Made in Jersey.

[Guy Gardener]

It's more confused than Awful.

But it's almost awful.

From First principles... You can't call a series Made in Jersey when the lead actress was Made in Britain.

Just ridiculous.

Nothing against the girl, she was excellent on Human Target and I loved her episode of Merlin, but I hardly ever recognize her since she's always producing some weird new accent and I mistake her for just another very attractive actress. I just IMDB her now and again sand say "Really? Again?" I used to be the same With Emily Mortimer.

I don't watch the Jersey Shore but I know a little bit about it from endless clips and punditry by Joel McHale on the Soup, and what I should have been seeing was a sexy Oompa lumpa with claws like a sabretooth covered in garish gold Jewellery, taking her ear rings and shoes off ever time she wanted to fight someone.

The producers were too chicken to use the spray on tans.

Nothing says Jersey like Neon Orange flesh.

Her nails were in control and her dress-suit could have been from Ally McBeal during her civilized years. The distinction between her and any other 20 something the shop floor is ludicrous and bordering on inexact racism.

So all we really had to imply that these people were from Jersey was the "Whhhhhhhhattare YOOOU Tawkling abbbout.. CAN'T YOU SEE I'M WALKING HERE!!!!" accent (Which is more Broklyneese I had always been taught.) and constant exposition.

I grew up thinking Fran Dresher was "normal" so I didn't think that any of the Jersey characters, especially the lawyer lady used enough hair spray to add even a extra foot to her mugshot.

Now as to the actual lawyering?

Some minor politicking in the office which she wins out despite being the new kid on the block, but that's only because she spent 70 percent of the episode doing the Private Investigator's job to solve the crime of the week because he seemed to be directionless despite exposition assuring us that he was fabulous.

So is she a lawyer or a gumshoe?

All in all, a 4 out of 10

The season debut of the Good Wife, which happened about the same time, and should functionally be a clone of each other somewhat, fish out of water lady lawyer, I would have given a nine out of ten.

 

[Forbin]

As someone from Jersey (and IN Jersey), I've rarely seen a TV character who actually seemed like they were from Jersey. Unless of course the actor was actually from Jersey, and you do get a lot of that in shows produced in New York. But then they're usually "ACTINNNG" and giving a caricature performance anyway.

The Sopranos was always a good laugh.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Yeah, I've lived in New Jersey a few years now, and it's very rare that I run into a stereotypical Jerseyan (or whatever you want to call them.) Really, it's such a diverse place, I would hesitate to characterize the people here any particular way.

There are a lot of Italians, but they aren't the larger-than-life caricatures you see on TV.

 

[Guy Gardener]

I was checking on something else yesterday, and I noticed that the Jersey Shore has been cancelled.

You see there's two possibilities.

Either a young writer from Jersey wanted to celebrate where he or she came from, OR a studio factor factory wanted to capitalize on the lowest common denominator glory that's come from the that reality TV by bottling it's stereotypes for mass production by flavouring their new single white female lawyer series.

I did not think for a second that the show was based on the actual Jersey Shore since the other two kids I know who are famous for being from Jersey are Jay and Silent Bob form the clerks franchise... But it's a certainty that they predate the spray on tan.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

So glad I saw this thread. Now I understand why some guy aound here was wearing a t-shirt that said, "Made in Jersey"! It caught my eye because I, too, was made in Jersey.

I see the show's been cancelled after only two episodes.

 

[Forbin]

The lead actress is British, doing Jersey accent?!

Howcum there are so many Brit, Aussie and Kiwi actors who can do convincing American accents, and so few Amercians who can do good English accents?

 

[C.E. Evans]

The lead actress is British, doing Jersey accent?!

Howcum there are so many Brit, Aussie and Kiwi actors who can do convincing American accents, and so few Amercians who can do good English accents?

Because there's no shortage of Brit, Aussie, and Kiwi actors looking for work in Hollywood. Very few American actors are hired to play Brits, although I think Robert Downey Jr., Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Renee Zellweger, Gwyneth Paltrow, and a few others do so rather nicely, IMO.

 

[Guy Gardener]

It took me 15 seconds to uncover Bridget Jones from where I had hidden it in the clutter of my mind.

I was living a Bridget Jones free life.

And now I'm not.

Thanks for that.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

The lead actress is British, doing Jersey accent?!

Howcum there are so many Brit, Aussie and Kiwi actors who can do convincing American accents, and so few Amercians who can do good English accents?

For whatever reason it's just easier to do American accents more convincingly.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Only to Americans.

You can't hear your own accent.

Pretending to be an American is like becoming invisible to other Americans.

 

[Forbin]

Who said that?