For many it seemed that the height of Betty White’s fame would be in The Golden Girls, when the series was cancelled in 1992 the stars struggled to find other memorable roles and then over the past couple of years three of them gave up completely and shuffled off this mortal coil. Betty White however has fast became a Facebook sensation when a group asking for her to host Saturday Night Live picked up over half a million fans.  At 88 she was the oldest person to host the iconic show and gained the highest in ratings in two years. Hot in Cleveland sees her return to sitcom, although only intended to be in the pilot the producers were so pleased with her performance she is to become a series regular.

The show opens with 3 friends flying Paris, to celebrate one of them getting divorced, however when the flight gets diverted the trio end up in Cleveland. Here the three girls from Hollywood who have so often been over looked for younger prettier specimens suddenly find themselves top of the food chain.  What is more the men are polite, people are not so judgemental and the cost of renting a house for a month is the price as Paris hotel for a night.  Untimely the trio decide to stay, but they have a house cleaner (Betty White) thrown into the mix. While the stay is first said to be temporary there is little doubt this is where the women will stay.

The show deals with the concerns that many of us have when we hit our mid-thirties and start to wonder if our best days and opportunities are behind us.  Stressed by a job we hate and tired and broke keeping up appearances (because how could we possibly get by without the latest i-phone, shoes or car) is a tough life to lead. Escaping to a place less judgemental, with lower expectations of you can sound tempting. But do you want to be a big fish in a small pond, or a small fish ocean, or as the show puts it Paris for a weekend or Cleveland for month.

Hot in Cleveland marks a first for TV Land, this is the first original scripted show for a channel previously reliant on reruns so it is fitting that the show feels like a throw back to a day of non-offensive risk free comedy.  Even the choices the characters make feel safe, with few consequences. The traditional set up and studio audience made this feel like 100 other comedies that require little involvement from the audience and can be enjoyed when channel hopping throws up no suitable alternatives.

Created / Written by: Suzanne Martin
Directed by: Michael Lembeck
Starring: Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick, Betty White
Date premièred: 16^th June 2010 (TV Land)
UK Details: TBC