Time to forgive Michael Richards?
'Seinfeld' star nabs first regular sitcom gig since his controversial meltdown
People aren't buzzing about Kirstie Alley's new show due to its silly name: "Kirstie's New Show." It's not so much even that the TV Land sitcom reunites Alley with her "Cheers" co-star, Rhea Perlman. What matters most is that it's the first regular TV role for "Seinfeld's" Michael Richards since his racist meltdown on an L.A. comedy club stage in 2006.
Bing: More on Michael Richards | "Kirstie's New Show"
In a single, gruesome instant, the former Cosmo Kramer erased all credibility he had with TV audiences and the industry. To borrow the words of Jerry Seinfeld, the n-word is a "pretty big matzo ball" to leave hanging there and expect to ever go away.
Is seven years later too soon? Is forever too soon?
"Kirstie's New Show" stars Alley as a Broadway star who gets a visit from the son she gave up at birth (Eric Petersen), a nerd who does not fit into her glamorous New York lifestyle. Richards plays the star's driver.
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It seems almost too coincidental that Richards would assume the role of a servant without a connection to the penance he still feels he owes his former fans.
We know Richards is sorry. He says so in interview after interview. He has apologized so many times, no one really wants to hear it anymore.
The matzo ball is in our court now. Are we willing to laugh at him on TV again?
"Kirstie's New Show" premieres this fall on TV Land.
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Deanna Barnert | Los Angeles, Calif.
Entertainment journalist Deanna "TVDeeva" Barnert visits sets, interviews industry players and critiques the final product. Buzz's daytime TV queen covers it all for MSN TV, but loves her sitcoms, soaps and any juicy drama that doesn't call itself Reality TV.
