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"Pilot"
The New Adventures of Old Christine episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 1
Directed by	Andy Ackerman
Written by	Kari Lizer
Production code	101
Original air date	March 13, 2006

"Pilot" is the first episode of the first season of the American comedy television series The New Adventures of Old Christine. It was written by series creator Kari Lizer and directed by Andy Ackerman. It originally aired on CBS in the United States on March 13, 2006.

In the episode, Christine's (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) 8-year-old son, Richie (Trevor Gagnon), has been accepted into a private school, where Christine encounters two snooty class moms, Marly and Lindsay (Tricia O'Kelley and Alex Kapp Horner), who cannot seem to grasp the concept that Christine actually works. Her younger slacker brother, Matthew (Hamish Linklater), lives with her, but in a pinch, also serves as Ritchie's babysitter.

Production

Conception

The New Adventures of Old Christine was created by Kari Lizer and based the series on her own life as a divorced mother. According to Lizer, she has a good relationship with her ex-husband, actor Robert Romanus, similar to the Christine and Richard characters, as they have a "very civilized divorce". The title, The New Adventures of Old Christine, was the first thing Lizer developed, as she honed her idea for a sitcom revolving around the awkwardness that divorced couples face when they are forced to spend significant time together. Lizer was a writer and producer on NBC's show Will & Grace, from 2001-2004, and occasionally appeared as Connie, Will Truman's secretary, on the show.

In June 2005, it was announced that CBS had picked up 12 episodes of the show, bringing the total order to 13 episodes, including the pilot.

Casting

During a meeting with CBS and Warner Bros. Television, Lizer wanted to find a "fearless and funny actress" to take on the role of Christine. She knew who ever was to be cast as the character "would have to be an actress who could be beaten down at times but still never come across as 'pathetic.'" Lizer revealed in an interview that when actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus' name was mentioned she was "instantly intrigued", but admitted she could not stop thinking about the actress's past role as Elaine Benes on Seinfeld, as Louis-Dreyfuss played the character "so well". Upon meeting Louis-Dreyfus, those concerns "evaporated". In another interview, Lizer never pictured Louis-Dreyfus in the role.

In an interview, Louis-Dreyfus, said, in regards to her last show, Watching Ellie, which was not successful: "Show biz is difficult. It's hard to hit them out of the ballpark every time. But that mustn't keep you from trying." In another interview, she explained that she wanted to return to television and play a mother.

Louis-Dreyfus noted that the Christine character was not similar to her past character, Elaine, as many speculated.

It's not that I really wanted to break away from her. I feel very proud about playing that part for such a long time. It was funny. And that's my goal, to play somebody who's just plain funny. I think the difference with this character is that perhaps she's a little more grounded, and perhaps she's a little bit more real in a way that Elaine never was. I would say that she has a pathetic quality that is similar. I mean, I think that the idea of humiliating circumstances for this character who's trying to do the very best she can by her child and in her life and doesn't really always succeed ... I think that's relatable, because we all kind of feel that way to a certain extent. And there's an inherent conflict there that's comedic.

When asked what the Christine character appealed to her, Louis-Dreyfus said: "On the first page of the pilot [of Christine] is a character who is leaving herself messages at 2 a.m., a to-do list. I am a list maker and I often can't sleep for what is on my mind. It rang true and it rang funny. I really like the idea of playing a well-intentioned but very imperfect parent on TV. You don't see that much."

In March 2005, it was confirmed that actor Clark Gregg would star as Christine's ex-husband.

Hamish Linklater, who plays Christine's brother Matthew, said that his character was first developed as a surfer, but according to Linklater, "I couldn't pull off the ambition to be a surfer." The character was next played out as a stoner, but the network disliked marijuana references "unless they're very clever or very veiled." Finally, it was decided that Matthew would be a slacker who after a short time in medical school was training to become a psychotherapist. "There's just a vibe about him that you don't see on standard network sitcoms", Lizer said in regards to Linklater, but that he was "hard to sell" to network executives, an experience she had prior before Old Christine when she was trying to cast him in a pilot called True. Loius-Dreyfus commented that Linklater was "the guy" to play Matthew. (She said that with Old Christine it was different as he was accepted by Louis-Dreyfus, with her saying "That's the guy.")

Reception

The New Adventures of Old Christine pilot first aired on March 13, 2006, at 8:30 p.m., in the United States on CBS. In its original American broadcast, the pilot was watched by 12.36 million households, and received a 7.9 rating in the key adults 18–49 demographic, according to the Nielsen ratings system. The pilot episode finished in 19th place in the weekly ratings for the week of March 13–19, 2006. The pilot garnered more viewers than a repeat episode of The King of Queens as it was watched by 11.30 million viewers. During the same night of the airing of the pilot, at 9:30 p.m., a new episode of Old Christine, "Supertramp", was watched by 15.09 million viewers, and garnered a 4.8 rating/11 share in the same demographic, and ranked at number 11.

