The Marriage Ref Preview: NBC Series Premieres Sunday

If you’ve been watching the Olympics then you know that NBC’s been promoting the heck out of their new unscripted series The Marriage Ref. For those of you who are interested in seeing celebrities get their judge on as they evaluate marital disputes of “regular people,” we have some video clips and information on the series.

As celebs generally get more than their fair of scrutiny from people with opinions on their romantic situations, it seems only fair that some of them have the opportunity to turn the tables and weigh in on the relationship problems of non-celebs. Based on the video clips we posted below, the show looks like it’ll be a lot of fun.

Below is NBC’s description for the Jerry Seinfeld produced series and further down are some clips from the premiere, which airs this Sunday night.

Jerry Seinfeld is back and in the producer's chair for a funny and revealing comedy panel series about the unpredictable and hilarious institution commonly known as marriage. Seinfeld describes it as "a comedy about situations in reality."The iconic NBC sitcom Seinfeld was the title star's exploration of the single life. In The Marriage Ref, Seinfeld's new primetime venture, married life takes center stage as disputes between real-life couples are revealed, examined -- and ultimately judged. For the first time, audiences will be able to look at these fights, analyze them and declare a winner.These marital tiffs will run the gamut of disagreements -- quirky, funny, relatable -- all with the signature Seinfeld tone. "After 10 years of marriage, I realized the comedic potential of this topic is quite rich. This is the way marriage should be; everybody needs a ref," said Seinfeld. "I wanted to bring the sports simplicity to your complicated, endlessly difficult personal life."At the center of the action and making "the call," is popular comedian Tom Papa ("The Informant!" "The New Adventures of Old Christine"). Papa will serve as the actual Marriage Ref and will have the final say in determining the victor of each spat. Papa was personally chosen by Seinfeld for this role. For the past eight years, Papa has been on tour with Seinfeld.The couples that present their problems will be given a call by the Ref, just like in sports. Wife is right, husband is wrong. Wife wins the prize. Advising and influencing the Ref's decision will be a rotating panel of "experts" comprised of top celebrities, comedians and sports stars who will weigh in and offer their own wit, wisdom and unique opinions.The Marriage Ref is produced by Seinfeld's Columbus 81 Productions. Seinfeld, Ellen Rakieten (The Oprah Winfrey Show), Shed Media's Nick Emmerson (Supernanny, The Real Housewives of New York City) and Jennifer O'Connell (The Real Housewives of New York City, It's Me or the Dog) and Al Berman (The Biggest Loser Live Finale, The Celebrity Apprentice Live Finale) serve as executive producers. International distribution is by Endemol.

The Marriage Ref premieres Sunday, February 28 on NBC (10:30-11 p.m. ET).

Kelly West
Assistant Managing Editor

Kelly joined CinemaBlend as a freelance TV news writer in 2006 and went on to serve as the site’s TV Editor before moving over to other roles on the site. At present, she’s an Assistant Managing Editor who spends much of her time brainstorming and editing feature content on the site. She an expert in all things Harry Potter, books from a variety of genres (sci-fi, mystery, horror, YA, drama, romance -- anything with a great story and interesting characters.), watching Big Brother, frequently rewatching The Office, listening to Taylor Swift, and playing The Sims.