The Reason Network Executives Refused to Use Paul Reiser’s Name in the Title of ‘Mad About You’
Naming a TV series is no small feat. When shows are in development, they often lack a name. As the project gets closer to production and an eventual order, the topic of names comes up. Some shows are named quickly, while others take time to figure out what fits best. NBC had difficulty finding the perfect title for the series that would eventually become Mad About You. While network executives couldn’t find the perfect name, they knew what they wanted to avoid. Despite his manager’s best efforts, Paul Reiser’s name would never become the show’s title.
‘The Paul Reiser Show’ was floated as a potential title for ‘Mad About You’ but NBC shot it down
While Network executives and the production team tried to work out the perfect title for the show, the crew showed up to the set of “The Paul Reiser Project.” Reiser’s agent thought it would be simple just to name the show after Reiser, as he was the actor for whom the project was being developed. Simple, snappy, and to the point, he likely figured. It was never going to happen.
Television executive Warren Littlefield explained in his book, Top of the Rock , that Reiser’s agent went to bat for his client, insisting that the show should simply be named The Paul Reiser Show, but Littlefield rejected the notion. He emphasized that the focus should always be on the couple and their dynamic. Littlefield made the right call. Placing Reiser’s name in the show title likely would have shifted the focus away from Paul and Jamie Buchman and put a spotlight on Paul. Viewers didn’t tune in for just one character or the other. Rather, they were fascinated by how they played off each other.
While networks had had previous success naming a show after their lead actors, there was a clear-cut lead in most of those instances. When it came to Mad About You, Reiser wouldn’t be working as an independent lead. Rather, the show was supposed to focus on a newly married couple navigating life together.
Did other shows on the network influence NBC’s decision?
While Littlefield insists that the relationship dynamic they wanted to explore was the reason Reiser’s name didn’t make it into the title, some people seem to think the other shows on the network at the time might have influenced the decision. Is it possible that NBC didn’t want two shows named after a lead actor in the lineup simultaneously?
In an interview with The AV Club, Richard Kind points out that Mad About You was not permitted to be called Reiser, but the same network had no issue naming Seinfeld after Jerry Seinfeld. Seinfeld premiered in 1989 on NBC, while Mad About You was introduced to viewers in 1992. While we’ll never know, it feels like a possibility.
Kind appeared in a recurring role on Mad About You during the show’s first season. He portrayed Dr. Mark Devanow. Kind would return to the series off and on during its original run. Later, Kind reprised his role in the Mad About You reboot.
