I'm With "I'm With Her"

Today's November 13, and on this day in history, Felix Unger left home. But enough of that - on to something else . . ..

So as I mentioned, I've been watching "I'm With Her," which, as you already know, involves an ordinary high school teacher dating a famous actress. Happens all the time, right? (Well, with Cher, maybe.) Originally, I resisted seeing it, but the idea behind it seemed too novel to pass up. Even though the show seems to be something of a fantasy, it's actually based on series creator Chris Henchy's marriage to Brooke Shields; when they first met about five years ago, Henchy was an unknown sitcom writer who suddenly found himself the subject of media scrutiny when he started dating Shields. The experiences that ensued inspired the TV series.

Anyway, it's a cute sitcom, with David Sutcliffe as Patrick, the high school teacher, and the radiant Teri Polo as Alex, the movie star. They have excellent chemistry together as a couple, and the humor is sweet without being too broad. To keep it from getting too sweet, there are two more maniacal characters - Alex's caustic sister Cheri (Rhea Seehorn), who lives vicariously thorough Alex, and Patrick's haplessly wacky friend Stevie (Danny Comden), a substitute teacher who gets a thrill out of being in Alex's inner circle. You can guess what happens when these characters interact with each other and the lead characters!

"I'm With Her" is an enjoyable show that has the potential to get better. Let's hope it does.