Stranger Things Paul Reiser is interested in a possible revival of his classic 90s sitcom Mad About You. In an age where it seems like just about every previously successful property is under consideration for a reboot, revival, remake, or belated sequel, it's not too surprising that Reiser would be open to the possibility. A huge ratings success for the majority of its run, Mad About You aired for 7 seasons on NBC, premiering in September 1992 and signing off for good in May 1999.
One of many New York City-set sitcoms to come out of the 90s, Mad About You starred Reiser as newlywed Paul Buchman, and Helen Hunt as his wife Jamie. Paul was a documentary filmmaker, while Jamie worked in public relations. By the final season, Reiser and Hunt were two of the highest paid actors on TV, earning $1 million per episode. Just some of the high profile guest stars to pop up on Mad About You over the years include Bruce Willis, Kevin Bacon, James Cameron, Billy Joel, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage.
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Reiser revealed his interest in resurrecting Mad About You during a recent interview with Variety. While Reiser has never completely vanished from the acting world, his name has been suddenly thrust back into the spotlight due to his role as Dr. Owens in Netflix's highly anticipated Stranger Things season 2. Interestingly, Reiser is also currently working on series for both Amazon and Hulu, making him a consistent presence on all three major streaming outlets. Here's what he had to say about a potential Mad About You revival.
"[Laughs.] I find myself less averse to the idea. For the last 17 years, I was so confident in saying I would never go back. It’s like I loved high school but you can’t quite go back. But I’m also seeing that there is a market. Part of what has softened my aversion to it is seeing what it’s meant to people. There is a resonance out there that I was not aware of. I know I’d have fun. Diving into a 30-page script, playing tennis with Helen Hunt — that’s going to be nothing but joy. But what’s the story? I’d have to be convinced there’s a great story to be told — if I felt that was what America needed, if it was a call to duty, if it would help the country. I blame “Will & Grace.”
As Reiser alludes to in his above answer, he wasn't always so open to the idea of reviving Mad About You, but the passage of time and changes to the TV landscape have softened his stance on the matter. In addition to playing the male lead, Reiser is also credited as the co-creator of Mad About You, and also wrote or co-wrote many of the show's episodes. One presumes he would be just as creatively integral to a revival as he was the original series, so a revival may very well succeed or fail based on how invested he is in returning to the characters and their world.
Reiser also clearly wouldn't dream of trying to resurrect Mad About You without Helen Hunt, name-dropping her in his statement above. Hunt's acting work has been fairly sporadic since the mid-2000s, but she did recently appear on the FOX limited series Shots Fired, so she's definitely not retired. It'll be interesting to see if she's as open to bringing back Mad About You as Reiser has become.
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Source: Variety