Hidden Hills (2002–2003) User Reviews

Hidden Hills should have stayed

[erik-f-1 · 8/10 · 1 December 2007]

You're so right, Hidden Hills was funny and enjoyable, and that doesn't even include the extra points for the BABE-factor in it (Paula Marshal) yummy.

Big brother and crappy shows like that keep going for years and years........ just goes to show that 70% of the population are sheep! It's SO sad that most people want a show with canned laughter to let them know to laugh, so they don't feel stupid. Coupling was canceled too? Sure, if it isn't down to earth, easy digestible "8 rules to ruin TV" and shows like that, people have to spend too much energy watching. Sad

Grossly unjust cancellation

[darinfl1 · 9/10 · 15 January 2011]

With all the crap that remains on TV, this gem of a show gets the axe? Really? Disgusting. I suppose the only way to guarantee a program has multiple seasons is to write it as woefully formulaic and devoid of humor. The only possible explanation is the sheer level of human stupidity. As one of the few shows without a laugh track it is entire possible that people simply didn't know when to laugh.

"According to Jim" ran for 8 seasons. Were there any moral justice in the world HH should have had at least a dozen. It's amazing what passes as comedy anymore.

Unreal.

The best sitcom of 2002. This is how sitcoms should be..

[insomniac_rod · 10/10 · 29 June 2004]

This had to be the best comedy that came out in 2002. I loved everything about this show: the perfect cast led by the beautiful, talented, and mature Paula Marshall and the talented Justin Louis. Every episode was funny and always a pleasure to watch.

The supporting cast is great also, delivers expectations.

The situations are funny and backed by a smart script and perfect acting.

This comedy is intelligent and realistic, like none other of it's genre. What else could you ask? Sadly this show was cancelled in early 2003.

It's a shame that NBC cancelled it after season 1, it's beyond reason why these kind of comedies with a solid structure, good cast, and everything are axed while other comedies that are popular but not funny are still on air. I'd really like to get the episodes on DVD or even taped, I regret I didn't taped them. As the post above stated, Hidden Hills has generated a fan database!

Hopefully this sitcom will be re runned in some time... that's the least that we can expect.

Another fine show cancelled.

[rmyers1968 · 10/10 · 10 May 2006]

Okay so I always fall in love with shows that get cancelled...

Here is my list "Arrested Development", "Firefly", "Hidden Hills", "Coupling (BBC)", "Pig Sty", "Oliver Bean", "Family Guy" (but that one came back...).

I don't get it lots of crap on TV makes it and goes on for a long time. Then these smart shows (excuse Family Guy, not so smart but makes me laugh) get canned.

I think the mass population is not ready for Comedies without laugh tracks. They need to be told when something is funny.

What really kills me is that this shows can not be found on DVD. I think when a network decides to can a show they should make it downloadable of the NET (they could be lower grade quality). If it turns out that X thousand downloads are observed, either package the show for DVD and/or bring the show back in repeats and if it does well, pick it back up.

It strikes me that those of us who aren't into Reality shows have few show to enjoy today. I cant wait for a TV channel that picks up all these well written shows and airs only that kinda programming...

Don't get me wrong I like successful sitcoms too(Seinfeld, Friends, Frasier, Cheers, etc.) So NBC and FOX, please give your smart sitcoms a second chance...

The previous review was way off base!!

[michael_graham · 10/10 · 16 April 2008]

Hidden Hills was creative and well written. NBC ruined this show because it received a horrible time slot without any type of lead in. The dream sequences were fantastic like Scrubs and the dialog was hilarious. Shame this show was overlooked by NBC and now they are scrambling to find the next great comedy cause they already had it!

Previous review was WAY OFF BASE as this person didn't get the humor like everyone else did. Should probably stick with your Grey's Anatomy and leave the comedies to those of us who really appreciate them.

I would love to see NBC or another network give this show another run as it deserves it and it was much better than any other comedy on TV today.

Why was this show cancelled??

[sukishine · 12 August 2003]

This was a great show! With all the mindless reality shows taking over television lately, it was good to see a fresh sitcom that was actually funny. I'm bummed it was pulled. Oh well, hopefully most of this reality stuff will start to fade out - and networks won't have to cancel shows like this one to make way for For Love or Money, Who wants to Marry my Best Friend's Mom's Cousin... etc.

GREAT SHOW!!! Fun and smart, there aren't shows like this anymore.

[dead_dudeINthehouse · 6 August 2003]

I don't understand some executives... If a show is creative, has some great dialogue, well crafted characters, and it's enjoyable they cancel it because it may not be very popular. Shame on them.

HIDDEN HILLS has to be the best sitcom NBC aired the last year. This show was mainly directed to young married couples, and I've read great comments by these couples about the show.

