The New Adventures of Old Christine is an American comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedienne, widely known for her sitcom roles in Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine....

 which ran for five seasons on CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 from March 13, 2006, to May 12, 2010. The show received nine Emmy Award

Emmy Award

An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...

 nominations, winning one for Louis-Dreyfus' performance in the first season.

Plot summary

Christine Campbell (Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedienne, widely known for her sitcom roles in Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine....

) is a neurotic

Neurosis

Neurosis is a class of functional mental disorders involving distress but neither delusions nor hallucinations, whereby behavior is not outside socially acceptable norms. It is also known as psychoneurosis or neurotic disorder, and thus those suffering from it are said to be neurotic...

 divorced mother and owner of a women's gym who is in a constant struggle to keep pace with those around her. A frequent fixture in her life is her irresponsible ex-husband Richard (Clark Gregg

Clark Gregg

Robert Clark Gregg is an American actor, screenwriter and director. He co-starred as Christine Campbell's ex-husband Richard in the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, which debuted in March 2006 and concluded in May 2010...

), whose new girlfriend (Emily Rutherfurd

Emily Rutherfurd

Emily Rutherfurd is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Christine "New Christine" Hunter on The New Adventures of Old Christine.-Personal life:...

) is also named Christine, hence the nickname "Old Christine". Dreyfus' character Christine lives with her son Ritchie (Trevor Gagnon

Trevor Gagnon

Trevor Michael Gagnon is an American actor.-Career:Gagnon has been featured in many television commercials along with multiple television series and a few films...

) and her brother Matthew (Hamish Linklater

Hamish Linklater

Hamish Linklater is an American actor. He is best known as Matthew in the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine...

), while Christine's best friend and colleague Barb (Wanda Sykes

Wanda Sykes

Wanda Sykes is an American writer, stand-up comedian, actress, and voice artist. She earned the 1999 Emmy Award for her writing on The Chris Rock Show. In 2004 Entertainment Weekly named Sykes as one of the 25 funniest people in America...

) is constantly a shoulder for Christine to lean upon. Christine also struggles with her inferiority complex

Inferiority complex

An inferiority complex, in the fields of psychology and psychoanalysis, is a feeling that one is inferior to others in some way. Such feelings can arise from an imagined or actual inferiority in the afflicted person...

 with the bitchy "meanie-moms", Marly Ehrhardt (Tricia O'Kelley) and Lindsay (Alex Kapp Horner

Alex Kapp Horner

Alex Kapp Horner is an American actress whose most notable role was as Lindsay on the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine.-Personal life:...

) at her son's private school.

The show features guest spots and recurring appearances from a wide range of established actors including Blair Underwood

Blair Underwood

Blair Underwood is an American television and film actor. He is perhaps best known as headstrong attorney Jonathan Rollins from the NBC legal drama L.A. Law, a role he portrayed for seven years. He has gained critical acclaim throughout his career, receiving numerous Golden Globe Award...

, Dave Foley

Dave Foley

David Scott "Dave" Foley is a Canadian comedian, writer, director, and producer best known for his work in The Kids in the Hall, NewsRadio, A Bug's Life, and Celebrity Poker Showdown...

, Eric McCormack

Eric McCormack

Eric James McCormack is a Canadian American actor, musician, writer and producer. Born in Toronto, he began his acting career performing in school plays at Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute High School...

, Jason Alexander

Jason Alexander

Jay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...

, Jennifer Grey

Jennifer Grey

Jennifer Elise Grey is an American actress. Her first major roles came in the 1984 war film Red Dawn and the 1986 comedy Ferris Bueller's Day Off. In 1987 she starred as Frances "Baby" Houseman in the hit film Dirty Dancing for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe. In the early 1990s, Grey...

, Megan Mullally

Megan Mullally

Megan Mullally is an American actress and singer.After working in the theatre in Chicago, Mullally moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and began to appear in supporting roles in film and television productions. She made her Broadway debut in Grease in 1994 and she has since appeared in several Broadway...

, Scott Bakula

Scott Bakula

Scott Stewart Bakula is an American actor, known for his role as Sam Beckett in the television series Quantum Leap, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 1991 and was nominated for four Emmy Awards. He also had a prominent role as Captain Jonathan...

, Andy Richter

Andy Richter

Paul Andrew "Andy" Richter is an American actor, writer, comedian, and late night talk show announcer. He is best known for his role as the sidekick of Conan O'Brien on each of the host's programs: Late Night and The Tonight Show on NBC, and Conan on TBS...

, Lee Tergesen

Lee Tergesen

Lee Allen Tergesen is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Tobias Beecher in HBO’s prison drama Oz and as Evan Wright in Generation Kill.-Early life:...

