Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?

Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? is a realty television series produced by the Women's Entertainment (WeTV) cable network. The show follows comedic icon, Joan Rivers and her daughter, Melissa Rivers as they stumble through a challenging mother-daughter relationship.

When Joan relocates from New York City, Melissa's world is rocked when her mother decides to move in with her in Malibu. The mother and daughter team is a perfect backdrop to the well-known bickering, yet caring relationship genre. The two unwitting co-habitants deal with her mother's changes in lifestyle that infiltrate the peaceful home that Melissa has created with her son, Cooper.

Despite Joan's acerbic tongue, she remains a doting and loving grandmother to Cooper. At times tumultuous, the mother-daughter duo addresses the many questions that have plagued daughters since the dawn of time, as she tries to figure out if her mother really does know best.

The series showcases Ms. Rivers's entertaining one-liners as it glides over the strong drive that compels this 77 comedian to keep going. The show is tailored-made as a foundation for Ms. Rivers's stand-up comedy material. For example, a buxom blond Swedish model is hired as Cooper's nanny, but clearly is there for Joan to provide commentary on her as a temptress.

Ms. Rivers also makes fun of her own plastic surgery, having a healthy sense of humor about herself. In one bit, she drags the cameras around the city for a plastic surgery tour. Under the guise of having her arm flab removed, all of the consulting surgeons refuse to operate due to professional ethics.

It is clear that nothing is off-limits for Ms. Rivers, even as she self-mockingly interferes in Melissa's life. However, when the chips fall, as they did with Melissa's tragic breakup, her mother is there to pick up the pieces.

Clearly, the star of this show is Joan, as we watch her try to impose her ornate decorating tastes upon a horrified Melissa. Known for her scathing indictments of other celebrities and just about any cultural issue, Joan is a force to be reckoned with on this unscripted reality TV series.