My Big Fat Greek Life
My Big Fat Greek Life
| 24 February 2003 (USA)
SEASON & EPISODES
  • 1
  • Season 1 : 2003 | 7 Episodes

    EP1 The House Gift Feb 24, 2003

    In the opener, which backtracks from the film, the newlyweds arrive from their honeymoon in, where else, Greece, to an overwhelming family reception and news that Gus (Michael Constantine) has given them a generous gift — a house.

    EP2 The Empire Strikes Back Mar 02, 2003

    Nia needs to find a way to tell her parents that she does not want to inherit the family buisness

    EP3 Arianna Mar 09, 2003

    Cousin Ariana visits from Greece and announces that she has left her husband Dimitri because of him cheating with his (buck-toothed whore). So Nia decides to meddle in helping find Ariana a job with Nikki and Aunt Voula's help, Gus and Maria have the same idea in playing matchmaker with a Greek-American named, Spiro, Nia think's he's no good for her, leading Ariana to reveal that she likes Spiro, forcing Nia to admit to her father and the rest of the family that she was wrong.

    EP4 The Free Lunch Mar 16, 2003

    Nia is suspicious of her father giving Officer Joe free lunches, she believes that Gus is being blackmailed, so she gets the officer to pay for his food, Nia then realizes that her father and Joe have an arrangement(free lunches for a double parking space,) so she goes to City Hall to apply for a zoning permit, when the clerk is about to lose her cool with Nia, she eventually gets the permit with one exception (luches for the clerk.)

    EP5 Big Night Mar 30, 2003

    Thomas tries to impress Gus by saying he knows tennis celebrity Pete Sampras, but then is stuck when Gus wants him to invite the man to their house.

    EP6 Nick Moves Out Apr 06, 2003

    After being teased by Nia, Thomas and Nikki. Nick decides to move into his own apartment, when Maria learns that her son has moved she has no one to comfort anymore, Nia tells her mother to take up a hobby, she ends up crowding Nia and Thomas by cleaning their house, and she ends up driving the rest of the family up the wall. When Nick spends a lonely night in his apartment, and inviting everyone over, he tells that he's moving back home because he misses the loudness of his family.

    EP7 Greek Easter Apr 13, 2003

    Nia throws the Easter family dinner, she even invites her father's oldest friend Constantine Christakos, when Nia realizes that Gus hates the man more than life itself it's up to her to fic things before they ruin Easter, it turns out Gus says he stole his recipe for his famous feta omelette, at dinner when Constantine toasts Gus, and when he said ""I accept your apology, they go at it, and it's up to Thomas to fix things, they eventually resolve their differences, Maria accidentally spills that she and him went out on a few dates, thinking that was the reason for Gus's 40 year hatred for him, they start up again and Nia is stunned when she learns that her mother used her lamb for the feast.
    Reviews
    John T. Ryan