, and Jane Lynch

Jane Lynch

Jane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...

.
The first season consists of 13 episodes and premiered on March 13, 2006. In this season Christine has only just enrolled her son, Ritchie, at a new posh private school, where she is constantly being humiliated by Marly and Lindsay, some non-working mothers at the school. On top of all this she has just discovered her ex-husband, Richard has started dating a much younger woman who is also named Christine. Christine has a brief fling with Burton Shaffer, Christine's on-and-off romantic interest, but they soon break up due to Christine not being able to commit to the relationship. In the season finale Christine kisses her ex-, Richard, causing him to tell New Christine, who promptly breaks up with him.

The second season consists of 22 episodes and premiered on September 18, 2006. Due to Richard and Christine's brief kiss, Ritchie believes that his parents have gotten back together, much to his parents' dismay. Christine starts dating an older man whom she later discovers is New Christine's father; this situation causes Richard and New Christine to rekindle their romance once again. Barb decides to start working at the gym with Christine, while Christine falls hard for Ritchie's new teacher, Mr. Harris. The season finale included Richard sleeping with Christine after breaking up with New Christine yet again. This causes a pregnancy

Pregnancy

Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...

 scare for Christine, which is soon avoided. Eventually, New Christine takes Richard back and Mr. Harris takes a new teaching job at another school to be with Christine.

The third season was scheduled as a midseason replacement on CBS with 13 episodes scheduled. Due to the 2007 writer's strike, the third season consists of only 10 episodes. The third season premiered on February 4, 2008. Christine and Mr. Harris have a good relationship, until Christine's schedule becomes too hectic midway through the season; so they eventually break up. Meanwhile, Richard and New Christine buy a house together, which coincidentally is Christine's dream house, leaving her feeling jealous and confused. Barb leaves her husband and she has a short-lived fling with Matthew, much to Christine's horror.

The fourth season, consisting of 22 episodes, premiered on September 24, 2008. As Barb is divorced she is facing deportation

Deportation

Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...

 from the U.S., so Christine decides to marry her in a sham

Sham marriage

A sham marriage or fake marriage is a marriage of convenience entered into with the intent of deceiving public officials or society about its purpose. Arranging or entering into such a marriage to deceive public officials is itself a separate violation of the law of some countries...

 lesbian

Lesbian

Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...

 marriage in order to keep her best friend in the country. Richard and New Christine become engaged while Matthew finds love with one of his clients. Christine has a brief relationship with an obsessive man named Patrick, while she and Barb decide to turn their gym into a spa which they later discover has turned into a brothel. On the day of Richard and New Christine's wedding, Christine briefly gets back together with New Christine's father, but is later left heartbroken when she discovers that he is engaged. This causes Richard to rush to Christine's side, provoking the jealous New Christine to leave him at the altar. Meanwhile Barb and Christine's sham marriage is discovered by an INS

Immigration and Naturalization Service

The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service , now referred to as Legacy INS, ceased to exist under that name on March 1, 2003, when most of its functions were transferred from the Department of Justice to three new components within the newly created Department of Homeland Security, as...

 officer, leaving Barb imprisoned.

The fifth season, consisting of 21 episodes, premiered on September 23, 2009. Following Barb's arrest, she is rescued by Christine, Matthew and Barb's new boyfriend Dave. While Richard tries to win New Christine back, he temporarily moves into a new apartment with Matthew. Christine begins going to therapy, but she is attracted to her therapist, Max. They eventually abandon Christine's therapy and strike up a relationship instead. New Christine announces that she is pregnant, causing Richard to rekindle his relationship with her. New Christine eventually gives birth to a baby girl. Meanwhile, Barb becomes engaged to a reluctant Dave. At the conclusion of the season, Christine also becomes engaged to Max, but she feels intimidated by his very educated friends, so she decides to return to college.

Main cast

• "Old" Christine Campbell (Julia Louis-Dreyfus
  Julia Louis-Dreyfus
  Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedienne, widely known for her sitcom roles in Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine....
  
  ), the main character of the series, is a divorced mother who owns and operates a gym for women. She has a number of neuroses: although she suffers from feelings of inadequacy, she can also be highly self-centered and self-obsessed. Christine's bad luck with relationships continued after her divorce, and included failed relationships with New Christine's father, her son's teacher and her ex-brother-in-law. Christine is obsessed with being seen as socially progressive and liberal, and recently married her best friend Barb when she risked being deported, though this marriage ended shortly because it in no way protected Barb. Christine currently is in another dysfunctional relationship, as she has romantic feelings for her therapist Max.

