Bob Patterson is a popular self-help motivational speaker. What his adoring public doesn't know is that he's an insecure husband and dad who often fails at basic human interactions.Bob Patterson is a popular self-help motivational speaker. What his adoring public doesn't know is that he's an insecure husband and dad who often fails at basic human interactions.Bob Patterson is a popular self-help motivational speaker. What his adoring public doesn't know is that he's an insecure husband and dad who often fails at basic human interactions.
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- TriviaReflecting on Bob Patterson (2001) in a 2014 interview with the Archive of American Television, Jason Alexander stated that, "It's the one that really breaks my heart. There are things I would change about it if I were to say I'm going to go back and start that project again. There were things that we didn't realized could be problems that became problems that I would fix. But the basic premise of that show, the character of that show, the bones of that show, even some of the episodes that we pulled off, we couldn't buy any love from a critic. I will go to my grave saying we made seven episodes of the show. I guarantee that if I show you those episodes, you'll laugh, and that it's a better idea than a lot of what's on TV right now. It's just through a series of unfortunate events it didn't really get its chance. We got canceled, put it this way in 7 episodes we were in 3 different time slots. If you wanted to find us, you would have to look a little harder, and despite that, our numbers went up every week. Baby steps, but that direction (up), but we were gone. But I, while I would not fall on my sword for the other one (Listen Up (2004)), I would fall on my sword for Bob Patterson (2001) and say we all missed an opportunity there we didn't fully claim it while we were doing it, but the network and the audience missed an opportunity."
- ConnectionsFeatured in 101 Biggest Celebrity Oops (2004)
Featured review
Jason Alexander's post-Seinfeld TV project,Take one
This short-lived ABC offering that was pushed hugely,featured still Seinfeld fresh Alexander as motivational speaker--okay,HUGELY successful motivational speaker--Bob Patterson. Behind his outward appearance as a bright,charismatic seller of personal goals and dreams, he is underneath a wreck,reeling from divorce,unable to make a strong impression with his teenage son and facing a lack of respect among his own peers at the company he is contracted(a publishing company if I recall correctly).
On paper,it probably should've worked:short,balding Alexander being exposed for all his insecurities and pathos(much like his George Costanza character on Seinfeld). But somehow--and I'm not exactly sure how it failed,though the segway music through each show,which was merely an a Capella group singing "Bob" was ANNOYING--the exposition of Bob's frailties seem to be of little surprise and the jokes,which seemed to show potential in the first couple of episodes,became flat and predictable in short order. It didn't help the show,either, that,when the six episode ratings results came in,rather than try to retool the writing,reconfigure the cast(though Robert Klein didn't hurt) or even resched the show to a more forgiving time slot,the network simply gave it the quiet ax.I'm not saying the show was ALL that worthy of more chances,but the way ABC pumped it,you would've figured the net would've at least TRIED to give it the investment it promised. The again,compared to their most recent bail on "Emily's Reason's Why Not",this probably looked like a full-season commitment by contrast.
Mr. Alexander's first foray into TV regularity was,in all diplomacy,quite unmemorable. In my opinion,it wouldn't improve with "Listen Up!".
On paper,it probably should've worked:short,balding Alexander being exposed for all his insecurities and pathos(much like his George Costanza character on Seinfeld). But somehow--and I'm not exactly sure how it failed,though the segway music through each show,which was merely an a Capella group singing "Bob" was ANNOYING--the exposition of Bob's frailties seem to be of little surprise and the jokes,which seemed to show potential in the first couple of episodes,became flat and predictable in short order. It didn't help the show,either, that,when the six episode ratings results came in,rather than try to retool the writing,reconfigure the cast(though Robert Klein didn't hurt) or even resched the show to a more forgiving time slot,the network simply gave it the quiet ax.I'm not saying the show was ALL that worthy of more chances,but the way ABC pumped it,you would've figured the net would've at least TRIED to give it the investment it promised. The again,compared to their most recent bail on "Emily's Reason's Why Not",this probably looked like a full-season commitment by contrast.
Mr. Alexander's first foray into TV regularity was,in all diplomacy,quite unmemorable. In my opinion,it wouldn't improve with "Listen Up!".
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- KUAlum26
- May 9, 2006
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- Bob - swój chłop
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