Sitcoms Online Photo Galleries - In-Laws: Cast Photo

In-Laws aired from September 2002 until January 2003 on NBC.

Victor ( Dennis Farina) was a self-made man , the gruff owner of a security business who now lived in a palatial home in the suburbs. Life was just the way he wanted it-he didn't have to work much, and he even got to use his uniformed guards as golfers. Then his beloved daughter Alex ( Bonnie Somerville) moved back in with her new husband , Matt ( Elon Gold), a nerdy cooking school student, so they could save money while he completed his education. What Matt got was an education in dealing with in-laws. Bossy Victor sniped at him constantly, periodically demanding " private convo time" to straighten out his new son-in-law. Stylish mom-in-law Marlene ( Jean Smart) was pretty much occupied with her own life, which alternated between shopping and starting a new career as a real estate agent. Perky Alex was the chief peacemaker between the two men in the household, playing the " daddy's little girl" card to get Victor to calm down.

Suposedly " based on the comedy of Elon Gold," In-Laws was coproduced by Kelsey Grammer.

An Article on The In-Laws

Comic Finds TV 'Gold' With 'In-Laws'
Elon Gold Uses Own Life To Inspire New Sitcom

September 23, 2002

For stand-up comic and television actor Elon Gold, there's got to be an easier approach to his new sitcom than method acting.

That's because the star and co-creator of the new NBC sitcom "In-Laws" really does live with his in-laws when he goes home to New York -- the primary residence for he, his wife Sancha, and their child for the last two years. Of course, living with the in-laws have been known to be a bit troublesome from time to time.

We'll find out how it has affected Gold's life Tuesday night, when the show premieres at 8 p.m. EST with back-to-back episodes. Or, maybe we know already.

"Why do you think I'm nervous this week?" Gold asked me Monday in a WMUR.com interview. "Wednesday morning, those ratings better be good, so I can get out of that house."

Of course, Gold doesn't really despise living with his in-laws. In fact, it inspires his role of Matt, a cooking student who's forced along with his new wife Alex (Bonnie Somerville) to take up residence with her parents Victor and Marlene (Dennis Farina and Jean Smart) in order to save money.

But Matt soon discovers that his and Victor's ingredients don't exactly mix. Victor, a security firm owner, is gruff and overprotective of his little girl -- and such words like "convo time" strike fear in the hearts of men.

You have to remember, Farina is the same guy who tore up the screen with his deadpanning tough guys in such comic gems as "Get Shorty" and "Midnight Run."

"Playing intimidated opposite Dennis is one of the easiest things a guy can do," Gold said, laughing. "But deep down he's the sweetest guy."

It's already clear from the "In-Laws" promo spots that Gold and Farina have a terrific Yin-and-Yang type of chemistry. Gold says that playful atmosphere even continues after the cameras stop rolling.

"It's non-stop," Gold gushed. "Bonnie and Jean are getting a little annoyed already, and are like, 'You guys are just like children.' Dennis and I rag on each other all day. Literally all day, he'll say stuff like 'I just got off the phone with my agent, and you're being replaced tomorrow.'

"Then there was the other day, when he told me 'Last night I fell asleep watching TV,' and I said, 'Oh, there must have been one of your movies on.' All day long we get each other. But it's all out of love. I think that shows on screen."

The Real 'In-Laws'

While "In-Laws" isn't the latest foray into reality television, Gold would be remiss not to point out that much of what you see is based on real-life experiences.

"It's much more fun to play the guy who lives with his in-laws than to be the guy," Gold explained. "But the truth is, this is me, so it's not a big acting gig. I've been playing this role all my life. I met my wife when I was 15, and two years later my father-in-law kicked me out of the house just for being there past 10 p.m."

For the record, Gold wants you to know that's he's not trying to gleam off the success of the hit movie comedy "Meet the Parents," where a fumbling Ben Stiller tries dreads his first encounter with his paranoid future father-in-law (Robert De Niro) -- an ex-CIA operative.

"This is me -- in fact, 'Meet the Parents' is ripping me off," Gold said, laughing. "The truth is, when my father-in-law saw 'Meet the Parents' he came up to me and said, 'You know, Elon, you could have been playing that Ben Stiller role,' and I'm like, 'Oh, believe me I do, every day of my life."

He's Gonna Make It After All

"In-Laws" is no doubt Gold's best opportunity to date, and it is well-deserved considering the time he's spent in the business paying his dues. Now 29, Gold has been doing stand-up comedy gigs since he was 17. Apart from that, he's shot pilot shows for every network, appeared on sitcoms on ABC and the WB, and did impeccable voice impressions of the claymation version of Howard Stern on the hit MTV series "Celebrity Deathmatch."

