The show sought to lampoon an upper class Los Angeles lifestyle, in part by presenting the Manhattan writer, Garment, as a fish out of water among Hollywood notables and the idle rich.

In the pilot his character arrives with unconcealed hostility, intent on treating his readers to a bitter satire on the absurdities and excesses of LA culture.

While staying with an old friend from college, Garment finds himself increasingly torn between button-down stern contempt for West Coast attitudes and a growing enchantment with the relaxed whimsy constantly swirling around him.

The show was also notable for featuring the actress Jennifer Grey playing herself, the source of a running joke related to her real-life rhinoplasty.

[citation needed] Ratings for the series were low, due in part to the sudden explosion of reality programming and ABC's decision to dedicate much of its primetime schedule to the then-popular Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.