• Richard Campbell Sr. (Clark Gregg
  Clark Gregg
  Robert Clark Gregg is an American actor, screenwriter and director. He co-starred as Christine Campbell's ex-husband Richard in the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, which debuted in March 2006 and concluded in May 2010...
  
  ), is Christine's ex-husband, who maintains a frequent presence in her life. After divorcing Christine, he found love with another woman named Christine, whom he nicknames "New Christine". He suffers from commitment issues, and only recently did he finally get engaged. Richard's presence in his ex-wife's life caused a strain between himself and New Christine, which heightened when she walked out on their wedding. Richard has finally accepted the fact she doesn't want him back, but although Richard is currently single, New Christine showed up on his doorstep a month later, furiously revealing she is pregnant.

• Matthew Kimble (Hamish Linklater
  Hamish Linklater
  Hamish Linklater is an American actor. He is best known as Matthew in the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine...
  
  ), is Christine's long suffering live-in brother, who often acts as the straight man to his neurotic sister. Matthew has had trouble finding a career path. He entered and then quit medical school and then pursued a career as a therapist. He suffers from an unhealthy attachment to his mother
  Oedipus complex
  In psychoanalytic theory, the term Oedipus complex denotes the emotions and ideas that the mind keeps in the unconscious, via dynamic repression, that concentrate upon a boy’s desire to sexually possess his mother, and kill his father...
  
   (who he kisses on the mouth and speaks to several times daily). His romantic life is less than stellar.

• Barbara "Barb" Baran (Wanda Sykes
  Wanda Sykes
  Wanda Sykes is an American writer, stand-up comedian, actress, and voice artist. She earned the 1999 Emmy Award for her writing on The Chris Rock Show. In 2004 Entertainment Weekly named Sykes as one of the 25 funniest people in America...
  
  ), is Christine's funny best friend and colleague at the gym (whom she often calls "my black friend Barb"). Barb is divorced and in the fourth season was revealed to be from the Bahamas and not a US citizen. She has a dry, sarcastic sense of humor and is rarely enthused by any of Christine's plans. Barb and Christine got married early in season four to save Barb from deportation, but their same-sex marriage ended up resulting in them losing ownership of their gym. Since they lost the gym, Barb sold her condo to build up a new business and married Richard to stave off deportation. She's also engaged to Dave, a man she met at the wedding. Unfortunately, in reality Dave hates Barb and thought proposing to her would break them up, but instead she accepted.

• "New" Christine Liesl Hunter (Emily Rutherfurd
  Emily Rutherfurd
  Emily Rutherfurd is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Christine "New Christine" Hunter on The New Adventures of Old Christine.-Personal life:...
  
  ), is Richard's "dumb blonde" girlfriend, an often frustrated and confused young blonde whom he nicknames "New Christine". She is annoyed by Richard's continued friendship with Old Christine, who treats her with derision, leading to friction between the two women. She is also frustrated with Richard's lack of commitment to their relationship. She walked out on their wedding, and has intense anger towards Richard for ruining their wedding. She also became furious to learn she is pregnant, even though Richard told her he had a vasectomy. They re-kindle their relationship and Christine gives birth to a daughter named Dakota Christine Hunter-Campbell at the end of season 5.

• Richard "Richie" Campbell Jr. (Trevor Gagnon
  Trevor Gagnon
  Trevor Michael Gagnon is an American actor.-Career:Gagnon has been featured in many television commercials along with multiple television series and a few films...
  
  ), Christine and Richard's son, who attends a posh private school. Often smothered by his mother, his lack of masculine traits had recently begun to worry his father. He is often seen in the show in a school uniform: blue polo shirt with school logo, tan/khaki dress pants, and belt with dress shoes.

• Marly and Lindsay (Tricia O'Kelley
  Tricia O'Kelley
  Patricia Beth "Tricia" O'Kelley is an American actress. She is known for her role as Marly on the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine.- Personal life :...
  
   and Alex Kapp Horner
  Alex Kapp Horner
  Alex Kapp Horner is an American actress whose most notable role was as Lindsay on the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine.-Personal life:...
  
  ), aka 'The Meanie Moms,' are two terrible, rich mothers whose children attend Richie's school. They are looked upon as the 'queen bees' among the parents, although Marly is clearly dominant to the subservient Lindsay (Lindsay even got pregnant when Marly did so Marly wouldn't have to do it alone). They frequently make Christine feel inferior, leading Christine to repeatedly find ways to get back at them.

Recurring cast

• Mike Gay (Tom Papa
  Tom Papa
  Tom Papa is an American comedian, actor and TV host known for his many TV and film appearances.-Early life:Papa was born November 10, 1967 in Passaic, New Jersey, and grew up in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey...
  
