This NBC sitcom went into production as The Hank Azaria Show, giving a pretty good indication of the star's identity. The versatile Hank Azaria, best known for his many voices on the animated series The Simpsons, was cast as Josh Miller, head writer of the late-night sketch comedy series Barb Thompson's Laugh Riot. Using events in his own life for material, Josh frequently served up sketches about powerful women and nerdish men -- appropriately, since he felt intimidated not only by his egotistical boss Barb Thompson (Katey Sagal), but also by his self-assertive Assistant D.A. wife Wendy (Jayne Brook). Also on hand were Josh's co-writers, the wisecracking Rina (Suzy Nakamura), the womanizing Kenny (Joshua Malina), and Kenny's buxom "assistant" Tabitha (Julia Schultz). Sort of a multicultural Dick Van Dyke Show, with bizarre fantasy sequences thrown in to show off Hank Azaria's vast vocal gifts (he also talked directly to the camera, à la virtually every other sitcom of the early 21st century), Imagine That made its first network TV appearance on January 8, 2002.
by Hal Erickson
synopsis