The situations are fun, and real life. The characters are great! The actors who play them know exactly how to mix comedy and look fresh, natural. The dialogue is superb, you get attached to every episode from the beginning. The potential of the show is big, this show deserved another chance! Damnit I hate when these people cancel great shows like this one.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, you won't regret watch this show with high expectations and you'll have a great time.

painful grief after cancellation discovery

[loke-9 · 13 July 2004]

Hidden Hills in my opinion is equal if not superior to popular comedy series like Friends, Home Improvements, Everybody loves Raymond, and Malcolm in the middle. Writing from New Zealand, the now realized reruns of Hidden Hills air at 10:30pm weekdays, but the last episode ended today. I'm gasped to have learned that this program only lasted a season. It's the most intelligent sitcom ever seen, and funnier than anything running at present. I guess I like Hidden Hills because it's both intelligent, honest, and funny. It ranks with the Sopranos in intelligence and honesty. Hidden Hills gives me insight to a perfect marriage and/or couple, and hints on possible solutions to dilemmas that are inevitable in marriage and/or between couples, and at the same time I enjoy myself. I learn a lot from the character Doug, and love watching for attributes from the beautifully played Janine. I'm in love with Hidden Hills, and it is a great shame it's been canceled. About to turn 21 come August, and single, this program isn't only for married couples! I like the show as it is, but a little tweaks here or there and this could possibly conform to the wider audience, and hence become more 'popular'. Next on my list is to get the DVDs for this rare TV series.

Great "couples" show!

[cbass19 · 20 February 2003]

For the first time my husband and I have found a sitcom that we "both" can relate to. Instead of one of us laughing, and one of us rolling our eyes at the other during the show, we both laugh and comment on the situations that take place on the shows. We usually watch discovery channel or something along that line the little time we have to watch TV together. But our nights with Hidden Hills has given us the laughter we "need" in these days of world chaos. We look forward to the next show each week, and have been going through withdrawals awaiting the next airing. We were worried when we couldn't find our show lately, that something bad had happened to what we call true "reality TV" with a twist. Please keep it coming!

Give it a chance

[james-naze · 20 November 2002]

I heard some early negative comments on this show so I thought I'd check it out for myself. I was pleasantly surprised. The production quality may be a bit "1st season Ally McBeal"-ish but it seems to work here. The adult eye candy is great without hampering the story lines and the lack of attention to the kids as a story line is fantastic! I think this is a good ADULT sitcom that so far doesn't seem to be falling victim to the "Must Please Everyone or You're Canceled" mentality of most networks. Hopefully it will last past the first season. I'm curious as to where it will go. One thing it has in its favor is that it's not on ABC

Best new show this season....

[gsas82 · 24 September 2002]

... so far. It's only Tuesday. But it's pretty darn good. Think of it as the anti-Brady Bunch in terms of suburban comedy fare. Any show that uses "Con te Partiro" and a bizzarre water motif in soft-core male fantasies definitely gets marks for creativity. Most shows take a while for the dynamic between characters to really find its groove, but this show has done it right away- and not just between isolated pairs of characters. Each group- the kids, the moms and the dads interact with honesty, accuracy and fantastic comic timing. "Hills" doesn't try to offer deep family fare a la "7th Heaven." All it wants us to do is laugh, and I'm gonna be doing that all season.

Best New Comedy of the Season

[bob2 · 1 October 2002]

In what is certainly a very lackluster year for comedy, this is the best new sitcom of the season. After two episodes, I'm hooked. I hope we haven't seen the last of the mom with the porn website!

LOVE IT!

[sarahz911 · 12 November 2002]

This HAS to be the best new show on TV in ages. Of course that probably means it will be cancelled. The comedy is sharp, the actor's timing is spectacular, and the story lines are great.

They hold no punches when talking about family things, sex and just getting through life as a married couple with kids.

Great, great show.

Great Show

[brinkmeyer · 28 July 2003]

My wife and I caught the pilot episode and ended up watching it every week. Too few episodes, but it's a great show. We are newly married and know there's a chance we may end up like these goofy people trapped in suburbia.

Hilarious

[mistymanning · 21 January 2003]

This show is funny, cute, wacky, and touching all at the same time. The characters are so honestly zany that it is like real life - just funnier on the show because it's happening to someone else. I highly recommend it and will continue to watch it as long as it's on!

Positive response to the show

[nutritionandyou · 30 January 2003]

I think the show is funny. I like the format of show with hearing the thoughts of Doug Barber (Justin Louis). I think Dondre Whitfield is great as the low key neighbor and friend Zack. I like the friendship between the women of the show as well as the friendship of the men in the show. It is a good vehicle for showing viewers the inside world of men and women. I like the relationship between Doug and Janine (Paula Marshall). It is sweet without being syrupy. The show does show reality in a way. It takes situations that occur in real life that are often disastrous but here they are always funny without much damage. Like getting stuck at your spouse's office party, really wanting to spend time just by yourself, thinking a friend is attracted to you just to name a few. I hope they keep the show on for a long run.

How about a DVD set?