    When an unexpected success comes along, such as Nia Vardalos found in her sensationally successful "little film gone wild", MY BIG FAT Greek WEDDING (2002), the natural inclination is to seek to repeat and hence extend the euphoria and worldly reward$ that have followed. This may well be a natural and quite human reaction, but seldom is the expectation realized.As a case in point we are all familiar with the real, original KING KONG (RKO Radio Pictures, 1933). It was and remains to this day a study of what makes for movie action, adventure and excitement. Then the same producers brought us SON OF KONG (1934). As an obvious attempt to extend the adventure and (even more so) a sure fire way of generating Extra Revenue$; we are hence treated to a sequel, which is often a quickie cheapie to fulfill that monetary goal.In those days and indeed all the movie eras before or since, we've seen similar such sequels. In more recent times we've had multiple films come from HALLOWEEN, PORKY'S, JAWS, ROCKY, SUPERMAN, BATMAN, SPIDER-MAN and STAR WARS. Even in historically based films about our space race, whole series were spawned. And that can cause special problems. For example, we did not go to see APPOLLO 13. As much as we wanted to see it; we hadn't seen APPOLLO 1-12 yet.But back to today's featured film, MY BIG FAT Greek LIFE.Having started out unheralded little film, MY BIG FAT Greek WEDDING started out slowly, but amazingly with little advertising, the theatres found its attendance, rather than tailing-off, growing steadily. Unbelievable as it was, the picture was the beneficiary of the old-fashioned word of mouth spreading of information positive feedback being directly marketed by the public to their friends and acquaintances. All tolled, the film remained in release for over ¾ of a year.So the big idea was that of trying to catch a little more lightning in a bottle once again. But instead of making a theatrical feature motion picture, they decided on going with making a Situation Comedy Television series.The movie was based on a one woman show done by the Star of the film, Miss Nia Vardalos. Most of the principal actors from the film were retained for the series. Notable among the missing was John Corbett, who portrayed the Groom, Ian Miller. Otherwise Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Gia Carides, Louis Mandylor, Andrea Martin and Victoria Adams, all people from the film's cast, all were regulars (if we can really call it that) on the Sitcom.In short order, MY BIG FAT Greek LIFE bombed. They must have made about a half dozen episodes and it was dispatched from Network Life to the oblivion of the non being failed series. So, there were certainly a number of the "Suits" at CBS scratching their collective head, trying to figure out what happened. Why didn't even some of the warm, enthusiastic reception and success of the Movie Screen rub off onto the TV Screen? Go figure! Perhaps we can offer our opinion here. Being a Rank Amateur, and not a Show Biz Insider, it's only a commoner's point of view.It is the opinion of this long time observer (TV Viewer) that the problem stemmed from change of medium. In a Feature, you basically have a beginning, middle and an end to the story. You are more often than not done with the story and characters by the end of the film in roughly two hours. This was done in a very commendable manner in the Film.But in a Sitcom, you have to revisit the characters week after week and find new and fresh situations for your characters to get in and out of while still making us laugh. The Film pretty much precluded any success in this area; having told the original story so well; while the sitcom format reduces so much of the interaction to a kind of joke telling of one liners.Secondly, the two types of film are done in two far different formats. Whereas a feature usually has time to develop its characters and the circumstances surrounding them, the ½ hour allotted the Sitcom doesn't.. Time is plentiful and works well for the Feature Film's storyteller. On the other hand, the Sitcom, in having the constraint of the old 30 minutes with commercial breaks, has to run like atop watch. And it is for this treason that a sort of schedule or timetable is always shaping a series, perhaps as much as any other factor.Because of this, a certain tempo or cadence has developed that tailors the length of the interaction between characters to approximately 2 to 3 minutes vignettes, always punctuated by an interrupting musical queue.This is the Language of the Sitcom, for better or worse. It is pretty much universally true in Television and almost all of the most successful ones were original concepts, rather than adaptations and they were designed for that screen lingo and format.Of course they shouldn't totally write off the TV idea. Perhaps they could take a cue from some of those older TV series and bring it to Saturday morning Kiddie Time TV. All they to do is go to some one like Filmation Associates or Hanna-Barbera and we could have a cartoon version like maybe "THE NEW BIG FAT Greek WHATEVER SHOW!"

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    Honkey_Magoo

    I just saw one episode of "My big fat greek life" and I don't know how anyone could subject themselfs to such trash week after week! It's not funny, has bad acting, and is rather boring. I've never seen the movie, but after seeing the show I really don't think I ever will.

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    Enigma780

    Wow, this is by far the worst sit-com I've ever seen...in fact, I couldn't even watch more than the first 7 minutes before I wanted to kill myself. The acting was poor, the writing abysmal, and execution absurd. This show represents the worst in "comedy." It needs to be canceled.

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    francodomenico

    This often happens with a movie follow-up; but the potential is there- particularly, with Nia's performance, and the overall talent-- And, Constantine! He is just wonderful! As an Italian, I can Identify with the whole "Greek-Thing" and it is a sweet,and refreshing look at Ethnicity; so, let's give it a chance.I am the eternal optimist--and look, there are a lot of Italian and Greek actors and actresses that can work in this show--Marina Sirtis-- and perhaps ME! YES!! I would work it, just to be in the same room with Constantine! I was a Child Actor in Italy--Francesco Domenico Lisanti!Now, with Rita Moreno coming aboard--God, I have been in love with her since I first saw a Movie in Italy called "The Ring", about a Mexican-American prizefighter!Nia--and Gang--Hang in there--Greeks are not Quiters! Efharsito!

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