Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

"The Tortellis" was a spin off of "Cheers" featuring Carla's eccentric family, who were infrequent recurring characters. The characters were all hilarious when seen on "Cheers," but it seemed like they tried to dump them into their own show without coming up with a definitive concept first.The series opens with Carla's ex-husband Nick dreaming that he's being denied acceptance into Heaven because he's been such a slimeball in life. He awakens on a bus headed to Las Vegas and decides to become "the new Nick Tortelli." Nick's airheaded wife Loretta caught him lathering up in the shower with the Avon lady, so she's gone to Nevada to stay with her sensible, divorced sister Charlotte and her young son Mark. Nick arrives, convinces Loretta that he's changed his ways and decides to start a new life as a TV repairman in Vegas. Nick invites his dimwitted 17 year old son Anthony to live with them, and Anthony brings along his new wife, Annie.Unfortunately, for the bulk of the run, it was basically "The New Nick Tortelli Show," featuring the over-the-top Nick as the center of the universe. Whether he was forced to eat a bug, trying to convince people he knew Frank Sinatra, or being elected Man of the Year, Nick was always the central character. And that was the problem with the show: Nick was an unlikable bigot whose likable family had nothing to do. For example, aside from continuously making out with Anthony and cracking the occasional sarcastic joke at Nick's expense, all Annie accomplished over the course of 13 episodes was getting her driver's permit and working for one day in a fried chicken restaurant. And the other characters didn't accomplish much more.Sadly, as the series concluded it was beginning to improve (the writers started adding in b-story lines to give the other characters a little more to do). I surmise the show would've found a comfy groove if it had been renewed for another season. Too bad that didn't happen.It'd be nice if they'd release a DVD set (seems DVD distributors don't want to touch short-lived spinoffs). While it's not the greatest sitcom ever made, it's far from the worst. Jean Kasem played the part of the dumb blonde to perfection (hard to believe she'd go on to register numerous patents) and young Aaron Moffatt managed to steal every scene he appeared in with his sarcastic line deliveries.

I remember when I was 17 this show debuting after a Cheers episode. The funny thing was that I had missed all the Nick Tortelli shows prior to seeing this, so I had no idea why Carla appeared in the beginning of the pilot to tell Nick to clean his act up in an odd dream sequence. Since I didn't see Nick or Loretta or their kids, I just thought they were vile and unfunny -- now when I watch the Nick episodes in "Cheers", they're all a scream. Maybe someday someone will re-air the episodes so I can watch it with the background intact.

I agree with the first reviewer, this show was very funny with a cast that really could deliver the well-written scripts. It's a shame that the series was so short-lived .. so much so that I have found no trace of it anywhere (reruns, video, the Hollywood answer guys, ebay!). When I count all of the unfunny 'comedies' on the tube, it is still refreshing when something actually good makes it.