[flyerscaptain · 12 June 2004]

Awesome show. NBC is crazy for canceling! Especially with the end of Friends and Frasier! Only thirteen Episodes were ever made and yet this was some of the best comedy for a married couple with children. Unlike "Married with Children," it gave an honest look at what American culture of the middle-class family looks like. Also shows the trials and tribulations of a couple who have been married for a while. There was not one episode that I could not feel like I had been in that same situation in my own marriage. Had the show not canceled, I might still be married. I have copies of each of these movies, in not a great quality condition. I want a DVD boxset of this show! There are some true hidden hills fans out there and the show could at least do itself justice with this release. NBC would do itself justice to sign on for another season!

Good Show! Sure hope it lasts!

[Dre-12 · 27 November 2002]

This is definitely the freshest of the new sitcoms this season and one of the best. The cast, who are all very funny and talented people, combined with a good team of writers, take this drama-comedy to the next level. I missed the first episode but when I watched the second one with the half-naked handymen **brilliant scene**, I was hooked. Since then I have enjoyed every episode.

It seems appropriate that the show follows Frasier because both shows are geared toward an older, more mature audience and I hope that Frasier's viewers stay tuned to watch Hidden Hills. It is a wonderful show. Just give it a try.

Decent but doomed Sitcom for couples with kids

[petpad · 5 March 2003]

I loved this simple-minded show for couples with kids between the ages of 3 and 15.... which may have been its biggest liability... I was amused because I could relate... my wife and I are in a similar life-setting... but not so for the majority of people, which made this show very target-oriented. While the jokes, situations and lines adequately frisked our funny bones, I must agree with some critics that the cracks were usually stereotypical and borderline juvenile. Paula Marshall is beautiful but sometimes would overact the little charmers for the camera, such as her incessant tongue over lips - very sensual but she does it while cooking pasta, brushing the kids teeth and on and on... Still...I did like the show and I was indeed looking forward to it on Tuesday evenings, until NBC came to the same conclusion... that despite being a very engaging show for a limited audience of a few happy chaotic middle-life couples, viewers dropped every week and advertisers started to flee back to the ratings jungle for the next flavour of the day... too bad... I was looking forward to laugh with them fresh faces, instead of the tired old Frasier or the flood of reality shows... another prime half-hour to waste on the net surfin...

A nice change from your average sitcom

[cmdevereux · 10 October 2002]

Quirky and unconventional would be one way to describe this sitcom. It's shot in a way I've never seen for anything else in this genre...and yes, it's funny! The idea of creating story lines from the lead actor's point of view is very interesting...though I'm not sure how long they can keep the ideas fresh. Good on them for taking a risk.

not that bad...

[Eway · 8 October 2002]

I am currently watching Hidden Hills for the third straight week. The sitcom is not the best in the world but it definately has potential. I think Paula Marshalls's character is refreshing and continuously provides superior work. We'll see if it makes the cut!

As is common with the most daring TV shows, this one is destined to be cancelled very soon.

[dajc · 25 September 2002]

Don't get me wrong. The premier was, in my opinion, a work of comic genius. The tag line is good but not true. I would take the worst portrayed life on this show in exchange for my own. Of course I do live in the most rural of tiny Appalachian towns so life in "Suburbia" looks like a dream to me and the porn mom didn't hurt either. Before anyone lays judgment upon me just remember that this is a comment thread on an NBC sitcom and make light of your own life as I have and if you cannot go out and get a so call life of your own.

Poor Paula Marshall

[TStormJack · 24 September 2002]

I don't know if she picks the shows herself or someone else does it for her, but there have been some bad picks lately. Hidden Hills is the latest. In what looked like a funny show from the commercial, it ended up being a mix of other failed sitcoms. First of all, narrated sitcoms don't work. Neither does using the television as a telestrator. It didn't work for Inside Shcwartz, it won't work here. Marshall and the other attractive females in the cast can't overshadow the lack of comedic talent.

summary

[pancake_repairman · 1 November 2005]

This isn't a generic sitcom. The characters are more proactive and opinionated, more real and substantial than your standard sitcom. The writers wisely avoid typical setup/punchline jokes, but unfortunately don't offer any clever alternative comedic approach, and are sexually fixated in a way that seems juvenile and gratuitous. It really didn't make me laugh at all, in fact I think this show would be more accurately categorised as a light drama than a comedy. The main drawcard for fans of the show seems to be the way it panders to the conservative middle class, propping up their delusions of hipness. Sorry, if you identify with this show you ain't hip.

Run for the hills

[bullions27 · 27 September 2002]

The show advertises itself by insulting the general public and their so-called "mediocre" lives. Whatever. This is essentially a collection of stereotypes and caricatures who aren't even funny and offensive themselves recycling "funny" situations and jokes that were left on the cutting room floor from other shows for good reasons... like they are not funny, or they are boring material. I laughed not once sitting through this sludge pile of lame comedy. If they seriously wanted to do a show of wacky people living some cartoon life, why not save money and everyone else's patience and sanity and hire animation artists rather then real actors?