  ), Christine's only friend at Westbridge, as he is similar to Christine in that he is not wealthy and is also divorced. (Season 3)
• Stan / "Sad Dad" (Andy Richter
  Andy Richter
  Paul Andrew "Andy" Richter is an American actor, writer, comedian, and late night talk show announcer. He is best known for his role as the sidekick of Conan O'Brien on each of the host's programs: Late Night and The Tonight Show on NBC, and Conan on TBS...
  
  ), divorced and mocked father at Westbridge that Christine finds herself unable to not sleep with. She later announces why she finds him so irresistible. (Seasons 1-3)
• 'Papa' Jeff Hunter (Scott Bakula
  Scott Bakula
  Scott Stewart Bakula is an American actor, known for his role as Sam Beckett in the television series Quantum Leap, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 1991 and was nominated for four Emmy Awards. He also had a prominent role as Captain Jonathan...
  
  ), originally Christine's love interest, but soon finds out is 'New' Christine's father. They continue to date for a while after but eventually becomes too much for Christine. At New Christine and Richard's wedding, Jeff and Christine rekindle their relationship. Christine realizes shortly after this he is engaged. (Season 2,4 and 5)
• Tom (Dave Foley
  Dave Foley
  David Scott "Dave" Foley is a Canadian comedian, writer, director, and producer best known for his work in The Kids in the Hall, NewsRadio, A Bug's Life, and Celebrity Poker Showdown...
  
  ), Richard's work associate who is obsessed with Christine. After he got sick on their disastrous first date, they bonded later in the series, but Christine still refused to see him. Richard set them up yet again, and this time Christine used him for his money, but Tom left her after he thought Christine's attempted seduction of him as "repulsive". (Seasons 2-3, 5)
• Daniel Harris (Blair Underwood
  Blair Underwood
  Blair Underwood is an American television and film actor. He is perhaps best known as headstrong attorney Jonathan Rollins from the NBC legal drama L.A. Law, a role he portrayed for seven years. He has gained critical acclaim throughout his career, receiving numerous Golden Globe Award...
  
  ), Ritchie's former 4th grade teacher until he gave it up to date Christine. Christine had been in love with him for a long time and although dating goes well, it eventually becomes too much for Daniel because of Christine's schedule. (Seasons 2-3, 5)
• Ali (Amy Farrington
  Amy Farrington
  Amy Farrington is an American actress and model that is best known for her role as Stacey Devers on The Michael Richards Show. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts but raised in Garland, a suburb of Dallas, Texas. After attending a musical theatre conservatory program, she worked in local and...
  
  ), quiet, shy and surprisingly witty worker at the gym. (Seasons 1-4)
• Mrs. Belt (Jordan Baker), Ritchie's third grade teacher. (Season 1)
• Burton Shaffer (Matt Letscher
  Matt Letscher
  Matthew Letscher is an American actor.-Biography:Letscher was born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. He attended college at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI where he was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity....
  
  ), Christine's on-and-off romantic interest. She always finds herself stupidly splitting them up until Burton had therapy. They dated again but he was so different and strange Christine couldn't take it. (Seasons 1-2)
• Ashley (Lily Goff), Marly's air-headed daughter. (Seasons 1-5)
• Kelsey (Marissa Blanchard), Lindsay's daughter with lesbian tendencies. (Seasons 1-5)
• Kit/Mrs. Nunley (Nancy Lenehan
  Nancy Lenehan
  Nancy Lenehan is an American actress who has appeared in film and television since the 1980s. Her most recent starring role was on the short-lived sitcom Worst Week. She also co-starred as Sandy Kelly, the matriarch in the sitcom Married to the Kellys...
  
  ), peppy principal of Ritchie's school. Nancy Lenehan, before recurring as Mrs. Nunley, guest starred in season one as a completely different character. (Seasons 1-2, 5)
• Pete (Anthony Holiday), ex-husband of Barb. Seems to have few emotions. (Seasons 1-2)
• Mrs. Wilhoite (Mary Beth McDonough), teacher and mean mom at the school. (Seasons 1-5)
• Ms. Hammond (Jane Lynch
  Jane Lynch
  Jane Marie Lynch is an American comedian, actress and singer. She gained fame in Christopher Guest's improv mockumentary pictures such as Best in Show and is currently best known for playing the role of Sue Sylvester in the television series Glee...
  
  ), ethics Counselor and gym teacher at the school. (Season 2)
• Lucy (Michaela Watkins
  Michaela Watkins
  Michaela Suzanne Watkins is an American comic actress, best known for her various roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, a regular performer with The Groundlings in Los Angeles, her recurring role as "Lucy" in the sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, and for her supporting role as...
  
