she personifies, Claude gains confidence in herself and her abilities as the series progresses. *

as Ramona Platt, a sassy co-worker and friend of Claude and Owen. She is sometimes bossy and obnoxious, but is still a loyal and caring friend. She dislikes both Kipp and Lydia. *

as Lydia Weston, one of Claude's "frenemies". She is shallow, snobby, and professionally ambitious, although without noticeable work skills. Lydia finds Claude to be a hick and a walking fashion faux pas. Eventually, Lydia begins a relationship with Jeb Denton, and marries him in the season three finale. In season four, she becomes the producer of Jeb's news segment, and hires Claude as her assistant. *

as Kipp Steadman, Claude's other frenemy and Lydia's best friend, eventually becomes Jeb Denton's assistant. He is shown to be arrogant, shallow, and snobby, but is more intelligent, and occasionally shows flashes of far more humanity than Lydia (seen in episodes such as ''The Pimp Hat'' and ''Why Are You Hurting Claude?''). *

as Owen Kronsky, a seriously offbeat, sensitive, and sometimes clumsy office supply manager with GNB. *

as Will Butler (seasons 1–3), Claude's charming, but vain boss, a well-known national news anchor. He is a womanizer with several ex-wives. Will unexpectedly (and offstage) quits the network at the start of season 4, forcing Claude to scramble for another position—working for Lydia. *

as Carl Monari (Seasons 2–4; recurring season 1), the cafeteria manager at GNB. He is a friend of Claude, Ramona, and Owen. He lives across the hall from Claude, and becomes her boyfriend in season four. *

as Jeb Denton (Seasons 2–4), Will Butler's co-anchor, and Lydia's boyfriend (later husband). Jeb is a mellow, funny, and ambitious news anchor, who is trying to climb the ladder at GNB. He is Kipp's boss, but rarely refers to him by name, mostly as "Secretary." His favorite food is Crab Cakes.

Recurring

Josh Braaten Joshua M. Braaten (born June 25, 1977) is an American actor. Early life and education Born in Austin, Minnesota, Braaten grew up in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, and graduated from Blooming Prairie High School in 1995. He graduated in 1999 from ...

as Charlie, Claude's boyfriend from the travel department (Seasons 1 & 3) *

William Ragsdale William Ragsdale (born January 19, 1961) is an American actor known for playing teenaged vampire slayer Charley Brewster in the horror vampire film ''Fright Night'' (1985) and Herman Brooks in the television series ''Herman's Head'' (1991–94) ...

as Mitch Calgrove, a producer at GNB who Claude dates (Season 2) * John Eric Bentley as an assistant director who later returns as a director (Seasons 1 & 4) *

French Stewart Milton French-Stewart IV (born February 20, 1964), known professionally as French Stewart, is an American actor, best known for playing Harry Solomon on the NBC sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun''. He also played Marv Murchins in ''Home Alone 4'', In ...

as Gene Schmidtline, an employee at GNB who has a crush on Ramona (Seasons 2–3) *

Jenny McCarthy Jennifer McCarthy Wahlberg (' Jennifer Ann McCarthy; born November 1, 1972) is an American actress, model, and television personality. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for ''Playboy'' magazine and was later named their Playmate of ...

as Dani, Will's on-and-off girlfriend (Season 2) *

Diana-Maria Riva Diana-Maria Riva (born July 22, 1969) is an American actress, known for her performances on television. She was regular cast member in series including '' Philly'' (2001-02), ''Side Order of Life'' (2007), '' The Good Guys'' (2010), ''Telenovela ...

as Vivian, Carl's ex-girlfriend (Seasons 2–3) * Jonna Tamases as Irene, a co-worker at GNB who offers Claude a job (Season 4)

Guest stars

Martin Mull Martin Eugene Mull (born August 18, 1943) is an American actor, comedian and musician who has appeared in many television and film roles. He is also a painter and recording artist. As an actor, he first became known in his role on ''Mary Hartman, ...

as Buddy Casey, Claude's dad (Season 1) *

Cindy Williams Cynthia Jane Williams (born August 22, 1947) is an American actress and producer, known for her role as Shirley Feeney on the television sitcom ''Happy Days'' (1975–1979), and ''Laverne & Shirley'' (1976–1982). Early life Williams was bo ...

as Joan Casey, Claude's mom (Season 1) *

Joanna Cassidy Joanna Cassidy (born Joanna Virginia Caskey, August 2, 1945 Brady, James"In Step With: Joanna Cassidy" ''Miami Herald'', November 25, 1990. Accessed March 14, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Born: Aug.2, 1944, in Camden, N.J.") is an American actress. ...

