| Less than Perfect | |
|---|---|
 Original cast |
|
| Format | Sitcom |
| Created by | Terri Minsky |
| Starring | Sara Rue Andy Dick Sherri Shepherd Andrea Parker Zachary Levi Eric Roberts (2002-2005) Will Sasso (2003-2006) Patrick Warburton (2003-2006) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 81 (8 unaired) (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | October 1, 2002 – June 6, 2006 |
Less than Perfect is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from October 1, 2002, to June 6, 2006. The show was about a young female office employee (played by Sara Rue) and her co-workers. The show was directed by Skip Collector and Ted Wass, among others.
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The show, created by Terri Minsky, centered around Claude (Sara Rue), who worked at a television network and was the assistant for anchor Will Butler (Eric Roberts). Comedians Andy Dick, Will Sasso, and Sherri Shepherd played her co-workers and friends, while Zachary Levi and Andrea Parker played her frenemies at work.
Much was made at the time of the show's premiere about the central character of the show being a "full figured" woman, and that the title correlated to Claude being "Less than Perfect." [1] Over the course of the series, Rue lost 30 pounds (14 kg; 2.1 st).[2]
Less than Perfect debuted in a Tuesday evening timeslot and received steady ratings for its first two seasons. When the series was moved in its third season to a Friday-night timeslot, ratings began to fall sharply, and the show was considered to be in danger of cancellation.
TVGuide.com featured the show on a list of "Endangered Series." Ratings in the coveted 18-49 demographic were high enough, and the show was near the threshold for number of episodes needed for syndication, so a limited fourth season of 13 episodes was ordered.
After a long hiatus from ABC's schedule, the show returned as a late-season replacement for ABC with its fourth season premiere on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 at 9:30 p.m.[3]
Despite the pickup, the future of the series was not assured. Cast member Zachary Levi stated many cast members were ready to move on,[4] and series lead Sara Rue had filmed a pilot for CBS starring as a woman who runs a toy company with her brother in the comedy Play Nice.
ABC confirmed on May 17, 2006 that the fourth season would be its last.[5] ABC showed only part of the fourth season as scheduled. After five of the 13 episodes aired, ABC ceased broadcasting of the show, with the last episode broadcast on June 6, 2006. However, these episodes which were not broadcast in the US have been shown in other countries.
The show joined Lifetime Television on June 1, 2009 in syndication and airs all 81 episodes including the eight episodes previously not broadcast in the US.
Less than Perfect is currently showing on Comedy Central in the United Kingdom and Ireland, on ATV in Austria, on Nelonen in Finland, on FOX8 (pay tv) and the Seven Network (free to air) in Australia, on MTV Russia in Russia, on Star World for the rest of Asia, on yesSTARS in Israel, on Cuatro in Spain, on Sky Italia's Fox and MTV Italia in Italy, on Kanal 5 in Denmark, on HRT and Fox Life in Croatia and Serbia, on TV-First in Belarus. The first seven episodes and episode nine of the final season of Less than Perfect aired on TV2 in New Zealand, with the remaining episodes (eight and 10 through 13) yet to be scheduled, and in the UK a new season is to be aired. The show also aired on MBC 4 to Arabic speaking viewers. In Turkey, TNT Turkey airs. And ComedyMax currently airs the show for Digiturk subscribers and Comedy Smart airs for D-Smart subscribers.
Early reviews for the show found the characterization generally stereotypical, but critics often praised the performance of Sara Rue. USA asserted that "in just two episodes, the good guys/bad guys structure and the exaggerated characterizations already are showing signs of wear," although it called Rue a "welcome addition" to TV sitcoms.[6] People magazine likewise criticized the stereotypical characters, but summarized the show as "Hardly perfect but happily Rueful."[7] However, by Season 3, USA Today said the show had "hit its stride."[8]
| Season | Episodes | Premiere | Season finale | U.S. ratings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2002-2003 | 22 | October 1, 2002 | May 20, 2003 | 8.1 million (85th place)[9] |
| 2 | 2003-2004 | 24 | September 23, 2003 | May 18, 2004 | 8.8 million (66th place)[10] |
| 3 | 2004-2005 | 22 | September 24, 2004 | April 15, 2005 | 6.2 million (94th place)[11] |
| 4 | 2006 | 13 (8 unaired) | April 18, 2006 | June 6, 2006 | 4.9 million (115th place)[12] |
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Less Than Perfect was an American television series. It was a sitcom that began airing on ABC on October 1, 2002 and ended on June 6, 2006. The seriesis about a young female office employee (played by Sara Rue) and her co-workers The series was directed by Skip Collector and Ted Wass, among others.
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