  ), a former patient of Matthew's who becomes attracted to authority figures. Matthew cannot control himself and, thus the two begin to date. Unexpectedly the two fell in love and began a much more serious relationship. They moved in together but unfortunately both exhibited negative qualities which led to an upsetting break-up. (Season 4, 5)
• Patrick Harris (Tim DeKay
  Tim DeKay
  Timothy Robert DeKay is an American character actor. His first on screen acting job was as corporate giant Larry Deon on seaQuest 2032. He was a cast member of the series Party of Five from 1997–1999, Carnivàle from 2003–2005 and Tell Me You Love Me in 2007...
  
  ), Christine's new boyfriend, who she meets in a video store and starts dating. Patrick turns out to have some serious rage issues when he 'loses' at something, and Christine fearfully broke up with him. (Season 4)
• Todd Watski (Lee Tergesen
  Lee Tergesen
  Lee Allen Tergesen is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Tobias Beecher in HBO’s prison drama Oz and as Evan Wright in Generation Kill.-Early life:...
  
  ), Christine's elementary school rival. When she discovers he's a fellow parent at the school, she gets revenge. Christine later uses him as her date at Richard and New Christine's wedding rehearsal dinner with the intention of showing Richard up, but his 'ass' qualities kick in and the plan backfires. (Season 4)
• Joe Campbell (Charles Esten), Richard's brother. Joe spent the night at Christine's house during a visit and following this came out
  Coming out
  Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
  
   to her as gay
  Gay
  Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
  
  . He lives in San Francisco and returned for Richard's bachelor party where he became jealous he wasn't the best man.
• Amy Hunter (Constance Zimmer
  Constance Zimmer
  Constance Zimmer is an American actress perhaps best known for her role as Dana Gordon in HBO's Entourage and as Claire Simms on the critically acclaimed ABC legal comedy-drama Boston Legal...
  
  ), New Christine's sister. Amy is notably vastly different than her sister, as she's much less ditsy and much more down-to-Earth. She meets Matthew at Richard and New Christine's wedding rehearsal and the two hook up. (Season 4)
• Principal Merrow (Stephen Tobolowsky), Westbridge's middle school principal. He has very little tolerance for Christine's neurotic behavior. (Season 4)
• Max (Eric McCormack
  Eric McCormack
  Eric James McCormack is a Canadian American actor, musician, writer and producer. Born in Toronto, he began his acting career performing in school plays at Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute High School...
  
  ), Christine's therapist/crush and Matthew's mentor. Christine and Max share a mutual attraction, though at the time Christine is only his patient. Max has already had his license suspended multiple times for getting close to patients, and Matthew has shown immense disapproval of his mentor dating his sister. (Season 5)
• Dave (James Lesure
  James Lesure
  James Lesure is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Mike Cannon on the NBC comedy-drama Las Vegas, and as Mel Ellis on the NBC/WB sitcom For Your Love. He also starred as basketball star Alonzo Pope on the ABC series Mr. Sunshine, a 2010-11 midseason replacement with Matthew...
  
  ), a man Barb met at Richard and New Christine's wedding. Although he originally tried to deport her as he is an INS agent, he later found a way to keep her in the country because of his feelings for her, which later developed into hatred as their relationship progressed. He proposed to her thinking she'd break up with him, but instead the two became engaged. (Seasons 4-5)

Notable guest stars

• Dr. Palmer (Jason Alexander
  Jason Alexander
  Jay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
  
  ), Christine's gynecologist.
• Audrey (Sandra Bernhard
  Sandra Bernhard
  Sandra Bernhard is an American comedian, singer, actress and author. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy in which she often bitterly critiques celebrity culture and political figures. Bernhard is number 97 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of...
  
  ), an activist promoting offshore oil drilling, which Christine's opposed to. She calls Christine "shorty", so Christine counters by calling her names such as "Tall" or "Gigantor".
• Claire (Rachael Harris
  Rachael Harris
  Rachael Elaine Harris is an American actress and comedian.-Early life:Harris was born in Worthington, Ohio. She graduated from Worthington High School...
  
  ), Christine's college friend's fiancé.
• Belinda (Ana Ortiz
  Ana Ortiz
  Ana Ortíz is an American actress and singer. She is a native of Manhattan, but was raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was a regular cast-member on the ABC comedy-drama series Ugly Betty, in which she plays the title character's older sister, Hilda Suarez...
  
  ), a down-to-Earth Portuguese mother at Richie's school, who turns out to be Marly's housekeeper.
• Timmy (Ben Feldman
  Ben Feldman (actor)
  Ben Feldman is an American television and film actor. He has done stage acting, including the Broadway play The Graduate along with Alicia Silverstone and Kathleen Turner. He also played a leading character in The Perfect Man and portrayed Fran Drescher's son on the television series Living with...
  