as Norma (Season 1) *

Michael Boatman Michael Patrick Boatman (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his roles as New York City mayoral aide Carter Heywood in the ABC sitcom ''Spin City'', as U.S. Army Specialist Samuel Beckett in the ABC drama s ...

as Ted Elliot, a director who employs Claude (Seasons 1 & 2) *

Trista Rehn , stylized as Book☆Walker, is a Japanese e-book store that sells manga, light novels, and magazines from various publishers, as well as a few published by themselves. It is based in Chiyoda, Tokyo and was created by Kadokawa Corporation. The c ...

as Herself (Season 1) *

Richard Ruccolo Richard Robert Ruccolo (born March 2, 1972) is an American television and film actor, best known for his lead role in the sitcom ''Two Guys and a Girl'' (originally titled ''Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place''). Early life Ruccolo was born in ...

as Bobby Casey, Claude's brother (Season 1) *

Barry Bostwick Barry Knapp Bostwick (born February 24, 1945) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Brad Majors in the musical comedy horror film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975) and Mayor Randall Winston in the sitcom ''Spin City'' (199 ...

as Max Damarius (Season 1) *

Nicole Sullivan Nicole Sullivan (born April 21, 1970) is an American actress and comedian best known for her six seasons (1995–2001) on the sketch comedy series ''MADtv''. She also played Holly Shumpert in five seasons (2001–2005, 2007) of the CBS sitcom '' ...

as Deirdre Bishop, Owen's love interest (Season 1) *

George Wyner George Wyner (born October 20, 1945) is an American film and television actor. Wyner graduated from Syracuse University in 1968 as a drama major and was an in-demand character actor by the early 1970s. Wyner has made guest appearances in over 1 ...

as Alan Turnbach, head of GNB news (Seasons 1 & 4) *

Simon Helberg Simon Maxwell Helberg (born December 9, 1980) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for playing Howard Wolowitz in the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory'' (2007–2019), for which he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Sup ...

as Arthur (season 2) *

Randee Heller Randee Heller (born Randee Antzis; June 10, 1947) is an American television and film actress known for playing Alice in the 1970s sitcom ''Soap (TV series), Soap'' – one of television's first lesbian characters – as well as for portraying Li ...

as Mrs. Ross (season 2) *

Gordon Clapp Gordon Clapp (born September 24, 1948) is an American actor best known for playing Det. Greg Medavoy for all 12 seasons of the television series ''NYPD Blue'', winning an Emmy Award in 1998. Early life and education Clapp was born in North Con ...

as Detective Martin (season 2) *

Pamela Anderson Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian-American actress and model. She is best known for her glamour modeling work in ''Playboy'' magazine and for her appearances on the television series ''Baywatch'' (1992–1997). Anders ...

as Vicki Devorski (season 2) *

Bill Walton William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American television sportscaster and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national ...

as Himself (season 2) *

Joanna Kerns Joanna Kerns (born February 12, 1953) is an American actress and director best known for her role as Maggie Seaver on the family situation comedy ''Growing Pains'' from 1985 to 1992. Early life Kerns was born Joanna Crussie DeVarona in San Franc ...

and

Valerie Harper Valerie Kathryn Harper (August 22, 1939 – August 30, 2019) was an American actress. She began her career as a dancer on Broadway, making her debut as a replacement in the musical ''Li'l Abner''. She is best remembered for her role as Rho ...

as Judy and Judith, Owen's lesbian mothers. (seasons 2 & 3) *

Michael Angarano Michael Anthony Angarano (born December 3, 1987) is an American actor. He became known for his roles in the film '' Music of the Heart'' (1999) and the television series '' Cover Me'' (2000–2001), as well as for playing a recurring role as Ell ...

as George Denton, Jeb's son (seasons 2 & 3) *

Lesley Ann Warren Lesley Ann Warren (born August 16, 1946) is an American actress and singer. She made her Broadway debut in 1963, aged 17, in '' 110 in the Shade''. In 1965 she received wide recognition for playing the title role in the television musical prod ...

as Diane Steadman, Kipp's mom (season 2) *

Brooke Burke Brooke Lisa Burke (born September 8, 1971) is an American television personality, fitness personality, author, actress, and businesswoman. She is known for hosting the E! Network travel show ''Wild On!'' (1999–2002), CBS' ''Rock Star'' (20 ...

as Nurse Benson (season 2) *

James Belushi James Adam Belushi (; born June 15, 1954) is an American actor. He is best known for the role of Jim on the sitcom ''According to Jim'' (2001–2009). His other television roles include ''Saturday Night Live'' (1983–1985), '' Total Security'' ...

