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March 15, 2007
"Andy" is dandy
If the pilot of the new sitcom "Andy Barker, P.I." simply consisted of its final scene, in which the ever-likable Andy Richter dashes toward a car as "Eye of the Tiger" plays in the background, it would be worth watching. Thankfully, everything that leads up to that goofy, giddy moment is just as much fun.
"Barker" premieres tonight at 9:30 on NBC and, though it's temporarily bumping the fine freshman sitcom "30 Rock," don't be angry with it. It's a hoot.
"Barker" stars Richter, aspiring sitcom star and former right-hand man to late night host Conan O'Brien, as Andy, an aspiring CPA who has just set up a storefront business in a local strip mall. Business is terrible, until a woman walks into the office, mistaking Andy for its former occupant -- a private detective. Affable, and bored, Andy decides to take the case. He gets some help from his strip mall neighbor, a nerdy video store clerk played by the wonderful Tony Hale of "Arrested Development." Andy also manages to track down Lew, the salty ex-detective who once used Andy's storefront. Harve Presnell, best known as William H. Macy's gruff father-in-law in "Fargo," is an absolute riot as Lew. He snaps at Hale's goofy sidekick, bosses Andy around, rocks a great 70s-retro chic wardrobe and generally has a blast.
In fact, everyone here seems to be having fun, and they're all fun to watch. I really hope the show catches on, partly because I like Richter and want him succeed, (I was a huge fan of his hilarious, short-live Fox sitcom "Andy Richter Controls the Universe") and partly because the show is so fresh and energetic.
It kind of reminded me of the 80s dramedy "Moonlighting" in the way in combines detective work with wacky comedy. But instead of two beautiful detectives battling sexual tension , "Barker" has a bunch of odd, regular guys just battling to make a difference. "Barker" has something most sitcoms lack -- a genuine sweetness. With his cherubic face, Richter is the perfect everyman and Andy Barker is such a mild, nice guy that you can't help but root for him.
Here's hoping that "Barker" can track down, and keep, an audience.
Posted by amanda on 7:50 AM | Comments (0)
March 5, 2007
"Raines" coasts on Goldblum's charisma
The new NBC drama "Raines" shouldn't work. For starters, it's yet another cop drama, in a TV schedule packed with them. It's also the umpteenth show featuring a crime solver with "special abilities." But, despite all its familiarity, "Raines" does kind of work. And the secret of its success can be summed up in two words: Jeff Goldblum.
The lanky, stammering actor, best known for playing smug brainiacs in everything from "The Big Chill" to "Independence Day" to "The Life Aquatic" plays the title role in "Raines," single-handedly making it worth watching.
His character is a homicide detective imbued with (sigh) a unique ability. Actually, as he points out, it's more like a psychosis: he sees the dead. No, they don't "appear" to him in visions, as they do to that lady on "Medium." He hallucinates them. The dead appear as figments of his imagination, begging him to solve their murders and bring them justice.
It's a twist that might seem over the top, were it not for Goldblum's trademark dry humor and intelligence. He never paints Raines as insane. Tormented, yes, but in a quiet way. As Goldblum talks with his hallucination of a dead young woman in the show's pilot, he seems frustrated, sad, eccentric and -- something Goldblum has seldom been before -- vulnerable. Yes, late middle age has let some of the air out of his smug persona, and let the humanity creep in. Thus, he's a total pleasure to watch as he wrestles with his demons.
Aside from Goldblum, the show is basically your run of the mill "super cop" show, but it has some fun with its gimmick. As Raines learns more about his victims, his hallucinations shift. In the pilot, a murdered young woman whose death Raines is investigating changes with every new fact he learns about her. It's like this figment is a canvas on which he paints theories about her murder. It's kind of neat.
Plus, there's a genuinely surprising twist at the end, that kind of impressed me. Without revealing much, the twist is nothing that hasn't been done before, but it's done in such a quiet, matter of fact way that it felt fresh.
But the real show here is Goldblum. Even when the show gets silly or predictable, he always holds your interest.
Posted by amanda on 11:33 PM | Comments (0)
"October" proves that you can't go home again
There are many different types of TV shows. There are good shows. There are bad shows. And there are shows so mind-bogglingly awful that it actually causes you physical pain to watch them.
"October Road," the soapy new drama premiering 10 p.m. March 15 on ABC is in the latter category.
Hopelessly corny, condescending and false in every way, this is TV drama at its worst. "October" stars Bryan Greenberg as Nick Garrett, a small town boy from the cozy New England burg of Knights Ridge. At the start of the pilot, Nick leaves behind his buddies and hometown sweetheart Hannah (Laura Prepon of "That 70s Show," who deserves better), promising to return in six weeks. Of course, he doesn't. Instead, he spends 10 years in New York, and writes a bestselling roman a clef about his hometown, in which he trashes all his old friends and loved ones. Then he returns to his old home to teach a seminar at the local college. No one is very happy to see him, especially Hannah who is now the mother of a 10-year-old boy.
Now, all of this could have been handled well. There is a place for sentimental, old-fashioned drama on TV. But "October" lacks any subtlety or nuance. Case in point is this bit of dialogue, in which Nick tries to explain his long absence to his former best friend: "It's like, once I stayed away, staying away became the way."
Yikes.
The sad thing is, the show wastes some good actors, including Greenberg (who had a sort of dorky charm as Uma Thurman's young boyfriend in "Prime"), Prepon and the always weary, always likeable Tom Berenger, as Nick's dad.
"October" is the reason that old-fashioned dramas get a bad rap. This is one trip home that isn't worth making.
Posted by amanda on 11:20 PM | Comments (0)
