Streaming has opened up endless possibilities. And given that potential, programmers have set about trying to re-create the 1990s. “Mad About You,” now streaming on the Spectrum on Demand platform, becomes the latest show from that decade to return. Both the trend, and this reboot, are a little sad.
Spectrum will stream six “Mad” episodes starting today and another half-dozen at a later date. The action begins as Paul (Paul Reiser) and Jamie (Helen Hunt) desperately anticipate the departure of their daughter, Mabel (Abby Quinn), for college at NYU, some six blocks away. Paul responds with his usual neurotic sputtering, a routine Reiser has performed on cue at least since he appeared in “Diner” in 1982. Jamie appears more serene, but underneath her hauteur, we know she’s a bundle of nerves and that we’ll hear about her angst at great length.
“Mad” doesn’t so much evoke the feeling of the original, but remind us of how much has changed since the 1990s. Paul and Jamie, once seen as younger, arty and eccentric, now seem like self-involved bores suffering from their own brand of neurotic affluenza. It’s not so much the fault of Paul and Jamie, as the passage of time and the expectations of middle age.
Needy self-pity is the theme of this “new” “Mad About You.” Paul and Jamie’s need to meddle in Mabel’s life could be a metaphor for our “OK boomer” moment. It’s hard to watch this without muttering, “Shut up and just let the kid lead her own life!”
As these things usually work, “Mad” acknowledges the passage of time when Paul and Jamie discuss a woman they haven’t seen in 20 years. After Paul says she looked “tired,” Jamie asks if he would say the same of her had he not seen her in two decades. This, of course, puts Paul on the spot, but also reminds us immediately that Jamie is a bit of a drag and may make some wonder whether they ever found her remotely funny.
The best that can be said for this new “Mad” is that it maintains its role as a showcase for great supporting actors. Look for Richard Kind as an opinionated friend, Jerry Adler as an avuncular neighbor and John Pankow (“Episodes”) as Paul’s brother.
The arrival of this entirely unnecessary remake obscures the fact that Reiser has done so much interesting work of late as a supporting character, in shows as different as “Stranger Things” and “Fosse/Verdon.”
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
— April receives disturbing news on “Chicago Med” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— Four go undercover on “The Masked Singer” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-PG).
— An alleged arsonist may have been railroaded on “Chicago Fire” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— Drama at the gymnastics center on “Almost Family” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
— “NOVA” (9 p.m., PBS, TV-14, check local listings) explores the decline in human violence over the centuries and anticipates a more peaceful world.
— Ten Democratic presidential hopefuls engage in debate (9 p.m., MSNBC).
— “Extinct or Alive” (9 p.m., Animal Planet, TV-PG) goes in search of Madagascar’s dwarf hippo.
— A woman from Halstead’s past may be his undoing on “Chicago P.D.” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— Dex does opposition research for a candidate on “Stumptown” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
CULT CHOICE
Warren Beatty and Julie Christie star in director Robert Altman’s 1971 Western “McCabe and Mrs. Miller” (8 p.m., TCM, TV-MA).
SERIES NOTES
An effort to outlast others is paramount on “Survivor” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) … The holidays frazzle Beverly on “The Goldbergs” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Strangers crash Thanksgiving dinner on “Riverdale” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14) … Danger in the kitchen on “Schooled” (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
Jason may go under the knife on “SEAL Team” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14) … Rumors of a breakup on “Modern Family” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … The search for an eyewitness on “Nancy Drew” (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG) … All the stuffing on “Single Parents” (9:30 p.m., ABC, TV-PG) … Victims of eviction take an officer hostage on “S.W.A.T.” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
LATE NIGHT
Dax Shepard appears on “Conan” (11 p.m., TBS) … John Heilemann and Alex Wagner are booked on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (11:35 p.m., CBS) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Dolly Parton and Kacey Musgraves on “The Tonight Show” (11:35 p.m., NBC).
Adam Driver, Jonathan Groff, Hozier and Jon Theodore visit “Late Night With Seth Meyers” (12:35 a.m., NBC) … Julie Andrews and Kristen Bell appear on “The Late Late Show With James Corden” (12:37 a.m., CBS).
