"The Marriage Ref" is terrible -- too much panel pretending to laugh at one another's lame jokes, and the host is the antithesis of memorable. (And who the hell is he? Ever heard of Tom Papa before this?) A show like TMR needs a host like Graham Norton.

This show Was probably a good idea on paper but it's something that is going to get old fast. After dismal coverage of the Olympics, NBC really needs to pull their head out of their ass.

I watched the show after the Olympics. Through it I thought this is the kind of show that Seinfeld and David might have thought up as a bit for the original Seinfeld way back when and then stopped, made faces and shook their heads no. The Marriage Ref gets three thumbs down that is if I had an extra thumb. Maybe my big toe can be used.

Seinfeld is so overrated. It's pathetic.

I particularly hate the promos showing the panelists guffawing - just heartily chortling their guts out - about what's happening on the show. I did not find the show the least bit guffaw-worthy.

Is this like a latter day version of jumping the shark? That is, bringing back a washed up irrelevant comedian to host a questionable format?

Sad to hear that.

I'd hoped it would catch on, for the sake of the folks working on it.

Jerry Seinfeld was never funny.

Agreed. I never understood why people thought Seinfeld was so funny. Morons think morons are hilarious, I guess.

Terrible terrible show. Horrible. Complete and utter shite.

*in nauseatingly high pitched smug jew voice* What is the deal with them cutting the olympics closing ceremony for the marriage ref? Can you get anymore desperate? *dum du dum dum dum*

As a Seinfeld (of the 1990's that is) aficionado I have come to realize a few things. Chiefly, that success of the show was not that Jerry's personality overwhelmed us, but that the chemistry of the performers was the reason it still works today.. Only Ms Louis-Dreyfus after a few tries has succeeded, albeit, in a mediocre show. Jason Alexander, a fine actor is seen every once in a while. He was another who was unable make it in another poorly written and conceived sitcom. Most unfortunate, the most talented of them all, Michael Richards, our beloved Kramer, self destructed. The only one that seemed to have steady employment after Seinfeld, was the 5th banana, Wayne Knight, the unloved Newman. As for Larry David, his comedy writing certainly was part of their success, but he played only minor, unimportant bit parts. NBC is in a desperate predicament, their hierarchy has no talent. It takes talent to find talent and they have become bottom feeders.

Let me guess: you live on the Upper West Side.

That's a shame.

same with Parenthood, not so good.

I'm glad ray romano's show got picked up for another season.

I will say this though, the funny moments of the marriage ref were when they aired those videos of the wives complaining to their husbands. That being said, TLC already has plenty of reality TV shows that follow this formula, and why no one at NBC saw the piolet and thought that it would probably have just been better (and cheaper) to produce a reality TV show with one of those families than to do this whole Jerry Seinfeld thing is beyond me. Doesn't mean it would have been a good show, but at least in the grand scheme of things it would have faired better on the bottom line.

you're right, I really don't know what audience Parenthood was supposed to attract. is it the competition to Modern Family which is quite funny?

you got your hipster, trendy actors on parenthood whom I love except for Graham and obama hating T. nelson. I'm glad Maura tierny quit at the last moment, maybe she saw working with Dax sheppard, not a good idea.

I haven't caught any of the marriage ref but love to see the commercial with the spa cop and the guy who loves his cat.

The thing that threw me off about parenthood was that it was being marketed as a comedy. And then they started the first like 20 minutes with nothing but jokes, and then they threw a curve ball in with Autistic kid, and from then on it was melodrama. The Eye roll moment for me though was when we found out that guy had a black baby's mama who he was going to deny (according to the teaser after the episode aired) and that final baseball game where the entire family gathered together to see this Autistic kid play, who magically got good after sucking the entire episode, evidently because his autistic savant powers kicked in.

Seinfeld is the like retiree who keeps coming back to the office because he has nothing better to do.

No wait, that's exactly what he is.

Oh, for a minute there I though you were talking about Jay Leno

I saw Seinfeld do standup a few years ago. He wasn't as funny as I thought he would be, and his whole new shtick seems to be based on the marriage thing. Which, I mean, I can relate to it, but it's been done before, and done better. When I saw the first ad for the Marriage Ref I laughed and knew I would never pay to see Seinfeld again.