TAKE 5: STARTING OVER : MEANINGFUL MOMENTS ADD UP IN LIKABLE `ONCE AND AGAIN'.Byline: David Kronke TV Critic ``Once and Again'' is a pretty banal title for a show that is anything but. Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz, the guys who gave us ``thirtysomething'' and ``My So-Called Life My So-Called Life is an American television teen drama created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz that aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995. ,'' again have created a show that's about nothing but the sheer accumulation of little moments that add up to a person's life. Sela Ward Sela Ann Ward (IPA: /ˈsiːlə ˈwɔrd/) (born July 11, 1956) is an American actress, perhaps best known for her Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning television roles as free-spirited Teddy Reed on and Billy Campbell
William O. star as Lily and Rick, two single parents with their own families to run and problems to weather. Lily's recently separated from her husband and has a 14-year-old daughter (Julia Wheelan) who's a minefield of insecurities, so Lily herself can be something of a raw nerve. Rick, divorced three years, has become so accustomed to his state of anomie anomie, a social condition characterized by instability, the breakdown of social norms, institutional disorganization, and a divorce between socially valid goals and available means for achieving them. that he's coasting way before his time. They meet, and everything changes. What makes this show instantly likable is the terrific chemistry between Ward and Campbell, evident from the outset before they even meet, when they merely exchange glances at one another while dropping their kids off at school. The romantic tension escalates quickly even while Rick and Lily try to take things slowly. Even when their connection is halting at best, and they're dancing awkwardly around each other, one can feel their heat. In a TV season overwhelmingly overrun by teen hormones, leave it to a couple of adults to show the kids how it's done right. There's one unfortunate gambit that Zwick and Herskovitz have opted for, one that makes the show even more touchy-feely than it already is. In black-and-white footage, Ward and Campbell address an off-screen interviewer, sharing ostensibly os·ten·si·ble adj. Represented or appearing as such; ostensive: His ostensible purpose was charity, but his real goal was popularity. private thoughts as if for a documentary (it's like the show's own built-in electronic press kit). They spout such New Agey nonsense as ``So here I am, except I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. where `here' is'' and ``I don't know where I fit in in my own life anymore.'' Such segments are annoying because Zwick and Herskovitz are good enough writers and Ward and Campbell good enough actors that much of it doesn't even need to be said - we have the show right in front of us; we don't need the Cliffs Notes, too. Background material could simply be incorporated into other scenes. More irksome, however, is the unspoken Hollywood-centric subtext sub·text n. 1. The implicit meaning or theme of a literary text. 2. The underlying personality of a dramatic character as implied or indicated by a script or text and interpreted by an actor in performance. that unless one's life plays out before the glare of the media, it's somehow diminished in importance. The rest of us get by just fine without all the attention, thank you. But Ward and Campbell are so wildly appealing as a couple that one willingly sits through the show's more treacly impulses. The rest of the cast is excellent, too; the kids are more authentic than on most of TV's glut of teen shows. And don't worry about having to sit through seasons of flirting before Lily and Rick consummate their relation. Try episode two, which is every bit as strong - if not better - than tonight's premiere. The only question is, with a couple so obviously perfect for each other, how will the writers be able to concoct con·coct tr.v. con·coct·ed, con·coct·ing, con·cocts 1. To prepare by mixing ingredients, as in cooking. 