The New Adventures of Old Christine

Last updated
The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine title card.jpg
Title card
Genre Sitcom
Created by Kari Lizer
Directed by Andy Ackerman
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes88 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Andy Ackerman
  • Ellen Kreamer
  • Jack Burditt
  • Jeff Astrof
  • Kari Lizer
  • Sherry Bilsing-Graham
Producers
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time22–24 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseMarch 13, 2006 (2006-03-13) 
May 12, 2010 (2010-05-12)

The New Adventures of Old Christine (often shortened to simply Old Christine) is an American sitcom created by Kari Lizer that aired on CBS from March 13, 2006, to May 12, 2010. The series stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell, a single mother balancing her work and personal life while maintaining a close relationship with her ex-husband, Richard, played by Clark Gregg. The show also features Hamish Linklater as Christine’s brother Matthew, Wanda Sykes as her best friend Barb, and Trevor Gagnon as her son Ritchie.

Contents

The sitcom revolves around Christine's humorous and often chaotic attempts to keep pace with the changing world around her, especially as she navigates life as a divorcée, while her ex-husband moves on with a younger girlfriend, also named Christine, referred to as "New Christine." Filming primarily took place in Los Angeles, California, with Andy Ackerman directing all 88 episodes.

The New Adventures of Old Christine received positive reviews from critics. Throughout its run, the series received 9 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, with Louis-Dreyfus winning Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2006.

CBS canceled The New Adventures of Old Christine after five seasons on May 18, 2010. [1]

Background

Christine Campbell (portrayed by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is a neurotic and often self-absorbed single mother. She owns a women’s gym and grapples with her insecurities, while striving to maintain some semblance of control over her chaotic life. She shares a complicated yet cordial relationship with her ex-husband, Richard (Clark Gregg), whose younger girlfriend—also named Christine—is referred to as "New Christine," much to her chagrin. This leads to Christine being called "Old Christine," a source of ongoing humor in the series.

Christine lives with her son, Ritchie (Trevor Gagnon), and her brother, Matthew (Hamish Linklater), a therapist who often provides sarcastic yet supportive advice. Christine's best friend and business partner, Barb (Wanda Sykes), frequently acts as her confidante, offering both comic relief and level-headed counsel amidst Christine's many personal dilemmas.

Throughout the series, Christine’s life is marked by her competitive, and often disastrous, attempts to keep up with the societal pressures around her. This includes her ongoing rivalry with the wealthy and condescending "meanie moms" at her son’s private school, Marly Ehrhardt (Tricia O'Kelley) and Lindsay (Alex Kapp Horner), who often exacerbate her feelings of inadequacy.

The series humorously explores Christine's journey through motherhood, friendship, and self-discovery, while highlighting her struggles with modern life and her efforts to rebuild post-divorce.

There are guest appearances from actors including Blair Underwood, Dave Foley, Eric McCormack, Jason Alexander, Jennifer Grey, Jeffrey Tambor, Megan Mullally, Scott Bakula, Ed Begley Jr., Kristen Johnston, Molly Shannon, Andy Richter, Amy Sedaris, Lee Tergesen, Jane Lynch, Marion Ross.

History

Synopsis

Trevor Gagnon and Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Season 1; Episode 3 "Open Water". New-adventures-of-old-christine-20060309070140018.jpg
Trevor Gagnon and Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Season 1; Episode 3 "Open Water".

The first season consists of 13 episodes and premiered on March 13, 2006. In this season Christine has only just enrolled her son, Ritchie, at a new posh private school, where she is constantly being humiliated by Marly and Lindsay, some non-working mothers at the school. On top of all this, she has just discovered her ex-husband, Richard, has started dating a much younger woman who is also named Christine. Christine has a brief fling with Burton Schaefer, her on-and-off romantic interest, but they soon break up due to Christine not being able to commit to the relationship. In the season finale, Christine kisses Richard, causing him to tell New Christine, who promptly breaks up with him.

The second season consists of 22 episodes and premiered on September 18, 2006. Due to Richard and Christine spending more time together after his breakup with New Christine, Ritchie believes that his parents have gotten back together, much to his parents' dismay. Christine starts dating an older man, who she later discovers is New Christine's father. Richard and New Christine rekindle their romance once again. Barb decides to start working at the gym with Christine, while Christine falls hard for Ritchie's new teacher, Mr. Harris. The season finale included Richard sleeping with Christine after breaking up with New Christine yet again. This causes a pregnancy scare for Christine, which is soon avoided. Eventually, New Christine takes Richard back and Mr. Harris takes a new teaching job at another school, allowing him and Christine to start dating.

