Watching Ellie

Watching Ellie is smart and likable -- it earns its gimmicky premise.

Louis-Dreyfus fits easily and naturally into the leading role of a vehicle built for one. She makes it a pleasure to watch Ellie - and to listen to her, too, when she sings in each episode. [26 Feb 2002]

Watching Ellie is hardly another Seinfeld, a comedy that became a cultural landmark. Rather it's a quirky little series that leans too heavily on a gimmick.

If the material were better, she wouldn't have to mug and grimace and cavort so strenuously; push wouldn't have to keep coming to shove. ... It's an in-your-face affair, and after a while, your face gets tired. [15 Apr 2003]

I watched the pilot three times, thinking I'd get used to the timer. But each time, I found myself looking at the timer more than I did at Ellie. And, I'll tell you something: for the first half of the pilot, I liked the timer a lot more than her. And I'll tell you something else: the timer is only one of several things I hate about the pilot. [26 Feb 2002]

Shooting a comedy in real time may be an interesting exercise for the producer, but it doesn't make the story more interesting, or add to the laugh ratio. In fact, that little timer is downright distracting. [26 Feb 2002]

In what has to be one of the most difficult achievements in modern television history, NBC has managed to make "Watching Ellie" exponentially worse in this "new" version.