"When a comedy is able to saunter out and be good immediately, it's almost always a good omen. The New Adventures of Old Christine has an assured feel to it, and the premise seems solid enough to allow the writers to hit all the right notes from the start. For her part, Louis-Dreyfus looks comfortable in her own skin, as if she's found the perfect vehicle to share her skills without some pointless comparison to the past."

Tim Goodman
San Francisco Chronicle

The episode received generally favorable reviews from television critics. Chuck Barney of the Contra Costa Times said that despite its "clunky title" Old Christine "has its charms, the biggest of which is Seinfeld alum Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who rallies nicely from her Watching Ellie disaster." Barney was complimentary towards Louis-Dreyfus reporting that she "shines like the seasoned pro she is, making the best of awkward situations and self-deprecating humor." Mike Duffy of the Bismarck Tribune said that the pilot had "got snap, crackle and funny pop" moments. Larry Bonko for The Virginian-Pilot gave the pilot an A, and remarked that Louis-Dreyfus, who after twice failing in post-Seinfeld NBC sitcoms, "is as skilled in physical comedy as she is in popping out one-liners. She's sexy-cute, which pleases male viewers, but not threatening, which allows females to like her just as much." A television reviewer from the Deseret News said the series was "worth keeping an eye on. It's smart, pretty funny – sometimes laugh-out-loud hilarious – and, given some time, it could develop into something that could last several seasons." The Buffalo News' Alan Pergament rated The New Adventures of Old Christine 3 out of 4 stars. Tim Goodman, television columnist with the San Francisco Chronicle, said the show "meshed" smart writing with the actress's "superb physical comedy." Goodman went on to add that the show made Louis-Dreyfus "likeable. And not soft, mealy likable ... but relatable and interesting and funny (even sexy and vulnerable, bitter and adorable). That's not easy to do." In conclusion, "There's a lot to embrace in this series. The New Adventures of Old Christine is likely to be a hit on CBS' ... lineup, and it's nice to see Louis-Dreyfus find a role that fits her so well", wrote Goodman. USA Today's Robert Bianco reported that the show was "bright, funny ... [as] an ideal vehicle for Louis-Dreyfus", and said that the show had potential of becoming a "perfect fit" for CBS. He praised Louis-Dreyfus and the supporting cast. Brian Lowry of Variety said that Louis-Dreyfus "broke" the Seinfeld curse with the series "one of the best conventional half-hours to come along in a while". He wrote that the pilot was "solid ... with Louis-Dreyfus exhibiting a flair for physical comedy along with her snappy delivery in the role of angry divorcee." Lowry thought the cast was fine but enjoyed Clark Gregg's Richard writing that he "doesn't come across as a bad guy, just an unthinking one."

Not all critics liked the episode. Tom Shales of The Washington Post believed that the show took advantage of Louis-Dreyfus "tough-and-tumble charm." Nonetheless, Shales was complimentary towards her take on Christine explaining that she was back "in the funniest of fettles, the pleasure of her company as deliriously dependable as ever." Chase Squires of the St. Petersburg Times gave the pilot a C and concluded, "Julia Louis-Dreyfus makes another run at the Seinfeld glory, but all she proves is that Jerry [Seinfeld] was the star. Christine isn't all bad; solid supporting cast". Mark McGuire from the Times Union opined that the pilot "is, in a word, weak – heavy on the laugh track, light on laughs." As with McGuire, contributor Melanie McFarland of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer disliked the show, "Worst of all is the writing's low-bar comedy; it's so weak that the laugh track doesn't just sound forced, it sounds as if the audience has a gun to its head." McFarland wrote she preferred the debut episode for Courting Alex, another CBS show, than the one of Old Christine. Matt Zoller Seitz of The Star-Ledger wrote that he has enjoyed Louis-Dreyfuss and still had "fond memories" of her "Seinfeld days" though said he tried to root for her in Old Christine "unfortunately, this sitcom doesn't give me much reason to cheer." He writes that "the pacing is slack, and the laugh track doesn't distract from the fact that what's onscreen just isn't playing. This show can't make up its mind if it's set in the real world or in sitcom land. [...] You keep wanting Christine to be hilarious, but it never gets there. It's a comic souffl‚ that won't rise." Zoller Seitz called the pilot episode "lame".

David Blum of The New York Sun criticized the show, opining that its jokes, setups, and performances "taste like recycled sitcom feed you've choked on before." Blum said it was "great" to see Louis-Dreyfuss back on television, and playing someone her own age, but wrote that if she wanted the show to succeed, Blum concluded, that she needed to push the show's producer for stories that dig "deeper" into the "true dilemmas of single motherhood."