Jenny McCarthy From Utica?! She Was, in Her Short-Lived Sitcom
It was impossible to be a young adult male in the '90s without being fully, totally, completely aware of who Jenny McCarthy was.
The former Playmate of the Year became a household name in 1995 as the scene-stealing co-host of MTV's Singled Out. It seemed her star was on the rise, and big things were in store for the affable blonde bombshell.
In 1997, McCarthy was set to star in her own sitcom for NBC, aptly titled Jenny. In the show, McCarthy plays a character named Jenny McMillan from Utica, New York -- a convenience store clerk who inherits a large sum of money from her father. Jenny and her friend Maggie decide to use her inheritance to move to Hollywood.
The show only lasted for 10 episodes of its initial 17 episode order, and didn't leave much of a lasting impact on the television landscape. So how exactly did I randomly stumble upon this easily-missed Utica tidbit? While reading a book about pro wrestling... naturally.
Brian Gewirtz is the former head writer for WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) whose first writing job was on Jenny. Here's the excerpt from his book, There's Just One Problem:
The next gig we had was as staff writers on NBC's "Jenny," which at the time was a much-hyped show with one of the hottest talents of the late '90s, Jenny McCarthy... the show itself was not a success... It was just not connecting with the audience. Ultimately, young adult males who tuned in to see an unpredictable, sexy, outrageous Jenny on "Singled Out" did not have any interest in seeing her as an earnest girl from Utica, New York...
Although her short-lived sitcom didn't work out, Jenny McCarthy is doing just fine. She continues to act in movies and make various television appearances.