I've sampled a half dozen episodes on Prime, and I can't help but wonder how this show avoided a plagiarism lawsuit from Desilu. Every element (including the title) is a direct rip-off of I Love Lucy. Joan wants to break into show business. Joan wears a tutu at ballet class. Joan has twin beds and a long-suffering husband. But Joan is no Lucy. She mugs and she cries and she mugs some more, but Joan Davis lacks the comedic genius of Lucille Ball. While I Love Lucy is classic television, I Married Joan is painfully dated. The sets, the writing, the acting are no match for Lucy. In later years, Jim Backus was candid about how difficult it was to work with Joan Davis and how poorly she prepared. I think that is evident from viewing the show. There is no chemistry between the actors, and Davis seems to think making a funny face is the answer to every scene. There's only one Lucy, and this show proves it.
Review of I Married Joan
