So What About "What About Brian"?

ABC's "What About Brian" limped through two seasons before recently getting the axe from ABC. The show started out with promise, airing in different timeslots during the spring of 2006 (the first episode took Grey's Anatomy's coveted spot). But the ratings quickly wavered and the future of the show was put on hold. After a summer in limbo, ABC decided to give the show a second chance in the fall of 2006. With plans to air the show after "The Bachelor" to capture the all-important 18 to 39 year old female demographic, "What About Brian" started out its second season with respectable ratings. Unfortunately, due to quirky storylines and odd changes to the cast, the show just couldn't maintain an audience.

Starring Barry Watson (Seventh Heaven) "What About Brian" was the story of Brian Davis, a video game designer who was the only one in his group not married or engaged. He was always the third wheel- and always looking for love in the wrong places.

During the first season, the rest of the cast included Rosanna Arquette as Brian's sister Nicole and her husband Angelo (played by Raoul Bova). Dave and Deena Greco (played by Rick Gomez and Amanda Detmer) were the married-with-children couple. And the soon-to-be married Adam and Marjorie (played by Matthew Davis and Sarah Lancaster) were the golden couple full of promise.

In the short time this show was on the air, Brian went through several girlfriends (the funniest one was a girl he referred to as "Cargirl"). Brian clearly had commitment problems and was envious of the relationship between his best friend Adam's and his fiancée, Marjorie. When, at the end of season 1, Brian and Marjorie's flirtation turned into something more serious, Brian hit the road during the summer hiatus.

The series returned with some strange changes. Gone was series regular Raoul Bova (his character was killed off in a car crash). In came newbie's Jimmy and Ivy (Jason Winston George and Amanda Foreman). Brian returned after six months of "finding himself", or something like that. In fact, he returned just in time for Adam and Marjorie's wedding, which he then proceeded to ruin.

There were then several episodes of Brian and Adam hating each other. They finally became pals again. Marjorie skipped town and Adam married a stripper (Rachelle Lefever) that he met the night of his bachelor party. This is where the series got a little shaky. It's at this point that the show seemed to be trying to go in too many different directions.

With marital woes between Dave and Deena, Adam's shaky marriage, the disappearance of Marjorie, the death of Angelo, the birth of Nicole's baby, Nicole's crush on her "Manny" (male nanny)-- the show started going everywhere. Meanwhile Brian dated and became seriously involved with his father's ex, Bridget (played by the annoyingly beautiful Krista Allen). Then, just as Brian and Bridget were living together blissfully, in moved two sexy neighbors, one of them played by Wrestlemania's Stacy Kiebler.

You know a show is really struggling when it brings in reinforcements. In this case, it was Tiffany Thiessen (formerly of Beverly Hills 90210). I guess she was brought in to add some sizzle to the show, which it really didn't need (what, with Krista Allen and Stacy Kiebler already part of the cast). Thiessen's role as Dave and Brian's new boss and Adam's sometime lover was an unnecessary part of the show- they could have put her to better use than that.

Disturbingly, women seemed to disappear on this show. First Marjorie, then Adam's stripper wife Summer/Heather, then Bridget. They all disappeared never to be heard from again.

Still, when season 2 came to a close I was full of hope. Dave and Deena were reconciling after some nasty problems. Brian seemed to finally be ready to choose the "nice girl". I was really looking forward to a third season. But now ABC has decided not to renew the show.

It's a shame, really. In its first season, "What About Brian" had a great cast and some really good writing. It definitely floundered during Season 2, mainly because it didn't know what kind of show it wanted to be. If only they could bring back the hipness of the first 5 episodes from Season 1....

It doesn't matter now, though. Barry Watson has already signed on to do a new ABC comedy with Christina Applegate this fall. So we'll never really know whatever could have happened with "What About Brian". It's a shame this show didn't follow through on the promise that it had.

What About Brian Episode List:

Season 1, Episode 1 Pilot
Original Air Date: April 16, 2006

Season 1, Episode 2: Two in Twenty-Four
Original Air Date: April 17, 2006

Season 1, Episode 3: Moving Day
Original Air Date: April 24, 2006.

Season 1, Episode 4: The Importance of Being Brian
Original Air Date: May 1, 2006

Season 1, Episode 5: Sex, Lies and Videotape
Original Air Date: May 8, 2006

Season 2

Season 2, Episode 1: What About Second Chances
Original Air Date: October 9, 2006

Season 2, Episode 2: What About the Wedding
Original Air Date: October 16, 2006

Season 2, Episode 3: What About Denial...
Original Air Date: October 23, 2006

Season 2, Episode 4: What About the Fish
Original Air Date: October 30, 2006

Season 2, Episode 5: What About Angelo's Ashes...
Original Air Date: November 13, 2006

Season 2, Episode 6: What About What Was Supposed to Be...
Original Air Date: November 20, 2006

Season 2, Episode 7: What About First Steps...
Original Air Date: December 4, 2006

Season 2, Episode 8: What About Secrets...
Original Air Date: December 11, 2006

Season 2, Episode 9: What About True Confessions?
Original Air Date: December 18, 2006

Season 2, Episode 10: What About the Tangled Web...
Original Air Date: January 8, 2007

Season 2, Episode 11: What About the Exes...
Original Air Date: January 14, 2007

Season 2, Episode 12: What About Marjorie...
Original Air Date: January 22, 2007

Season 2, Episode 13: What About the Lake House...
Original Air Date: January 29, 2007

Season 2, Episode 14: What About Finding Your Place...
Original Air Date: February 12, 2007

Season 2, Episode 15: What About Temptations...
Original Air Date: February 19, 2007

Season 2, Episode 16: What About Strange Bedfellows...
Original Air Date: March 5, 2007

Season 2, Episode 17: What About All That Glitters...
Original Air Date: March 12, 2007

Season 2, Episode 18: What About Secret Lovers...
Original Air Date: March 19, 2007

Season 2, Episode 19: What About Calling All Friends...
Original Air Date: March 26, 2007