Joining the "Odd" Squad

My summer guilty pleasure TV show has been Odd Mom Out. Unfortunately, there are only 10 episodes. There needs to be more! I just finished the season finale and really hope it will be back next year. It gave me something fun to look forward to every week, after I tucked the kids in bed. If you don't know what I'm talking about, here is a trailer:



You can catch the episodes on Bravo's website for a short time if you have a cable provider, but I hope they'll all be on DVD soon so that you can start from the beginning. Full episodes are also on YouTube, but who knows how long that will last? (The screen resolution on YouTube is weird, but it's doable.)

In any case, Odd Mom Out is a fun and entertaining series, with a lot of hilarity throughout. Jill Kargman moves seamlessly from women's fiction author to comedic actress. She's so full of life and energy. Her character on the show reminds me of a female version of Larry David's character on Curb Your Enthusiasm. She manages to put her foot in her mouth or do some things that everyone else considers rude or inappropriate. And I just love her for it! I can definitely relate to that "odd mom out" feeling sometimes and Jill makes me feel better about it. Jill's friend Vanessa (K.K. Glick) is enjoyable to watch as she's so down-to-earth and different from everyone else on the show. I also love that she gets her own story line. Jill's friendship with Vanessa reminds me of my friendship with my BFF in some ways.

Favorite episodes:
"Omakase" (episode 4): Friend date gone horribly wrong! I just love what they consider to be food at this restaurant.
"Brooklandia" (episode 5): I love how Jill thinks she'll fit in so much better in Brooklyn and then realizes what she'd be getting herself into. The level of sanctimony between all the moms would drive me to react the way Jill did.
"Midwife Crisis" (episode 6): Everything about this episode was hilarious.
"Staffing Up" (episode 8): I love the older housekeeper who swears about everything. Plus there were some great lines, like the one about not attending two Bar Mitzvah parties with one tuchus. (Oh...did I mention how much I love all the Jewish references on the show. Well, except for the Orthodox lady who specialized in helping women tighten up "down there." That just seemed like a weird role for that woman.)
"Wheels Down" (episode 10): A satisfying season finale. And it pays homage to the 80s. I even heard strains of "If You Leave" by OMD at one point.

Character I love to hate: Candace (Joanna Cassidy) and Lex (Sean Kleier). It's a tie between mother and son. I don't envy Jill and Brooke for having such a pretentious and difficult mother-in-law. And Lex is just a "female hygiene product" to put it nicely.
Character I hate to love: Brooke! Abby Elliot is so perfect as this perfectionist mom snob and makes her comical and endearing, but still someone you wouldn't want to look at the wrong way, lest she turn all her friends against you.

Fun fact: Aside from Jill Kargman being sister-in-laws with Drew Barrymore...Jill appeared at Chick Lit Central a few years ago when promoting one of her books. She's really nice and as funny in real life as she is on the show. Visit Jill at her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

I hope you'll give Odd Mom Out a chance, There's more substance to the show than just sex and money. It's a hidden gem and I am just starting to find more people who will also admit to it being their guilty pleasure. If you already watch and enjoy it as much as I do, don't be shy!