TIGHTER SHRINK RAP, FRESHER `HUFF'.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic You might find yourself pretty exhausted with tonight's two-hour premiere of "Huff" just after the "Previously: On 'Huff'" preview that resets last season's most highly charged moments. All the anguish and psychosis and infidelity and self-indulgence in a two-minute clip can be, to put it mildly, pretty wearying. But then, "Huff" as it plays out normally can be a fairly exhausting experience. Its upscale family endures enough angst to lay waste to an entire suburb - their lives verged on the apocalyptic in its first season, and things disintegrate, if possible (and yes, lamentably la·men·ta·ble adj. Inspiring or deserving of lament or regret; deplorable or pitiable. See Synonyms at pathetic. lam  en·ta·bly adv. , it's possible), even more this year. Though ignored by viewers last year, "Huff" garnered a raft of Emmy nominations thanks to aggressive campaigning, and cast member Blythe Danner Blythe Katherine Danner, born February 3, 1943 in Philadelphia, United States, is an Emmy and Tony Award winning American actress. She is also the mother of actress Gwyneth Paltrow. won the Best Supporting Actress/Drama trophy. Clearly, Showtime is hoping the awards attention will translate into greater audience curiosity this season. "Huff" stars Hank Azaria as Craig "Huff" Huffstoldt, a psychiatrist whose patients' woes scarcely hold a candle to his own. He suffers occasional hallucinations Hallucinations Definition Hallucinations are false or distorted sensory experiences that appear to be real perceptions. These sensory impressions are generated by the mind rather than by any external stimuli, and may be seen, heard, felt, and even and self-destructive urges, such as his flirtation with an unhinged patient last season that transformed her into a stalker who attacked his heretofore loyal wife Beth (Paget Brewster), torpedoing the one nominally comfortable aspect of his existence. His mother Izzy (Danner) is a domineering dom·i·neer·ing adj. Tending to domineer; overbearing. dom  i·neer alcoholic. Son Byrd (Anton Yelchin) is now into breaking and entering breaking and entering v., n. entering a residence or other enclosed property through the slightest amount of force (even pushing open a door), without authorization. If there is intent to commit a crime, this is burglary. neighbors' homes. Best friend Russell (Oliver Platt) is an everything-aholic who impregnated im·preg·nate tr.v. im·preg·nat·ed, im·preg·nat·ing, im·preg·nates 1. To make pregnant; inseminate. 2. To fertilize (an ovum, for example). 3. someone he can't (or doesn't want to) remember meeting. His brother Teddy (Andy Comeau) has been justifiably institutionalized in·sti·tu·tion·al·ize tr.v. in·sti·tu·tion·al·ized, in·sti·tu·tion·al·iz·ing, in·sti·tu·tion·al·iz·es 1. a. To make into, treat as, or give the character of an institution to. b. . His mother-in-law Madeline (Swoosie Kurtz) is relatively normal, but the show's writers punish her for that by making her terminally ill Terminally Ill When a person is not expected to live more than 12 months. Notes: Any gifts given out by the afflicted person at this time may be considered as a dispersion of the estate rather than a gift. . At its best, "Huff" sagely explores the normal, dysfunctional lives of people bewildered and battered by the 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. of 21st-century society. But, too often, "Huff" plays as though it's been written by someone huffing paint thinner, as the lives of Huff and those around him play out as some Grand Guignol parody of a social satire. Soap operas and melodramas also truck in the same sort of lunatic histrionics that "Huff" deals in, but "Huff" aspires to a greater realism, particularly through its uniformly accomplished performances. Only Platt and Sharon Stone - who has a story arc this season as a Catherine Tramell-like client of both Huff's and Russell's - give wryly winking turns. Everyone else is decidedly earnest, which is odd, given that the show initially played like Showtime's response to HBO's arch "Six Feet Under." Now, it seems like "Huff" has leapfrogged "Six Feet Under's" inspired seasons headlong into the latter's gloomy, shark-jumping years. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke(at)dailynews.com HUFF - Two and one half stars What: Hank Azaria stars as a psychiatrist who can't help himself, so where does that leave his patients? Where: Showtime. When: 10 and 11:50 tonight; also 8 p.m. Monday, 11:05 p.m. Tuesday and 10 p.m. Wednesday. In a nutshell: Flashes of brilliance surrounded by over-the-top histrionics. |
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