TV Review: The Paul Reiser Show

Yikes. I loved Mad About You back in the day and have always been a big fan of Paul Reiser. I did not, however, enjoy his latest sitcom attempt, The Paul Reiser Show. Mad About You (1992-1999) premiered at a time when NBC was at the top and sitcoms were the way to go. It was a clever show about a modern couple living in New York City. The writing was snappy. Paul and co-star Helen Hunt had great chemistry. It fit well with its contemporaries, even crossing over with both Seinfeld and Friends. (Surprisingly, it also crossed over with The Dick van Dyke Show which was completely awesome.) Given Paul’s excellent writing and unique humor I was excited to hear he was coming back to TV. My excitement was short-lived, but I haven’t given up all hope just yet.

The Paul Reiser Show premiered last night (4/14/11). It’s Curb Your Enthusiasm-esque premise revolves around Paul Reiser being Paul Reiser. Clearly, Paul was smart enough to realize that everyone would make the Curb comparison so he decided to just do it for us with guest star Larry David. The scenes between Paul and Larry were genuinely funny, but unfortunately they just made me realize I’d rather be watching Curb. With the exception of Ben Shenkman (who did much better work in Lights Out), the supporting cast fell pretty flat. There were some funny moments but for the most part it felt forced and, worse than that, dated.

The weak pilot aside, I think it has a few other things working against it. The first is the title. “The Paul Reiser Show” would have meant something 10 years ago. Now it comes across as uninspired and old-fashioned. It doesn’t make you curious or interested. It’s just, “Oh, that Paul Reiser show. No thanks.” Another few nails in the coffin are both the timeslot and the network. Right now it airs Thursday at 8:30pm, smack dab in the middle of Community and The Office. It doesn’t fit there at all. They appeal to completely different audiences. The types of humor completely clash here. Then there is NBC, a network which has no patience for shows that don’t fit their (cough, last place, cough) mold. If it’s on NBC, it’s probably going to get cancelled. I think it is probably more similar in style to the CBS sitcoms, but the smartest bet would have been TV Land. They are building a brand of new shows based on nostalgia. Hot in Cleveland is an ensemble full of sitcom vets led by Betty White. Retired at 35 stars Just Shoot Me’s George Segal and Arrested Development’s Jessica Walter. Pretty soon they’ll be taking The Nanny’s Fran Drescher out of mothballs for a new show. Paul Reiser would thrive at TV Land. They would provide him with time he needs to fine tune his show. The show has potential, but I’d bet my signed Kirk Douglas photo that NBC will pull the plug in about 3 episodes.

I’ve read Paul’s writing. I’ve seen his stuff. He’s a talented and hilarious guy. I’m going to stick with The Paul Reiser Show while it lasts because I think he can get it back. He’s rusty. It’s been a decade. He can get it back. He just needs the time NBC won’t give him. Now if you’ll excuse I’m going to go buy Mad About You season 4.

TV Review: Lights Out

When it comes to TV there isn’t much I hate more than getting super invested into a series only to have it be abruptly cancelled. I first felt the sting of this unsettling trend one Saturday morning in 1986. I came inside at 10am because it was time for the Super Friends only instead of Super Friends it was something else entirely. Over the next 25 years I experienced this again and again. Even so, I’m always surprised and upset when it happens.
My most recent run-in with this phenomenon was with the FX series, Lights Out. This great boxing/family drama starred Holt Mcallany as a former heavyweight champion Patrick “Lights” Leary who was struggling with the notion of coming out of a five year retirement for a rematch and a chance to take back the title. Obviously, the setting of the show was the world of professional boxing, but Lights Out went much deeper than that. The real focus of the show was the Leary family and Lights’ struggle to find meaning in his post boxing life. Despite the premise there wasn’t a whole lot of boxing in the series. However, when the boxing was showcased it was well done and exciting.
I was initially uninterested in watching the show, but changed my mind and gave it shot after hearing all of the high praise from the critics. It quickly became my favorite, and for my money the most intriguing show on television. In all the series lasted 13 episodes, long enough to see Patrick train and ultimately have his rematch with his arch rival Death-row Reynolds. Despite the quick cancellation (due to low ratings, according to Tvline.com) the ending was for the most part satisfying. However in the final two episodes some new characters were introduced and some interesting developments were simmering in the background. You could see hints of where they would have gone in season 2 and I am very disappointed not to be able to see those come to light.
In its short time on the air Lights Out boasted excellent acting by its talented cast, most notably Mcallany and Stacy Keach (as Leary patriarch Robert), had writing that was always top notch and original and delivered an intense and compelling story. My advice is to watch the show any way you can… buy or Netflix the DVD, track it down on Hulu, whatever works best for you. You won’t be sorry. I already miss this great show.