Smallscreen Reviews

'Happily Divorced' a tough sell, Drescher's life fodder for TV Land sitcom

By April MacIntyre Jun 15, 2011, 20:22 GMT

06/09/2011 - Fran Drescher - 39th Annual AFI Life Achievement Award Honoring Morgan Freeman - Arrivals - Sony Pictures Studios - Culver City, CA, USA © Andrew Evans / PR Photos

Nobody likes being lied to, and who would want to live a lie for appearances?

The dilemma that once was Fran Drescher's real life is now sanitized, gussied up and presented as a farcical male-female version of The Odd Couple.

TV Land sitcom "Happily Divorced" centers around Los Angeles florist Fran (Drescher) thrown back into the dating pool middle-aged, after finding out her real-estate agent husband of 18 years (John Michael Higgins) is gay.

Because of this economy, they must live together and make the best of it.

This effort was inspired by Drescher's marital bust up with Peter Marc Jacobson (co-creator of 'The Nanny') who divorced in 1999 after 20 years of marriage.

She outed him last year.

The reality of this is that the emotional fallout from so many years of unhappily making do and the feelings of deception would embitter most people. Money, the ability to make it and the need for it seems to be the cement for both the fictional and the real Fran.

Then there is the perplexing notion that a gay man can still feel ownership of a woman, or jealous feelings if another man is attracted to her.  And that some gay men really love the physical company of straight women and enjoy living with them.

This situation happens, for both men and women. How people handle the bruised feelings wildly varies, but invariably the person who gets the "gay" news is deeply crushed and confused. 

As the season goes on, Peter and Fran find their new normal while making the best of a bad situation. Just like in real life for Drescher and Jacobson.