X
  • CBS
  • Oct 11, 2000
  • CBS
  • Oct 11, 2000
Bette

Summary Bette premiered on October 11, 2000. Bette Midler plays herself - a divine celebrity who is adored by her fans. Although she is a celebrity, her family is often ashamed of her - Bette is constantly on diets and far away in dreams - she is everything but a perfect celebrity. Although her life is a mess, she loves it! The show aired 16 epi...

  • CBS
  • Oct 11, 2000
  • CBS
  • Oct 11, 2000
Bette
Season 1
Season Premiere: Oct 11, 2000
Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 17 Critic Reviews
68
User Score Available after 4 ratings
tbd
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Summary Bette premiered on October 11, 2000. Bette Midler plays herself - a divine celebrity who is adored by her fans. Although she is a celebrity, her family is often ashamed of her - Bette is constantly on diets and far away in dreams - she is everything but a perfect celebrity. Although her life is a mess, she loves it! The show aired 16 epi...

Season Episodes

View All Seasons
Episode 1 • Oct 11, 2000 • 30 m
Pilot
After Danny DeVito offers her a guest starring role as his mother in a new TV series, Bette goes overboard trying to rejuvenate herself.
Episode 2 • Oct 18, 2000 • 30 m
And the Winner Is
When Bette forgets to thank Roy in an award acceptance speech, she goes out of her way to win another award.
Episode 3 • Oct 25, 2000 • 30 m
Halloween
Bette stirs up trouble for Dolly Parton when the pair tape a TV special on Halloween.
Episode 4 • Nov 1, 2000 • 30 m
Silent But Deadly
Roy warns Bette that she's pushing herself too hard, but she persists, loses her voice and has to mime her way through her activities.
Episode 5 • Nov 8, 2000 • 30 m
Two Days at a Time
When Bette is invited on Oprah to partake in the book club, she finds herself multi-tasking... but never finds time to actually read the book.
Episode 6 • Nov 15, 2000 • 30 m
Color of Roses
Episode 7 • Nov 22, 2000 • 30 m
In My Life
Through a series of flashbacks, it's revealed how Bette met all of the closest people in her life.
Episode 8 • Nov 29, 2000 • 30 m
I Love This Game
Bette's attempts to score Lakers tickets at the last minute for her husband's birthday hardly go off without a hitch.
Episode 9 • Dec 13, 2000 • 30 m
Or Not to Be
When Tim Curry comes to town, Bette weasels her way into his stage production of "Hamlet"... much to Mr. Curry's chagrin. Meanwhile, Oscar concocts an imaginary rivalry with Curry.
Episode 10 • Dec 20, 2000 • 30 m
Diva, Interrupted
When Bette tries to scare up some publicity by faking a mental meltdown, she's a bit too convincing. Meanwhile, Connie and Oscar come to the realization that they're each dating the same man.
Episode 11 • Jan 3, 2001 • 30 m
True Story
Bette's passion for tall-tales gets her into trouble when she goes on The View and concocts a story about saving a child's life.
Episode 12 • Jan 10, 2001 • 30 m
Of Men and Meatballs
Bette takes Connie out to find her a man, but the only men they find are weirdos. Meanwhile Oscar spends some time with Rose.
Episode 13 • Jan 24, 2001 • 30 m
Big Business
Bette designs a line of clothes and goes on a home shopping channel to hawk them.
Episode 14 • Feb 7, 2001 • 30 m
The Invisible Mom
While volunteering at Rose's school, Bette finally learns why Olivia Newton-John has been holding a grudge against her. Meanwhile Connie spends the day doling out advice in the girls bathroom.
Episode 15 • Feb 28, 2001 • 30 m
Polterguest
Imposing new neighbor Jon Lovitz invites himself to stay with Bette while his house is being remodeled.
Episode 16 • Mar 7, 2001 • 30 m
A Brand New Roy
There's something different about Roy, and it's not just that he wants to whisk Bette away for a romantic evening. But the plans quickly change when they find themselves stranded at the airport.
Episode 17 • 2001 • 30 m
The Grammy Pre-Show
As Bette gets ready to attend the Grammy's, she realizes that she is missing some really expensive jewelry.
Episode 18 • 2001 • 30 m
A Method to Her Madness
To research a role in a new film, Bette becomes the character and takes a job waiting tables in a diner.