  ), a young ambitious lawyer whom New Christine set up with Christine.
• Shelley (Gigi Rice
  Gigi Rice
  Gigi Rice is an American actress in movies and television shows.-Early life:She graduated from the Ohio State University, and majored in Theatre. Gigi Rice has enjoyed a career on television, gaining national attention when she was added to the cast of the The John Larroquette Show in 1993...
  
  ), Timmy's protective mother
• Ben (Matthew Glave
  Matthew Glave
  Matthew G. Glave , an American film and television actor.-Personal:Glave attended Ohio University.He is married to Anita Barone and has two daughters, Madeline and Roxanne.-Career:...
  
  ), Christine's friend from college and Claire's fiance.
• Neil (Jeffrey Tambor
  Jeffrey Tambor
  Jeffrey Michael Tambor is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth on Arrested Development and Hank Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show.-Early life:...
  
  ), owner of a reptile club Richie wants to get into. Christine agrees to go on a date with him to allow Richie in the club.
• Liz (Helen Slater
  Helen Slater
  Helen Rachel Slater is an American actress and singer-songwriter.She appeared in the title role in the 1984 film Supergirl. In the following years she starred in several very successful comedy-drama films such as Ruthless People, The Secret of My Success, and City Slickers...
  
  ), a mother at Richie's school who flirts with and employs Matthew at the same time.
• Father Christopher (Ed Begley, Jr.
  Ed Begley, Jr.
  Edward James "Ed" Begley, Jr. is an American actor and environmentalist. Begley has appeared in hundreds of films, television shows, and stage performances. He is best known for his role as Dr. Victor Ehrlich, on the television series St...
  
  ), a friendly minister who tries to make Christine feel comfortable at church.
• Angela (Brenda Blethyn
  Brenda Blethyn
  Brenda Anne Blethyn, OBE is an English actress who has worked in theatre, television and film. Blethyn has received two Academy Award nominations, two SAG Award nominations, two Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
  
  ), Christine's neurotic mother.
• Margaret (Megan Mullally
  Megan Mullally
  Megan Mullally is an American actress and singer.After working in the theatre in Chicago, Mullally moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and began to appear in supporting roles in film and television productions. She made her Broadway debut in Grease in 1994 and she has since appeared in several Broadway...
  
  ), corporate adviser of Christine and Barb's gym.
• Francie (Kristen Johnston
  Kristen Johnston
  Kristen Johnston is an American stage, film, and television actress. She may be most famous for her role as Sally Solomon in the television series 3rd Rock from the Sun...
  
  ), a mother at Richie's school, and Christine's needy new friend.
• Howard (Corbin Bernsen
  Corbin Bernsen
  Corbin Dean Bernsen is an American actor and director, known for his work on television. He is best known for his roles as divorce attorney Arnold Becker on the NBC drama series L.A. Law, and as retired police detective Henry Spencer on the USA Network comedy-drama series Psych...
  
  ), a high powered attorney Christine hires in her divorce with Barb.
• Agnes (Marion Ross
  Marion Ross
  Marion Ross is an American actress best known for her role as Marion Cunningham on the television series Happy Days from 1974 to 1984.-Early life:...
  
  ), an elderly woman that Richard tries to evict from her own apartment.
• Tracey (Jennifer Grey
  Jennifer Grey
  Jennifer Elise Grey is an American actress. Her first major roles came in the 1984 war film Red Dawn and the 1986 comedy Ferris Bueller's Day Off. In 1987 she starred as Frances "Baby" Houseman in the hit film Dirty Dancing for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe. In the early 1990s, Grey...
  
  ), a passionate woman whom Christine sets up with Richard. (Jennifer Grey
  Jennifer Grey
  Jennifer Elise Grey is an American actress. Her first major roles came in the 1984 war film Red Dawn and the 1986 comedy Ferris Bueller's Day Off. In 1987 she starred as Frances "Baby" Houseman in the hit film Dirty Dancing for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe. In the early 1990s, Grey...
  
   is the wife of series star Clark Gregg
  Clark Gregg
  Robert Clark Gregg is an American actor, screenwriter and director. He co-starred as Christine Campbell's ex-husband Richard in the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, which debuted in March 2006 and concluded in May 2010...
  
  )
• Frances (Amy Sedaris
  Amy Sedaris
  Amy Louise Sedaris is an American actress, author, and comedian. She is known for playing the character Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central television series Strangers with Candy. Sedaris regularly collaborates with her older brother, humorist and author David Sedaris...
  