as sandwich vendor Eddie Smirkoff (season 2) *

John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court beha ...

as Himself (season 2) *

Tori Spelling Victoria Davey Spelling (born May 16, 1973) is an American actress and author. Her first major role was Donna Martin on ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', beginning in 1990. She has appeared in made for television films, including '' A Friend to Die F ...

as Roxanne Fiedler, Claude's childhood best friend. (season 2) *

Lucy Lawless Lucille Frances Lawless (; born 29 March 1968) is a New Zealand actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Xena in the television series '' Xena: Warrior Princess'', as D'Anna Biers on the re-imagined '' Battlestar Galactica'' seri ...

as Tracy Fletcher (season 3) *

Richard Kind Richard Bruce Kind (born November 22, 1956) is an American actor and comedian, known for his roles as Dr. Mark Devanow in ''Mad About You'' (1992–1999, 2019), Paul Lassiter in ''Spin City'' (1996–2002), Andy in ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' (2002 ...

as Lance Corcoran (season 3) * John Di Maggio as Bartender (season 3) *

David Cassidy David Bruce Cassidy (April 12, 1950 – November 21, 2017) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was best known for his role as Keith Partridge, the son of Shirley Partridge (played by his stepmother, Shirley Jones), in t ...

as Vince (season 3) *

Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreograph ...

as Kathleen (season 3) * Kimberly Williams as Laura (season 3) *

Regis Philbin Regis Francis Xavier Philbin (; August 25, 1931 – July 25, 2020)Archived aGhostarchiveand thWayback Machine was an American television presenter, talk show host, game show host, comedian, actor, and singer. Once called "the hardest working ma ...

as Xin Xao Pi (season 3) *

Joan Rivers Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavi ...

as Louise (season 3) *

Paul DiMeo Paul DiMeo (born February 12, 1958) is an American television personality, philanthropist, building designer, and carpenter who was a regular cast member of the reality television series '' Extreme Makeover: Home Edition''. Early life and educa ...

Tracy Hutson Tracy Hutson is an American reality television personality and one of the original style consultants on ABC TV's television series '' Extreme Makeover: Home Edition''. Hutson grew up in Dallas, Texas. Acting career Hutson has appeared in a number ...

& Michael Moloney as themselves, the cast of ''

Extreme Makeover ''Extreme Makeover'' is an American reality television series that premiered on ABC on December 11, 2002. Created by television producer Howard Schultz, the show depicts ordinary men and women undergoing "extreme makeovers" involving plastic su ...

'' (season 3) *

Star Jones Starlet Marie Jones (born March 24, 1962), better known as Star Jones, is an American lawyer, journalist, television personality, fashion designer, author, and women's and diversity advocate. She is best known as one of the first co-hosts on the ...

as Dr Curtis (season 3) *

Christopher Knight Christopher or Chris Knight may refer to: Film and television *Christopher Knight (actor) (born 1957), American actor * Christopher Knight (filmmaker), blogger and filmmaker * Chris Knight (''Neighbours''), fictional character in the soap opera '' ...

as Waiter (season 3) *

Joey McIntyre Joseph Mulrey McIntyre (born December 31, 1972) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He is best known as the youngest member of the pioneering boy band, New Kids on the Block. He has sold over one million records worldwide as a solo a ...

as Ethan (season 4) *

Tony Plana José Antonio Plana (born April 19, 1952) is a Cuban actor and director. He is known for playing Betty Suarez's father, Ignacio Suarez, on the ABC television show ''Ugly Betty'' and for voicing Manuel "Manny" Calavera in the video game ''Grim ...

as The Owl Inspector (season 4) *

Natasha Alam Natasha Alam (Russian: Наталья Анатольевна Шиманчук; born Natalia Anatolievna Shimanchuk, born March 10, 1973) is an Uzbekistani–American actress and model. Alam has starred on ''True Blood'' and been a cover model for ...

as Daniella (season 3)

Episodes

Distribution

International broadcast

''Less Than Perfect'' was seen on ATV in Austria, on

Nelonen Nelonen () is a Finnish commercial television channel. It started out as Helsinki's local television channel PTV in 1990 on the HTV cable network (now part of DNA Welho), and changed its name first to PTV4. On June 1, 1997, the channel expand ...

in Finland, on FOX8 (pay TV) and the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...