But it was his time working alongside television luminary Mary Tyler Moore that provided, for the lack of better words, a golden opportunity for Gold. In 2000's "Mary Tyler Moore Show" reunion movie, "Mary & Rhoda," Gold played Mary Richards' new boss.

"I would joke around saying, 'I'm the Lou Grant of the new millennium' and 'I'm the Ed Asner without the back hair,'" Gold mused. "There was talk of a series, but it never turned into anything more than a fun movie with a television legend."

But while a new show didn't materialize, a bond between Gold and Moore did. He was thrilled that she accepted the role of his mom in a television pilot a few months later, but again, an opportunity to do the show never came to pass.

But that's hardly going to deter Gold from trying and trying again. And even a short conversation with him -- hearing the excitement and enthusiasm in his voice just one day prior to the biggest debut of his life -- was enough to convince me that, like his friend Mary, he's really going to make it after all.

That's because he embraces rejection and learns from it, rather than letting it tear him down. After all, it got him to the point where he is now.

"If I had success when I started when I was 17, I'd be a different person -- I'd be total idiot because I wouldn't be appreciative," Gold observed. "I've grown as a stand-up comedian and as an actor. Some people are as good as it gets from the get-go, like Eddie Murphy, who at 19 was brilliant out of the gate.

"As for me, I was cute. I was OK. But I needed the time and some of those setbacks and failures because it made me stronger, more grateful and better at my craft."

Sure, the rejections have also been tough on Gold's finances, but he's not ashamed to admit that that's why he lives with his in-laws. But in the end, he knows that doing what you love doing is what brings it all home. And one of these days, that will be a home his family can call their own.

"I really hope this show goes well -- not to just get out of my in-laws' house -- but because it's really a great time," Gold enthused. "All day long it's fun. Anybody that's on a sitcom is just a lucky, lucky guy."

A Review of The In-Laws

THE IN-LAWS

Those who can't get enough of Robert DeNiro and Ben Stiller's disturbing antics in "Meet the Parents" will love "In-Laws," the new NBC sitcom highlighting the woes of family life.

The saga — and humiliation — continues after the newlyweds move in with the wife's parents. Only this time, the son-in-law does not spray paint the cat, transform the backyard into a swamp of sewage and set the gazebo on fire. He does, however, manage to wreck the father-in-law's beloved Fleetwood, earning the nickname "Fleetwood Matt," probably the lamest nickname since American Pie's "the Sherminator." Matt, the son-in-law portrayed by Elon Gold, and Victor, the father-in-law portrayed by Dennis Farina, clash horns like two rams in spring, only no dominant male emerges from the confusion. Unfortunately, Farina can't decide between the cynical Italian gangster and the hurt daddy look, lacking Tony Soprano's suaveness to reconcile the two. Half the time, he summons Matt for "private convo time," which sounds as brutal as a cavity search, but moments later, he weeps about his daughter no longer being a "precious bundle of joy" he fed at night "when Marlene's boobs conked out." Gold, in turn, sets himself up for each situation that might potentially result in a put-down with the alacrity of a practiced masochist. The battle between Matt and Victor begins when at a family dinner, Alex (Bonnie Sommerville, otherwise known as the much-suffering Mona from "Friends") decides that Matt and she should move in with her folks to save on rent and shorten the daily commute to work. Ironically, of all reasons, the self-inflicted pain of living with the in-laws boils down to convenience. Diligently portraying the daughter whom no guy deserves, Alex appears in the show in various shades of pink and calls Victor "daddy."

Meanwhile, Matt has got the whole world going against him. The second worst thing to being a male nurse, Matt pursues the career of a chef, borrowing the money for his education from, of all people, his father-in-law. Why? Nobody knows. Throughout the show, the actors snap predictable punch lines of which, only a couple surpass the ones in "Meet the Parents." Only Jean Smart, who portrays Marlene, the mother-in-law, has mastered the art of sarcasm enough to sound funny at times. A newly converted real-estate agent, this classic suburban mom is so proud of her career change that she refers to her old self in the third person, which sounds as spooky as Gollum's "my precious" from "The Lord of The Rings."

To redeem its vices, the show has its moments. After Matt crashes the Fleetwood, Victor asks the car mechanic in a hushed voice, choking back tears, "She's lost a lot of transmission fluid; is there any structural damage?" But the show quickly runs out of steam. It seems that "In-Laws" — and its viewers — are in for a long ride before NBC finds a show that will not feed on jokes that better actors have already cracked at a faster pace in funnier situations.

--Inna Golovatch, MUSE Staff

For a Page dedicated to The In-Laws go to http://www.thewebsitez.com/tvcentral/I/in_laws.htm

For the Official Website of Jean Smart go to http://www.topthat.net/JeanSmart/

For a Page dedicated to Elon Gold go to http://www.comedycontact.com/golde.html

For a Website dedicated to Bonnie Somerville go to http://www.bonniesomerville.net/