  ), a childhood victim of Christine's bullying with whom Christine tries to make amends.
• Jeannie (Molly Shannon
  Molly Shannon
  Molly Helen Shannon is an American comic actress best known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995–2001 and for starring in the films Superstar and Year of the Dog. More recently, she starred in NBC's Kath & Kim from 2008–2009 and on the TBS animated series Neighbors from...
  
  ), an eccentric neighbor of Christine's who throws a disastrous holiday block party.

Critical reception

The review website Metacritic.com, which tabulates critics' reviews, gave it a 64—equating to their summary of "generally positive reviews", with 16 out of 26 critics reviews deemed as positive. A Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....

 review notes that "Louis-Dreyfus makes Christine feel fresh and real" and the show has a "dry charm and a nice tone of affectionate irony."

Nielsen ratings and broadcast history

The show's initial ratings success was the first example of a show breaking the "Seinfeld curse" (after the failures of The Michael Richards Show

The Michael Richards Show

The Michael Richards Show is a sitcom that debuted on NBC in 2000. The show starred Michael Richards as reality-challenged but successful private detective Vic Nardozza who gets the job done despite his unconventional methods.- History :...

, Bob Patterson, Listen Up!, and Louis-Dreyfus' own Watching Ellie

Watching Ellie

Watching Ellie is an American sitcom that starred Julia Louis-Dreyfus and was created by her husband, Brad Hall. It aired on NBC from February 2002 to May 2003, though only sixteen episodes were broadcast before it was canceled due to low ratings....

). The series premiere reached 15.1 million viewers.

Old Christines time slot was changed mid-way through the second season, with a decline in ratings after losing its Two and a Half Men

Two and a Half Men

Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...

 lead-in.

On May 16, 2007, it was announced that, despite the decline in ratings, CBS would renew the show for a third season 2007-2008 as a mid-season replacement. On November 6, 2007, CBS said that production of Old Christine had been halted because of a strike

2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike

The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....

 by the Writers Guild of America

Writers Guild of America

The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....

. On December 13, 2007 CBS announced that the series would return for its third season, which premiered on February 4, 2008, replacing Rules of Engagement

Rules of Engagement (TV series)

Rules of Engagement is a sitcom that debuted on CBS on February 5, 2007, as a midseason replacement, immediately following Two and a Half Men, in the time slot that was occupied by now-cancelled The New Adventures of Old Christine...

. However, only 10 episodes of the original 13-episode order were produced and aired for the third season because of the WGA strike.

On May 14, 2008, CBS gave the sitcom a 22-episode order for the 2008-2009 season, where it aired on Wednesdays, opening up a second comedy night for the network. Only 6.7 million viewers tuned in to the premiere. The following week, despite not having to go up against ratings success Dancing with the Stars, ratings tip-toed up, as it added a few hundred thousand. By the third episode, the show was over 7.5 million and had added more than one million to the premiere audience. Since then, the fourth season Old Christine had ratings close to 8 million viewers, and came first in its time slot multiple times.

The early ratings for the fifth season had been lower than previous seasons, but the 14th episode of the season reached 8.3 million viewers, the highest viewership the show had received in the Wednesday night timeslot. When the future of the show was uncertain at CBS, ABC showed interest in the series on several occasions, and on May 3, 2010, Deadline Hollywood reported that ABC was in negotiations with Warner Bros. to pick up Old Christine, should CBS cancel it. On May 18, 2010, CBS canceled Old Christine. Upon CBS canceling the show, creator Kari Lizer slammed the network and suggested the decision to cancel the show was sexist. After the CBS cancellation, rumors continued that ABC was interested in the show, but these plans have not come to fruition.

Season	Timeslot (EST)	Season Premiere	Season Finale	TV Season	Rank	Viewers (in millions)
1 The New Adventures of Old Christine (season 1) The first season of The New Adventures of Old Christine premiered on March 13, 2006 and concluded on May 22, 2006. It consisted of 13 episodes....	Monday 9:30/8:30c	March 13, 2006	May 22, 2006	2005–2006	#29	12.5
2 The New Adventures of Old Christine (season 2) The second season of The New Adventures of Old Christine premiered on September 18, 2006 and concluded on May 7, 2007. It consisted of 22 episodes....	Monday 9:30/8:30c	September 18, 2006	May 7, 2007	2006–2007	#40	10.4
3 The New Adventures of Old Christine (season 3) The third season of The New Adventures of Old Christine premiered on February 4, 2008 and concluded on March 31, 2008. It was originally intended to have 13 episodes, since the CBS has scheduled the series as a midseason replacement, but due to the Writer's Strike, it was shortened to 10...	Monday 9:30/8:30c	February 4, 2008	March 31, 2008	2007–2008	#38	10.4
4 The New Adventures of Old Christine (season 4) The fourth season of The New Adventures of Old Christine premiered on September 24, 2008 and concluded on May 20, 2009. It's consisted of 22 episodes....	Wednesday 8:00/7:00c	September 24, 2008	May 20, 2009	2008–2009	#73	7.3
5 The New Adventures of Old Christine (season 5) The fifth and final season of The New Adventures of Old Christine premiered on September 23, 2009 and concluded on May 12, 2010. It's consisted of 21 episodes....	Wednesday 8:00/7:00c	September 23, 2009	May 12, 2010	2009–2010	#66	6.7