2. obstacles for these two for the duration of the series? The facts The show: ``Once and Again.'' What: Romantic drama about single parents finding love in their 40s. Who: Sela Ward, Billy Campbell. Where: ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. (Channel 7). When: Tuesday at 10 p.m. Our rating: Three stars `Mission Hill' ``Mission Hill,'' a new animated series on the WB, feels about right, which isn't exactly a good thing. It's about underachievers and, given the talent involved, it underachieves its own self. The series comes with a pronounced pedigree - its creators are veteran ``Simpsons'' executive producers Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein This article is about The Simpsons writer Josh Weinstein. For the Mystery Science Theater 3000 writer and performer, see J. Elvis Weinstein. Josh Weinstein (born May 5, 1966 in Maryland[1] . It follows the travails of a waterbed waterbed A bed with a water-filled mattress that may have therapeutic currency Neonatology Oscillating waterbeds in preterm infants provide compensatory movement stimulation, ↓ uncomplicated apnea of prematurity, with ↑ quiet sleep, ↓ crying, salesman-aspiring cartoonist (voiced by Wallace Langham Wallace Langham (born March 11, 1965 in Fort Worth, Texas) is an American character actor who has been seen on many famous television shows either in guest roles or starring roles. of ``The Larry Sanders For the television show and fictional character, see . Larry Sanders (born in New York) is an Oxfordshire County Councillor. He has lived in Oxford since 1969. He was trained professionally as a social worker and lawyer. Show'' and ``Veronica's Closet'') hanging in a Greenwich Village-type neighborhood. He rooms with nutty buddies (Brian Posehn Brian Posehn (born July 6, 1966) is an American actor and comedian, known for his roles as mail clerk Kevin Liotta on Just Shoot Me! and as a cast member of HBO's Mr. Show. of ``Mr. Show with Bob and David'' and Vicki Lewis of ``NewsRadio,'' as well as his fast-track, high-school-aged brother Scott Menville) in an apartment building filled with eccentric characters. The slice-of-life particulars often feel genuine, and future scripts provided by the network show promise, but the first episode doesn't offer much in the way of real laughs. Both the animation and the vocal performances are unmemorable Adj. 1. unmemorable - not worth remembering forgettable - easily forgotten , too - ``Mission'' has a hill of shortcomings A shortcoming is a character flaw. Shortcomings may also be:
tr.v. sur·mount·ed, sur·mount·ing, sur·mounts 1. To overcome (an obstacle, for example); conquer. 2. To ascend to the top of; climb. 3. a. To place something above; top. before it'll win over audiences. It's probably not the wisest gambit to include a joke about how there are too many animated shows on TV when yours seems eminently expendable. Its regular Friday timeslot practically ensures that its target audience won't ever find it. The facts The show: ``Mission Hill.'' What: Animated sitcom about slackers in a hipster neighborhood. Who: Featuring the voices of Wallace Langham, Vicki Lewis, Brian Posehn. Where: WB (Channel 5). When: Tuesday at 10 p.m. (regular timeslot, Fridays at 8 p.m.). Our rating: Two and one half stars `The Mike O'Malley Show' If anything, ``The Mike O'Malley Show'' gives credence to the theory that these days, just about anyone can score a network sitcom. O'Malley, a playwright, stars as a 30-something slacker coasting through life until he's forced to major reappraisal by a buddy's wedding - even his estranged es·trange tr.v. es·tranged, es·trang·ing, es·trang·es 1. To make hostile, unsympathetic, or indifferent; alienate. 2. To remove from an accustomed place or set of associations. girlfriend shows up for an uninspired round of flirting. O'Malley rooms with a dopey ne'er-do-well who goes by the name of Weasel weasel, name for certain small, lithe, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae (weasel family). Members of this family are generally characterized by long bodies and necks, short legs, small rounded ears, and medium to long tails. . Their proud adherence to lumpen guy-ness is similar to the growth-arrested dopes of an ABC sitcom debuting on Wednesday, ``Oh, Grow Up.'' Neither show is particularly funny; O'Malley's is better, but scarcely offers any reason to return to it after an initial sampling. The facts The show: ``The Mike O'Malley Show.'' What: Sitcom about an underachiever and his pals. Who: Mike O'Malley, Will Arnett, Kerry O'Malley, Mark Rosenthal. Where: NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. (Channel 4). When: Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. Rating: Two stars `Will and Grace' After but one year on the air, ``Will and Grace'' has become a victim of its own success, if its season premiere is any indication. It features an average compendium of gags and silly situations, but all of it is underscored by a live studio audience that wildly, deliriously overreacts to every gag, every entrance, every lame utterance by last season's breakout performers, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally. As the show opens, Will is helping Grace move into a place of her own after spending a season under his protective wing. But Grace has scarcely taken flight - her new digs, aromatically resplendent re·splen·dent adj. Splendid or dazzling in appearance; brilliant. