HOW A LIFELONG LOSER BECOMES A 'WINNER'.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic Set in 1994, "The Winner" relates the travails of Glen Abbott (Rob Corddry), who at age 32 still lives with his parents and can't be bothered to find a job. When Alison (Erinn Hayes Erinn Hayes (born May 25, 1976) is an American actress from San Francisco, California, known for her role as Alison McKeller in the 2007 FOX television series The Winner. ), his childhood crush, moves in next door with her teenage son, Josh (Keir Gilchrist Keir Gilchrist (born September 28, 1992) is a British/Canadian actor currently living in Canada. He was born in London, England and is notable for portraying Josh McKellar in FOX's short-lived sitcom The Winner. ), Glen is spurred to make something of himself to prove his worth to her. Which won't be easy because Alison is an accomplished doctor and Glen is, well, Glen. But that's OK because "The Winner" isn't so much about Glen and Alison as it is about him and Josh, who's every bit as neurotic and socially inept as his new neighbor. The two forge a bond - Glen's immaturity and Josh's precocity neatly connect - and rather than the relationship seeming, well, icky, it's actually rather sweet. And "sweet" may not be what you'd expect from former "Family Guy" writer Ricky Blitt Ricky Blitt is a Canadian-born (Montreal) American screenwriter, executive producer, show creator, and voice actor. Early in his career, Blitt was a writer on The Parent Hood, The Jeff Foxworthy Show, and Brotherly Love. , who based "The Winner" on his own life story ("Family Guy's" Seth MacFarlane also serves as an executive producer here). But don't worry - "The Winner" is filled with outrageous and silly humor, as well: In future episodes, Glen has amusingly disastrous encounters with a Korean prostitute, a horny horn·y adj. 1. Made of horn or a similar substance. 2. Tough and calloused, as of skin. married woman with her daughter at a statewide spelling bee and even one of his former teachers (a nicely droll droll adj. droll·er, droll·est Amusingly odd or whimsically comical. n. Archaic A buffoon. [French drôle, buffoon, droll, from Old French drolle Katey Sagal). Corddry manages to make his doofus doo·fus n. pl. doo·fus·es Slang An incompetent, foolish, or stupid person. [Perhaps blend of doof, fool (from Scots) and goofus, fool (from goof). of a character laughably lovable despite his deep flaws, and Gilchrist, as Josh, has terrific deadpan comic timing. We may never see Glen fully evolve into the winner of the title -- in one episode, he ecstatically exults, "I got a beautiful woman with an STD (Subscriber Trunk Dialing) Long distance dialing outside of the U.S. that does not require operator intervention. STD prefix codes are required and billing is based on call units, which are a fixed amount of money in the currency of that country. to fall for me" -- but he, and we, will take his minor victories where he can find them. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke@dailynews.com THE WINNER - Three stars What: Rob Corddry stars as a loser who tries to turn his life around to impress a girl. Where: Fox (Channel 11). When: 8:30 and 9:30 tonight. In a nutshell: An artful blend of demented humor and heart. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Glen (Rob Corddry, right) and Josh (Keir Gilchrist) get psyched for their dates on "The Winner," premiering tonight on Fox. |
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