The New Adventures of Old Christine is now syndicated on local stations, Lifetime, and WGN America.

In Australia The New Adventures of Old Christine is being repeated Monday to Wednesday nights at 11:30pm on Nine Network

Nine Network

The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...

.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Title	Recipient	Result
2006	Emmy Award	Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series	Gregg Heschong Gregg Heschong Gregg Heschong is an American cinematographer and television director.For much of his career he amassed a number cinematography credits in television series The Tracey Ullman Show, Perfect Strangers, The George Carlin Show, Wanda at Large, Til Death, Twins, Better with You and $h*! My Dad Says...
		Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedienne, widely known for her sitcom roles in Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine....
	Satellite Award	Best Actress in a TV Series - Comedy or Musical	Julia Louis-Dreyfus
2007	Art Directors Guild Award	Best Production Design for a Multi-Camera Series	Cabot McMullen
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	Julia Louis-Dreyfus
	Gold Derby TV Award	Best Actress in a Comedy Series	Julia Louis-Dreyfus
	Golden Globe Award	Best Actress in a TV Series - Comedy or Musical	Julia Louis-Dreyfus
	Humanitas Prize	30 Minute Category
	Satellite Award	Best Actress in a TV Series - Comedy or Musical	Julia Louis-Dreyfus
	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series	Julia Louis-Dreyfus
2008	Emmy Award	Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series	Cabot McMullen, Amy Feldman
		Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	Julia Louis-Dreyfus
	Gold Derby TV Award	Best Actress in a Comedy Series	Julia Louis-Dreyfus
	Image Award	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series	Blair Underwood Blair Underwood Blair Underwood is an American television and film actor. He is perhaps best known as headstrong attorney Jonathan Rollins from the NBC legal drama L.A. Law, a role he portrayed for seven years. He has gained critical acclaim throughout his career, receiving numerous Golden Globe Award...
	Satellite Award	Best Actress in a TV Series - Comedy or Musical	Julia Louis-Dreyfus
	Young Artist Award	Best Performance by a Young Actor in a TV Series	Trevor Gagnon Trevor Gagnon Trevor Michael Gagnon is an American actor.-Career:Gagnon has been featured in many television commercials along with multiple television series and a few films...
2009	Emmy Award	Outstanding Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series	Cabot McMullen, Amy Feldman
		Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	Julia Louis-Dreyfus
	GLAAD Media Award	Outstanding Individual Episode
	Gold Derby TV Award	Best Actress in a Comedy Series	Julia Louis-Dreyfus
	Image Award	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series	Blair Underwood
		Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	Wanda Sykes Wanda Sykes Wanda Sykes is an American writer, stand-up comedian, actress, and voice artist. She earned the 1999 Emmy Award for her writing on The Chris Rock Show. In 2004 Entertainment Weekly named Sykes as one of the 25 funniest people in America...
2010	Screen Actors Guild Award	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series	Julia Louis-Dreyfus
	Emmy Award	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series	Julia Louis-Dreyfus
		Outstanding Art Direction For A Multi-Camera Series	Cabot McMullen, Amy Feldman

DVD releases

DVD Name	Episodes	Release dates
		Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
The Complete First Season	13	January 15, 2008	July 23, 2008	July 23, 2008
The Complete Second Season	22	June 24, 2008	TBA	TBA
The Complete Third Season	10	July 27, 2010	TBA	TBA
The Complete Fourth Season	22	December 7, 2010	TBA	TBA
The Complete Fifth Season	21	TBA	TBA	TBA

During the Warner Television and Animation Live Chat on April 5, 2010, executives from Warner Brothers said that they are "evaluating different options for release" regarding the remaining and possibly future seasons of Old Christine on DVD. In July 2010, Warner Bros. announced that season 3 would be available on DVD exclusively from wbshop.com and shop.tnt.tv. Season 4 will be released exclusively from wbshop.com on December 7, 2010. In August 2011, Warner Archive said on Twitter that a season 5 DVD will happen but no date has been set yet.

External links

• MSN review