It's Like, You Know...

Aired On: ABC

Air Dates: March 24, 1999 to January 5, 2000

Cast:

Steven Eckholdt - Robbie Graham
Christopher Eigeman - Arthur Garment
Jennifer Grey - Jennifer Grey
Evan Handler - Shrug
A.J. Langer - Lauren Woods

It's Like, You Know... made its way onto ABC as a midseason replacement for some other failing show, debuing in March of 1999. It features Christopher Eigeman (who played Rimmer in a pilot for an American version of Red Dwarf, which was never aired) as Arthur, a journalist from New York, who is visiting Los Angeles for two months to write a book about the city, called "Living in Los Angeles: How Can You Stand It?". He's never been to LA before, but already has a lot of preconceptions about it. Arthur ends up being the straight man of the show, often caught completely off-guard by the total difference in even daily activities between his hometown and the City of Angels.

He decides to stay with a former college roommate, Robbie, who's also originally from the East Coast. Robbie has become rather wealthy, having made money with a pay-per-view idea that allows Jews to celebrate holy days from the comfort of their own home - nicknamed "Pay-Per-Jew".

Robbie (Steven Eckholdt, Melrose Place, guest spots on Friends and Providence) also has a few close friends. Shrug (Evan Handler, Woops!, multiple appearances on The West Wing) is wealthy, having old money (called a "Trustafarian" on the show), and is also very eccentric, looking for a purpose in life, and doing it in a variety of ways. He also tries to hide the fact of his huge inheritance, claiming to have a $2000-an-hour bookstore job. Lauren (A.J. Langer, My So-Called Life, Brooklyn South, Three Sisters) is a masseuse, who also has a job as a process server, delivering subpoenas. There's also Robbie's next door neighbor - Jennifer Grey. Yes, the same Jennifer Grey from Dirty Dancing, who plays herself, and doesn't some self-deprecating humor in the show (including comments about her nose job) - for example, in one episode, she supposedly appears in an American Express commercial, stating the line "Don't change your face without it."

The show lasted for about one season total. In the spring of 1999, when it first appeared, 7 episodes were aired. The show was temporarily put on hiatus, but eventually renewed for the next season. Another eleven were shown between the fall of 1999 and January 2000, and it was cancelled with 7 episodes remaining unaired. Interesting fact - all of the episodes were titled after movies.

Some people felt that It's Like, You Know... was attempting to copy Seinfeld, and that show's ability to be about "nothing". In many ways, It's Like, You Know... did try and do that - the book being written was little more than backstory, and each episode seemed to be mostly unrelated to each other. That probably should have been expected - one of the show's creators, Peter Mehlman, was a writer for Seinfeld, known for some of the show's best episodes. However, there was at least one strong thread between them, as Arthur was highly attracted to Lauren, and kept trying to figure out a way to ask her out. The group also liked to hang out in a local restaurant, where there was almost always the same snobby waiter/aspiring actor to wait on them/insult them. If it was a Seinfeld remake, then it had approval - as Jerry Seinfeld himself did a short routine to warm up the crowd before filming of the pilot episode.

Personally, I found the show quite hilarous - I became addicted to it not by watching it, but by listening to it. I was in another room on the computer most of the time, but due to the apartment layout, I could hear the program clearly, and often ended up laughing just at the dialog. I was rather disappointed to see it go. (Note: I was never a fan of Seinfeld, either)


Episode Listing:

  • Season 1
    1. Welcome to L.A. (Aired March 24, 1999)
    2. The Getaway (Aired March 31, 1999)
    3. Memories of Me (Aired April 7, 1999)
    4. The Client (Aired April 14, 1999)
    5. Two Days in the Valley (Aired April 21, 1999)
    6. Author! Author! (Aired April 28, 1999)
    7. The Conversation (Aired May 5, 1999)
  • Season 2
    1. Twins (Aired September 21, 1999)
    2. Enchanted April (Aired September 28, 1999)
    3. The Long Goodbye (Aired October 5, 1999)
    4. Coast to Coast (Aired October 12, 1999)
    5. Arthur 2: On the Rocks (Aired October 19, 1999)
    6. Lost in America (Aired October 26, 1999)
    7. The Sweet Smell of Success (Aired November 2, 1999)
    8. Hollywood Shuffle (Aired December 8, 1999)
    9. The Life of Brian (Aired December 15, 1999)
    10. Summer of '42 (Aired December 22, 1999)
    11. The Apartment (Aired December 29, 1999)
    12. Heat (January 5, 2000)
    13. Pilot (Unaired)
    14. Trading Places (Unaired)
    15. Walking Tall (Unaired)
    16. The Quick and the Dead (Unaired)
    17. Raw Deal (Unaired)
    18. Lust for Life (Unaired)
    19. Hoop Dreams (Unaired)

Sources:
TV Tome - http://www.tvtome.com
Salon Entertainment - http://www.salon.com/ent/tv/mill/1999/03/22mill.html

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