Top Cast

View All
View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 17 Critic Reviews
68
65% Positive
11 Reviews
29% Mixed
5 Reviews
6% Negative
1 Review

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 17 Critic Reviews
68
65% Positive
11 Reviews
29% Mixed
5 Reviews
6% Negative
1 Review

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
90
Jun 15, 2013
The Divine One's "Bette" is still good enough to win a Marvy for the best TV comedy of the year. [11 Oct 2000, p.B35]
By Marvin Kitman FULL REVIEW
80
Jun 15, 2013
She is simply hilarious. Lovable, insecure, over-the-top and hilarious. [11 Oct 2000, p.D01]
By Jonathan Storm FULL REVIEW
80
Jun 15, 2013
Bette is full of good-natured mischief and proves a surprisingly easy fit for Midler. The weaknesses are obvious enough: a need to ease up on the fat jokes and the broad physical farce that's a little too obvious. But the screen loves Midler, which is never more apparent than during a scene that finds her turning a Kid Rock rap-rock tune into a jazzy swing number. You can't write that into a script; it's pure magic. [11 Oct 2000]
By Ray Richmond FULL REVIEW
75
Jun 15, 2013
The trick for Midler's writers will be to make sure the show is at least somewhat grounded in real-life situations while keeping the inside-Hollywood stuff from being too inside. It's funny, for example, when she expresses vengeful bitterness over losing the 1979 Oscar to Sally Field ("Norma Rae"), but it might not be so funny to hear references to her 1982 celluloid stink bomb "Jinxed." (Remember that one?) [11 Oct 2000, p.D01]
By Chuck Barney FULL REVIEW
60
Jun 12, 2013
Most of this is enjoyable, some of it a bit much. But Bette is Bette, as is "Bette." She's a hothouse rose, not a shrinking violet. But on a weekly basis, too much scenery-chewing could make even the "Divine Miss M" wear thin. We'll see how it all plays out. [8 Oct 2000]
By Ed Bark FULL REVIEW
50
Jun 15, 2013
You've got to be something of a Bette-a-holic to take this much of Midler's raging insecurities and slapstick stylings on a weekly basis. Even when she's missing from a scene in "Bette," which is rare, the rest of the show's character ensemble is fixated on her and her bottomless pit of need. [11 Oct 2000, p.C1]
By Matthew Gilbert FULL REVIEW
30
Jun 15, 2013
Try as Midler might - and she does try, doing a few physical comedy bits that would make Lucille Ball proud - even she can't overcome the reality that Bette is an idea that never developed beyond the star's reputation. [11 Oct 2000, p.1E]
By Terry Jackson FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Related Shows

The Office (UK)

97
Universal Acclaim

Bo Burnham: Inside

96
Universal Acclaim

The Larry Sanders Show

95
Universal Acclaim

Fleabag

92
Universal Acclaim

Atlanta

92
Universal Acclaim

My So-Called Life

92
Universal Acclaim

This Is Going To Hurt

91
Universal Acclaim

It's a Sin

91
Universal Acclaim

The Bear

91
Universal Acclaim

The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling

90
Universal Acclaim

How to With John Wilson

90
Universal Acclaim

A Black Lady Sketch Show

89
Universal Acclaim

Reservation Dogs

89
Universal Acclaim

A Parks and Recreation Special

89
Universal Acclaim

Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock

89
Universal Acclaim

Everybody Hates Chris

88
Universal Acclaim

Better Things

88
Universal Acclaim

Brooklyn Bridge

88
Universal Acclaim

Barry

88
Universal Acclaim

Freaks and Geeks

88
Universal Acclaim

Somebody Somewhere

88
Universal Acclaim

Back to Life

88
Universal Acclaim

Related News

What to Watch on Hulu Right Now

What to Watch on Hulu Right Now

Jason Dietz

Get a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added (and coming soon) to Hulu, updated frequently.

  • tv show
What to Watch on Disney+ Right Now

What to Watch on Disney+ Right Now

Jason Dietz

Get a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added (and coming soon) to Disney's streaming service, updated frequently.

  • tv show
April TV Preview (2024)

April TV Preview (2024)

Jason Dietz

The month ahead will bring a series adaptation of the videogame Fallout plus Netflix newcomer Ripley, Park Chan-wook's miniseries The Sympathizer, a sequel to Emmy winner The Jinx, Idris Elba's weirdest project to date, and more.

  • tv show
What to Watch on Paramount+ Right Now

What to Watch on Paramount+ Right Now

Jason Dietz

Find a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added to Paramount+ and Paramount+ With Showtime, plus a list of titles coming soon to the streaming services.

  • tv show
What to Watch on Prime Video Right Now

What to Watch on Prime Video Right Now

Jason Dietz

Get a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added (and coming soon) to Amazon's Prime Video, updated frequently.

  • tv show
What to Watch on Max Right Now

What to Watch on Max Right Now

Jason Dietz

Get a list of the best movies and TV shows recently added (and coming soon) to Max--plus all of the titles leaving the streaming service this month--updated frequently.

  • tv show