The third season was scheduled as a midseason replacement on CBS with 13 episodes scheduled. Due to the 2007 writer's strike, the third season consists of only 10 episodes. The third season premiered on February 4, 2008. Christine and Mr. Harris have a good relationship, until Christine's schedule becomes too hectic midway through the season; so they eventually break up. Meanwhile, Richard and New Christine buy a house together, which coincidentally is Christine's dream house, leaving her feeling jealous and confused. Barb leaves her husband and she has a short-lived fling with Matthew, much to Christine's horror.

The fourth season, consisting of 22 episodes, premiered on September 24, 2008. As she is Bahamian, Barb faces deportation from the U.S. after her divorce, so Christine decides to marry her in a sham lesbian marriage in order to keep her best friend in the country. Richard and New Christine become engaged while Matthew finds love with one of his clients. Christine has a brief relationship with a man named Patrick, while Christine and Barb decide to turn their gym into a spa which they later discover has turned into a brothel. On the day of Richard and New Christine's wedding, Christine briefly gets back together with New Christine's father, but is later left heartbroken when she discovers that he is engaged. This causes Richard to rush to Christine's side, provoking the jealous New Christine to leave him at the altar. Meanwhile, Barb and Christine's sham marriage is discovered by Dave, an INS officer, leaving Barb imprisoned.

The fifth and final season, consisting of 21 episodes, premiered on September 23, 2009. Barb is released from custody and marries Richard so that she can stay in the country. She also starts dating the immigration officer Dave. While Richard tries to win New Christine back, he temporarily moves into a new apartment with Matthew. Christine begins going to therapy, but she is attracted to her therapist, Max. They eventually abandon Christine's therapy and strike up a relationship instead. New Christine announces that she is pregnant, causing Richard to rekindle his relationship with her. New Christine eventually gives birth to a baby girl. Meanwhile, Barb becomes engaged to a reluctant Dave. At the conclusion of the season, Christine also becomes engaged to Max, but she feels intimidated by his very educated friends, and also in an effort to improve herself and reach her potential, she decides to return to college.

Cancellation

In May 2010, CBS canceled The New Adventures of Old Christine. [1] [2] Afterward, series creator Kari Lizer slammed the network, suggesting the decision to cancel the series was sexist. [3] [4] In an interview with TV Guide , Lizer stated: "As far as what happened at CBS, we've suffered from a serious lack of support from them since the beginning. I hate to say it, but I'm afraid they don't care much for the female-of-a-certain-age point of view over there. How else do you explain them squandering the talents of Julia [Louis-Dreyfus] and Wanda [Sykes]?" [3] With support from Lizer, Warner Bros. Television began negotiations to continue the series on ABC, but a deal could not be made reportedly due to a high licensing fee. [5]

Cast and characters

Main cast

Recurring cast

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 13March 13, 2006 (2006-03-13)May 22, 2006 (2006-05-22)
2 22September 18, 2006 (2006-09-18)May 7, 2007 (2007-05-07)
3 10February 4, 2008 (2008-02-04)March 31, 2008 (2008-03-31)
4 22September 24, 2008 (2008-09-24)May 20, 2009 (2009-05-20)
5 21September 23, 2009 (2009-09-23)May 12, 2010 (2010-05-12)

Reception

Critical reception

"While it occasionally runs to the absurd – a blind date who won't eat food other people have touched and brings his own chicken to a restaurant – it stays for the most part within the realm of recognizable human relations, and lets you feel something for its characters. This was not a luxury Seinfeld ever afforded anyone, and it's nice to see the star getting to play something less cerebrally conceived, less obsessive-compulsive and more ordinarily well-rounded."

The New Adventures of Old Christine crew about the series

The New Adventures of Old Christine received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics for its witty writing and performances, with high praise directed towards Julia Louis-Dreyfus's performance.

The series holds an 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 36 reviews, with an average score of 7.4/10. The site's critics' consensus reads: "Louis-Dreyfus shines in this well-paced sitcom, making the awkwardness of Old Christine feel refreshingly genuine." [6] Metacritic assigned the show a score of 64 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [7]

A Los Angeles Times review notes that "Louis-Dreyfus makes Christine feel fresh and real" and the show has a "dry charm and a nice tone of affectionate irony." [8]

Nielsen ratings and broadcast history

The show's initial ratings success was the first example of a show breaking the "Seinfeld curse" (after the failures of The Michael Richards Show , Bob Patterson , Listen Up , and Louis-Dreyfus' own Watching Ellie ). [9] The series premiere reached 15.1 million viewers. Old Christines time slot was changed mid-way through the second season, with a decline in ratings after losing its Two and a Half Men lead-in.