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin resplend with cat urine, turn out to be just across the hall from Will's apartment. Among the developments in the season premiere: Grace tries to wean wean (wen) to discontinue breast feeding and substitute other feeding habits. wean v. 1. To deprive permanently of breast milk and begin to nourish with other food. 2. herself off Will's protective influence by throwing a (mostly disastrous) party without his presence, and Will - who made news last year by really not making news for being the first gay male character to grace a sitcom's title - actually arranges for a date. Alas, it's all perfunctory stuff. Eric McCormack as Will, thankfully, carries the show with a smart, understated wit, and Debra Messing remains disarmingly engaging as Grace - she's a wonderful straight-woman (literally) who can manage an unexpected burst of physical humor. But Hayes and Mullally, who as Jack and Karen became universal crowd-pleasers in the show's maiden season, have transformed their wacky shtick shtick also schtick or shtik n. Slang 1. A characteristic attribute, talent, or trait that is helpful in securing recognition or attention: - in a way, they're really the same character - into broad overplaying. The studio audience plays along by madly cheering their every punchline. They've become the new Fonzie or J.J. Such enthusiasm may be great for a show in the short term, but is potentially disastrous for its long run. It's far too early for ``Will and Grace,'' and particularly Sean and Megan, to coast on their early success. The facts The show: ``Will and Grace.'' What: Season premiere of the sitcom about best friends - a gay man and a straight woman. Who: Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes, Megan Mullaly. Where: NBC (Channel 4). When: Tuesday at 9 p.m. Our rating: Two and one half stars `It's Like, You Know' Former ``Seinfeld'' writer Peter Mehlman continues his Seinfeldian deconstruction of Los Angeles in ``It's Like, You Know.'' The rest of the country may not be able to appreciate some of the series' more arcanely shrewd insights, but Angelenos should embrace this show with, well, air kisses, one supposes; that's a pretty L.A. thing. The show's barrage of subplots tend to be hit-and-miss, and some of the topics of conversation - for example, cell-phone roaming plans in next week's episode - veer toward being too familiarly reminiscent of ``Seinfeld'' gags. In tonight's season-opener, Lauren (A.J. Langer) dates TV-star Siamese twins Siamese twins, congenitally united organisms that are complete or nearly complete individuals. They develop from a single fertilized ovum that has divided imperfectly; complete division would produce identical twins, having the same sex and general characteristics. (a real stretch of an idea which nonetheless inspires some funny dialogue on TV's racial-diversity issue), while Shrug (Evan Holder) starts to believe that Jennifer Grey (Jennifer Grey) really isn't herself. But dialogue remains reliably snappy - when Lauren is questioned about her dating someone attached to someone else, she breezily replies, ``So what? Everyone does it'' - and the details absolutely nail the L.A. mentality (for example, a Learning Annex course on becoming a trophy wife). Next week's episode is a definite keeper, a faux documentary on the first time a handsome, wealthy and nice guy got dumped by a woman in L.A. It boasts a raft of great visual gags parodying earnest documentary staples, and in a TV season rife with characters directly addressing the camera, the silly fashion in which the cast does so here is a welcome tonic. The facts The show: ``It's Like, You Know.'' What: Season premiere of the sitcom about eccentric L.A. denizens. Who: Chris Eigeman, Steven Eckholdt, Jennifer Grey, A.J. Langer, Evan Holder. Where: ABC (Channel 7). When: Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. Our rating: Three stars CAPTION(S): 4 Photos PHOTO (1) Sela Ward and Billy Campbell in ``Once and Again.'' (2) Fox's animated ``Mission Hill.'' (3) Eric McCormack and Debra Messing in ``Will and Grace.'' (4) ``It's Like, You Know'': Evan Holder, left, A.J. Langer, Chris Eigeman, Jennifer Grey and Steven Eckholdt. |
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