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Ask Harriet aired on THe Fox Network from January 4th until the 29th 1998.
Jack( Anthony Tyler Quinn) was a womanizing sports reporter who had written the column " A Man's World" for the New York Dispatch until he was fired by Melissa( Lisa Waltz), his editor and vengeful former girlfriend. Somehow he got a new job writing the paper's advice to the lovelorn column " Ask Harriet" by dressing in drag and submitting material under the name Sylvia Coco. Others on the staff were Trey( Patrick Y. Malone), the young former assistant who took over Jack's column, and Ron (Willie Garson), Jack's mousy friend and the paper's restaurant critic. Ron was the only one who knew that Jack and Sylvia were the same person-anyone else was too dense or too busy staring at Sylvia's exagerated bosom. Joplin ( Julie Benz) was the sexy, young granddaughter of Old Man Russell ( Edward Asner), who owned the paper and had the hot's for Syvia. Although Joplin had been home schooled and had no college education, Russell told Melissa to groom her to take over her job as managing editor. Blair ( Jamie Renee Smith), was Jack's young daughter, who showed up frequently at his apartment, and Marty ( Damien Leake) was the vagrant who solicited in front of the building housing the Dispatch's office.
A Review Of Ask Harriet
Don't ask worthless 'Harriet'
By Steve Paruszkiewicz
Daily Arts Writer
Fox
Thursdays at 8:30 p.m.
The concept of the new Fox television series "Ask Harriet" may seem a tad bit familiar to television viewers of the early 1980s or viewers of Nick At Nite. The entire concept of the cross-dressing guy who fooled everyone originated all the way back in "Some Like It Hot" and became tedious with a show called "Bosom Buddies" which starred Peter Scolari and a lesser known actor by the name of Tom Hanks.
Aside from a few differences, "Ask Harriet" is essentially the same show. In it, Jack Cody (Anthony Tyler Quinn), an arrogant sportswriter, writes an article that causes his paper to be sued for $21 million, and lead to his subsequent termination from the payroll.
Jack concocts a scheme in which he dresses up as a woman named Sylvia Coco, and pleads for his job back. He ends up writing an advice column. The owner of the newspaper (Ed Asner), loves it, and invites him to a hockey game. Jack goes back to clear out his desk, and meets Asner's promiscuous granddaughter, Joplin (Julie Benz).
He thinks that he can erase his alter ego Sylvia, and have Joplin secure his job after he invites her back to his apartment for dinner.
After the dinner, Jack goes to the hockey game, and his boss (big surprise) hits on him. They end up back at Jack's apartment and Joplin comes to the door to get something she had forgotten there earlier. Asner goes ballistic, and demands why she was there at Cody's apartment. Sylvia then tells him that she is Jack's girlfriend and they were throwing a party for Joplin.
Asner, being so taken with Sylvia, gives her a five year contract, and decrees that Cody will never work for him again. With this, the rest of the show is spelled out in black and white for the viewer.
The show itself is weak in plot, weak in story, and weak in characters. It goes along with the same mishaps that befell the Bosom Buddies duo (i.e. talking in their normal deep voices while in drag, being hit on by men, etc.) The show attempts to find humor in a warmed-over plot and win over the audience with its risque behavior.
To say the least, it is almost as it Fox hopes we forgot about "Bosom Buddies," and will find their new show hilarious. The bad news for Fox is that the audience, thanks to Nick At Nite's syndicated reruns, hasn't forgotten.
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