On May 16, 2007, it was announced that, despite the decline in ratings, CBS would renew the show for a third season 2007–2008 as a mid-season replacement. [10] On November 6, 2007, CBS said that production of Old Christine had been halted because of a strike by the Writers Guild of America. [11] On December 13, 2007 CBS announced that the series would return for its third season, which premiered on February 4, 2008, replacing Rules of Engagement . [12] However, only 10 episodes of the original 13-episode order were produced and aired for the third season because of the WGA strike. [13]

On May 14, 2008, CBS gave the sitcom a 22-episode order for the 2008–2009 season, where it aired on Wednesdays, opening up a second comedy night for the network. [14] Only 6.7 million viewers tuned in to the premiere. The following week, despite not having to go up against ratings success Dancing with the Stars , ratings tip-toed up, as it added a few hundred thousand. By the third episode, the show was over 7.5 million and had added more than one million to the premiere audience. Since then, the fourth season Old Christine had ratings close to 8 million viewers, and came first in its time slot multiple times.

The early ratings for the fifth season had been lower than previous seasons, but the 14th episode of the season reached 8.3 million viewers, the highest viewership the show had received in the Wednesday night timeslot. CBS cancelled The New Adventures of Old Christine after five seasons in May 2010. [1]

SeasonTime slot (ET)PremieredEndedTV seasonRankViewers
(million)
1 Monday 9:30 (Episodes 2-4, 6-11, 13)
Monday 8:30 (Episodes 1, 5, 12)
March 13, 2006May 22, 2006 2005–2006 #2912.57
2 Monday 9:30 (Episodes 1-14)
Monday 8:00 (Episode 15)
Monday 8:30 (Episodes 16-22)
September 18, 2006May 7, 2007 2006–2007 #3911.77
3 Monday 9:30 (Episodes 1-5, 7-10)
Monday 8:30 (Episode 6)
February 4, 2008March 31, 2008 2007–2008 #4210.41
4 Wednesday 8:00September 24, 2008May 20, 2009 2008–2009 #777.25
5 Wednesday 8:00September 23, 2009May 12, 2010 2009–2010 #666.74

Awards and nominations

YearAwardTitleRecipientResult
2006 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Julia Louis-Dreyfus Won
Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series Gregg Heschong Nominated
Satellite Awards Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy Julia Louis-DreyfusNominated
2007 Art Directors Guild Award Best Production Design for a Multi-Camera SeriesCabot McMullenNominated
Gold Derby AwardsBest Actress in a Comedy SeriesJulia Louis-DreyfusNominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Actress in a TV Series – Musical or Comedy Nominated
Humanitas Prize 30 Minute Category Jennifer Crittenden Won
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Julia Louis-DreyfusNominated
Satellite Awards Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Nominated
2008Gold Derby AwardsBest Actress in a Comedy SeriesNominated
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Blair Underwood Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Julia Louis-DreyfusNominated
Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series Cabot McMullen, Amy FeldmanNominated
Satellite Awards Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy Julia Louis-DreyfusNominated
Women's Image Network Awards Outstanding Actress in a Comedy SeriesWon
Outstanding Comedy SeriesKari LizerWon
Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a TV Series - Young Actor Age Ten or YoungerTrevor GagnonNominated
2009 GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Individual EpisodeFrank PinesWon
Gold Derby AwardsBest Actress in a Comedy SeriesJulia Louis-DreyfusNominated
NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Blair UnderwoodNominated
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Wanda Sykes Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Julia Louis-DreyfusNominated
Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series Cabot McMullen, Amy Feldman Nominated
2010 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Julia Louis-DreyfusNominated
Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series Cabot McMullen, Amy FeldmanNominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Julia Louis-DreyfusNominated

Adaptation

The New Adventures of Old Christine was adapted in Germany in 2013. The series is named Christine. Perfekt war gestern! and was canceled after its first season.

Home media

DVD NameEpisodesDiscsRelease dates
Region 1Region 2Region 4
The Complete First Season132January 15, 2008July 23, 2008March 13, 2018
The Complete Second Season224June 24, 2008October 21, 2008TBA
The Complete Third Season102July 27, 2010 [15] September 15, 2010TBA
The Complete Fourth Season225December 7, 2010 [16] February 10, 2011TBA
The Complete Fifth and Final Season213February 21, 2012February 28, 2012TBA

Notes

  1. Last name established in the season two episode "Crash".

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References

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