She doesn't play a normal adult, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. As long as I've seen her on screen, Sara Rue has always played teenagers. Even on the short-lived Pamela Reed sitcom "Grand" I assumed her character had to be around 13. Now we don't have to regard her as the female Ralph Macchio and wait for her to say "I'm not a teenager, but I play one on TV," because she's playing as someone more or less her own age in this Terri Minsky sitcom.
There's this misconception that "Less Than Perfect" is about a fat girl who makes it working behind the scenes of the cut-throat world of the television news business. In reality it's the fact that her character is such a sweetheart within such a world that makes the show what it is...oh, and the surprising fact that Sara Rue can play such a charming character. Camryn Manheim is fat too, but she doesn't play as the same type of woman on "The Practice," and Roseanne(Barr) could never have pulled off an adorable character like Claude Casey. Ricki Lake? Maybe in the late-1980's, but not now.
Allow me to discuss some of the supporting cast as well:
Eric Roberts finally gets into an interesting show. I don't think too many interesting things have happened since he was in his relationship with the late Sandy Dennis. Some may compare Andy Dick's Owen Kronsky with his role as Matthew Brock on "NewsRadio," but not me. Kronsky is a lot smarter, he just has a peculiar upbringing. I disagree with one IMDb commenter, Andrea Parker looks better on this show than she does in "The Pretender."
Talent and Charm is what give Sara Rue sex appeal, not looks. Two outstanding episodes early in the first season serve as evidence of Rue's no-longer hidden talent. In "Queen of England," we find a subplot involving Owen(Andy Dick) talking Claude into joining him and Ramona (Sherrie Shepherd) at a Karaoke bar, where she does an excellent impersonation of Kate Pierson. Another episode ("The Pole") involves Ramona convincing Claude to join a "Stripper-cize" club to give her some attitude, and the moment she joins in you'd swear she's done this kind of thing before. Hopefully this show will last a few more seasons, because it deserves them.
There's this misconception that "Less Than Perfect" is about a fat girl who makes it working behind the scenes of the cut-throat world of the television news business. In reality it's the fact that her character is such a sweetheart within such a world that makes the show what it is...oh, and the surprising fact that Sara Rue can play such a charming character. Camryn Manheim is fat too, but she doesn't play as the same type of woman on "The Practice," and Roseanne(Barr) could never have pulled off an adorable character like Claude Casey. Ricki Lake? Maybe in the late-1980's, but not now.
Allow me to discuss some of the supporting cast as well:
Eric Roberts finally gets into an interesting show. I don't think too many interesting things have happened since he was in his relationship with the late Sandy Dennis. Some may compare Andy Dick's Owen Kronsky with his role as Matthew Brock on "NewsRadio," but not me. Kronsky is a lot smarter, he just has a peculiar upbringing. I disagree with one IMDb commenter, Andrea Parker looks better on this show than she does in "The Pretender."
Talent and Charm is what give Sara Rue sex appeal, not looks. Two outstanding episodes early in the first season serve as evidence of Rue's no-longer hidden talent. In "Queen of England," we find a subplot involving Owen(Andy Dick) talking Claude into joining him and Ramona (Sherrie Shepherd) at a Karaoke bar, where she does an excellent impersonation of Kate Pierson. Another episode ("The Pole") involves Ramona convincing Claude to join a "Stripper-cize" club to give her some attitude, and the moment she joins in you'd swear she's done this kind of thing before. Hopefully this show will last a few more seasons, because it deserves them.