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A typical American series is most frequently set in a big city location or a suburb thereof – New York and Los Angeles being the most common. The city may even become a central character, as is the case with Sex and the City, which if set anywhere else just wouldn’t feel the same. While Hot in Cleveland is not filmed on location (opting instead for a traditional constructed indoor set and live studio audience), the setting of Cleveland, Ohio embodies enough mystery for those who don’t venture out of the city or visit anything beyond it; it’s allowed to be moulded into whatever the writers want it to be. 30 Rock fans may remember Liz Lemon contemplating moving to the idyllic utopian Cleveland for her boyfriend Floyd, only to come to the realisation that not everyone can live in vacation spots.
And so Cleveland, like an “anti-New York” in 30 Rock, is moulded into an anti-LA this occasion. Three forty-something best friends from LA are flying to Paris: Victoria, the past-her-prime actress (Wendie Malick, Just Shoot Me); Melanie, the author (Valerie Bertinelli) and Joy, the “eyebrow queen of LA” (Jane Leeves, Frasier) when their plane emergency lands in Cleveland. Impeccably groomed and made-up, they head to a local bar – only to discover that after years of being looked straight past in favour of their younger, hotter counterparts, in this low-key town they’re turning heads. But that’s only the start of the wonders of Cleveland – women are eating real food guilt-free! The men look heterosexual! Plumbers can afford boats!
Apparently this and an encouraging encounter with a local man is all it takes for Melanie, a recent divorcee, to sign a lease on a house (which is outrageously cheap!) and uproot her insecure LA life. She finds herself sharing space with sharp-talking eighty-something caretaker Elka Ostrovsky (Betty White, The Golden Girls) who adds some perspective to what ‘old’ really is in the real world.
It’s hard to imagine Hot in Cleveland having had even a fraction of its success Stateside with slightly lesser known or anonymous actresses (the pilot achieved the best ever ratings for its US cable channel TVLand). I’ll admit my affinity and nostalgia for Leeves’s days as quirky Mancunian Daphne Moon and White’s as the loveably naïve Rose Nylund attracted me in the first place. The humour is often one-note, sourced on the low self-esteem associated with ageing and trying to stay on top of your game. It’s the irresistible delivery by its famous stars that makes Hot in Cleveland worth its salt, particularly White who gets some jaw-dropping gems of her own (“Why are you renting to prostitutes?!”). It would be easy to say that it’s the novelty of watching an elderly woman unexpectedly spout insults, but with White in the role you know it’s backed up by excellent comic timing and years of comedy acting experience.
There’s no point in overselling Hot in Cleveland – it’s a studio sitcom whose storytelling is predictable, and its characterisations of desperate middle-aged women feels a little forced. But the chemistry between its three main leads and its note-perfect mocking of luxury city lifestyles give it a twinge of charm that may just have you coming back for a light-hearted half-hour every once in a while.
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