My feelings towards ABC's romantic comedy series Selfie ran the gamut from hopeful, to disappointed, to completely turned off, to highly entertained, and now to lamenting its loss-- all in 9 episodes. Selfie has finally hit its stride with quick-witted writing (especially for supporting characters) and a quirky love-hate relationship between Eliza and Henry. Through some painfully bad episodes, a particularly well-acted character shined and continues to surprise. Mr. Saperstein, portrayed by British actor David Harewood, is the fictitious CEO of KinderCare Pharmaceuticals on Selfie. He is boss to social media-obsessed Eliza and her uptight, mentor colleague Henry. Mr. Saperstein is confident, optimistic, full of life, and oblivious to many social norms that hold others back. He operates delightfully outside of the box. Behold, my favorite Mr. Saperstein moments:
Eliza and Henry approach Mr. Saperstein with a marketing idea. Mr. Saperstein gets so into the brainstorming process he begins "riffing;" pretending he's plucking a bass violin. He tells Henry to play the high hat and Eliza the French Horn. Eliza has no idea what a French Horn is so she improvises. (Follow Through, Episode 9)
Mr. Saperstein rolls with the times and is no fashion victim. Henry has a flashback to (I'm guessing the 1990s) when he and his boss created their elephant chewable vitamin. Mr. Saperstein was sporting braids and Henry a teased 'do. (Nugget of Wisdom, Episode 4--a good episode focusing on Charmonique, too!)
Good news for Selfie fans: ABC is releasing six unaired episodes on Hulu. Maybe we'll see if Eliza and Henry finally profess their love for each other. Mr. Saperstein would be thrilled. As he pointed out to Henry, their offspring would be exquisite!
