sympathy for Herman whenever he plays office politics with Heddy, or occasionally, with Mr. Bracken. She is portrayed as having low self-esteem, which has led to a stagnant dating life, and gets comfort from Herman in this regard. Louise eventually finds herself attracted to Jay, who indeed returns the feelings, and with Herman's urging, the two agree to a date. This culminates in an on-again, off-again relationship between the two. Mr. Paul Bracken (Jason Bernard) is the head of research at Waterton Publishing. A strict, but fair man who, in the first season, is celebrating twenty years with the company, Mr. Bracken often has forfeited vacation time and attention to his wife in order to fully serve in his job. Mr. Bracken puts on a gruff, hard-nosed facade and takes great pride in throwing around his weight, but can soften up and offer praise when it is due, especially to Herman, who is more than likely the hardest working fact checker in the department. In fact, Mr. Bracken is so partial to Herman that he saves him from getting fired, by telling company executive Mr. Crawford and other chairmen that he has never known Herman to be a heavy drinker, after Herman's erratic behavior at his anniversary party. Conversely, Mr. Bracken is all too knowing of Heddy's behavior, and swifty rebuffs her kissing up to him, as well as all the lies she tells about her work progress. Bracken also suffers a heart attack early in the run, which convinces him to loosen up and, finally, pay more attention to his wife. His daughter Susan (played by Victoria Rowell) surfaces for two episodes in the second season, and turns out to be Herman's ex-girlfriend. Bracken also has a niece, Rene (played by Karen Malina White), who guest stars early in the third season, when Herman convinces her to audition for the role of a Fly Girl on In Living Color. Mr. Crawford (Edward Winter) is the occasionally seen Waterton executive. His seemingly honorable persona always masks an unbelievable cluelessness, and more often, he is saying the wrong thing. Crawford, like Mr. Bracken, takes time to compliment Herman on his fine work, but despite doing so numerous times over the course of the series, can never remember Herman's name—calling him "Sherman." He eventually becomes an ally and father-figure to Herman. He is a rich eccentric, who comes across as completely insane.