(free to air) in Australia, on

MTV Russia MTV Russia or MTV Россия (russian: МТВ Россия) was a Russian music and entertainment TV channel, which carried out its broadcasting from September 25, 1998 to May 31, 2013. On October 1, 2013, MTV Russia was relaunched as a satel ...

in Russia, on

Star World Star World (formerly known as Star Plus) is an English language entertainment television channel originally launched on 15 December 1991 as Star Entertainment () by STAR TV in Hong Kong as the old iteration of Star Plus. On 30 March 1996, the ...

for the rest of Asia, on yesSTARS in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, on

Cuatro Cuatro is Spanish (and other Romance languages) for the number four. Cuatro may also refer to: * Cuatro (instrument), name for two distinct Latin American instruments, one from Puerto Rico (see Cuatro) and the other from Venezuela (see Cuatro) ...

in Spain, on

Sky Italia Sky Italia S.r.l. is an Italian satellite television platform owned by the American media conglomerate Comcast. Sky Italia also broadcasts three national free-to-air television channels: TV8, Cielo and Sky TG24. As of 2018, following an agree ...

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

and

MTV Italia MTV is an Italian pay television network, owned by Paramount Networks EMEAA and operated by Sky Italia. History Prior to the launch of a 24-hour Italian speaking MTV, MTV viewers in Italy received the pan-European version of MTV Europe, MTV. Reg ...

in Italy, on Kanal 5 in Denmark, on HRT and

Fox Life Fox Life is an international pay television network, launched by the Fox Networks Group in 2004. The network has been discontinued in several markets over time, except for the Middle East, Bulgaria, Portugal, the Balkans, India and Greece. The ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

, Macedonia,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

and

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

, on TV-First in

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

. The first seven episodes and episode nine of the final season of ''Less Than Perfect'' aired on TV2 in New Zealand, with the remaining episodes (eight and 10 through 13) not played. The show also aired on

MBC 4 MBC 4 is a television channel in the Middle East. It was launched on 1 February 2005 at 5:00 P.M. (GMT) and is owned by the Middle East Broadcasting Center. MBC 4 airs international programmes with Arabic language subtitles. Programming is ta ...

to Arabic speaking viewers. In

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, TNT Turkey airs. And

ComedyMax ComedyMax is a former television channel in Turkey, which broadcasts worldwide hit TV series as Turkish subtitled. It is exclusively available for Digiturk satellite package subscribers. List of comedy shows on ComedyMax Some of the shows on Com ...

currently airs the show for

Digiturk Digiturk is a Turkish satellite television provider founded in 1999, with services starting in mid-2000. They provide both national television channels and their own channels, national radio, and music streams of different genres. Digiturk is als ...

subscribers and

Comedy Smart Comedy Smart is a television channel in Turkey, which broadcasts worldwide hit TV comedy series as Turkish dubbed. It is exclusively available for D-Smart satellite package owners. Shows Some of the shows (previously) on Comedy Smart: *'' 10 It ...

airs for

D-Smart D-Smart is a Turkish satellite television provider launched in 2007. It launched high-definition television High-definition television (HD or HDTV) describes a television system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the pr ...

subscribers. The show was originally screened in the UK and Ireland on

ABC1 ABC TV, formerly known as ABC1, is an Australian national public television network. It is owned and operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and is the flagship ABC Television network. The headquarters of the ABC TV channel an ...

where it broadcast all episode and repeated the series up until its closure in 2007. It has previously been aired on

RTÉ TWO (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...

in Ireland, while it also aired on Paramount Comedy 1 (now

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...

) in the UK and Ireland, although it is not currently being shown on either of these two networks. As of April 2013,

in Canada are broadcasting the show in quadruple bills, twice daily. Lifetime also reran the show for a brief period in 2009. In Italy, it aired on

as '' Perfetti...ma non troppo'' (''Perfect...but not too much'') from September 1, 2003 until May 13, 2007.

Home media

Lionsgate Home Entertainment Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered in ...

released the first season of ''Less Than Perfect'' on DVD in Region 1 on .

Reception

Critical reception

Early reviews for the show found the characterization generally stereotypical, but critics often praised the performance of

. ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' asserted that "in just two episodes, the good guys/bad guys structure and the exaggerated characterizations already are showing signs of wear," although it called Rue a "welcome addition" to TV sitcoms. ''

People A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...

'' magazine likewise criticized the stereotypical characters, but summarized the show as "Hardly perfect but happily Rueful." However, by Season 3, ''USA Today'' said the show had "hit its stride."Robert Bianco (November 26, 2004), "Unwind, rewind, watch these shows". ''

''.

Ratings

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Less Than Perfect 2002 American television series debuts 2006 American television series endings 2000s American sitcoms 2000s American workplace comedy television series American Broadcasting Company original programming English-language television shows Television series about television Television series by ABC Studios Television series created by Terri Minsky Television shows set in New York City TGIF (TV programming block)