TV REVIEW: THE AWESOMES [HULU]

IN TWEET: THE NEW HULU ORIGINAL ANIMATED SERIES “THE AWESOMES” ISN’T THE WORST THING ON TV. IT’S JUST NOT…WELL…AWESOME.

In the spirit of full disclosure, the new Hulu original series THE AWESOMES was already at a huge disadvantage right out of the gate. I am not a fan of television animation. I’ve never been able to sit through a full episode of THE SIMPSONS. I don’t think FAMILY GUY is a little slice o’ brilliance. I stopped watching SOUTH PARK several years back (right around the time it became as insufferably self-impressed as creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone). With that said, I’m also pretty sure that if you are a fan of the genre, THE AWESOMES is going to land in your house with a thud.

THE AWESOMES are a motley crew of seriously flawed super heroes. After their leader retires, Prock (Seth Meyers), his sad sack of a son, takes over. All the quality members of the group immediately flee and go solo. Prock has to re-assemble a team or lose government funding (don’t ask). He does so by cobbling together a new band of heroes from among those that were rejected in the past. Hilarity ensues. Except it doesn’t.

The biggest problem with THE AWESOMES are the long gaps of tepid dialogue that fill the space between a few very funny moments. For a series with 14 (!) credited producers, there should be a lot more meat on the bone. The best moments are sight gags and spit takes but THE AWESOMES needs more than an oblique GOLDEN GIRLS reference and tired send-ups of racial stereotypes to make you want to come back for more.

You have to point the blame finger at Meyers. In addition to his voice work, he is also the writer and executive producer. Hence, the weaknesses in the script are compounded by Meyers penchant for giving SNL cast members more work while they’re on break from killing comedy at NBC. That means for every scene with exceptionally sharp turns by Taran Killam (Frantic) and Paula Pell (who steals the show as Gadget Gal) you also have to endure funny-free VO from Bobby Lee (Sumo/Tim) and the always dreadful Kenan Thompson (Impresario). At least we now know both Lee and Thompson display the same stunning lack of comedic talent when you can’t see them mugging for the camera as when you can.

It’s also odd that Hulu has chosen to bleep the profanity. It’s both disconcerting and only makes THE AWESOMES seem more toothless and pedestrian than it already is. It’s not that I want the show to be a superhero riff on SOUTH PARK; it’s just that by having no backbone it really makes you wonder why Hulu bit when several other networks had already passed. In just about every way, THE AWESOMES feels like a neutered, MOR version of DRAWN TOGETHER, the wildly vulgar, politically incorrect and pee-your-pants hilarious animated series that ran on Comedy Central for three seasons (CLICK HERE if you don’t know what I’m talking about…NSFW).

You know you’re in trouble when a show can’t even manage to cobble together a minute of compelling footage for a ComicCon trailer. That’s the reality of THE AWESOMES and it’s probably not going to help make the series a fanboy favorite outside the after glow of a well-orchestrated “sneak preview” campaign last month.

RONTHINK GRADE: C-

SUMMER TV: GUILTY PLEASURE TREASURES

IN TWEET: EIGHT BITS OF TASTY TV CANDY. JUST THE TICKET WHEN YOU NEED A LATE SUMMER BREAK. EYES OPEN. BRAIN OFF. POUR A COLD ONE. ENJOY!

We’re in the thick of the dog days of summer. That odd, sticky and sultry window between the warm months and the first chill of fall. It’s perfect weather to crank up the AC, crack open a Wailua Ale from Kona Brewing Co. and escape with some mindless entertainment. 

More and more, networks and streaming media services are filling summer months with original series programming. As audience fragmentation continues and competition for eyeballs gets even more fierce, content providers are downright paranoid about conceding June, July and August. Almost extinct is the old-school habit of stocking schedules with nothing more than re-runs and burn offs.

While it is harder to find quality programming when the temperatures are high, it’s also a perfect time to latch on to a new guilty pleasure. These are shows that exist for one reason: entertainment. No deep social messages, pesky thinky stuff or anything that would require excessive firing of your synapses.

I’ve watched a ton of stuff on air and online so you don’t have to wade through the swine to find a pearl. This isn’t a list filled with obvious choices like the crap Bravo runs 24/7/365 or the latest “I’m a pregnant/drug addicted/loser teen desperate for my 15 minutes” stuff that defines MTV these days. No Honey Boo Boos, swamp dwellers, sharkosauruses or slutty Amish on this list. That’s not to say you’re about to stroll down the entertainment high road. It just means you won’t feel like you have to shower after a spin with these yummy bon bons.

So you can tune in, turn on and catch up with the fluff you might have missed these past few months, please refer to the handy “Ronthink Guilt-O-Meter” created especially for this post. Based on that beloved terror threat thing from the post-9/11 Bush years, it’s a perfect tool to help you decide what to watch, what you can admit to watching and what you should probably keep to yourself.

Each entry below has been assigned an appropriate guilt level based on the amount of shame you can expect to feel when you watch. I’ve arranged the list in ascending order, starting with the shows least likely to make you a social pariah. Enjoy!

WHODUNNIT? [ABC]

  GUILT-O-METER READING: SCANT  

Remember those “do-it-yourself” murder mystery party kits? The ABC series WHODUNNIT? is sort of like one of them…except it doesn’t suck. In this ambitious (by summer TV standards) unscripted series, contestants are sequestered in a lavishly appointed mansion where a prize of $250,000 is up for grabs. The twist? One of them is a “killer” who picks off an unsuspecting “victim” at the end of each episode. The person who does the worst job of solving the weekly slaying (more HOWdunnit than whodunnit, actually) is the next one on the chopping block.

WHY GUILTY? Some viewers were so stupid they thought the first murder was real (I kid you not). ABC had to add a “post-death” interview with the offed contestant starting with the second episode. The prize is a little chintzy. After all, this is ABC not GSN. Plus, you get the distinct impression that more than a few of the contestants are several cards short of a full deck.

WHY PLEASURE? It’s a darn good little show and the “murders” are quite elaborately staged (see video below). They don’t make you wait until the next episode to find out which of the newly “scared” contestants ends up on the morgue slab. It’s not rocket science but the show clearly has a sense of humor about itself and “the killer” enjoys taunting the more annoying contestants with well-deserved personal barbs. The bromance between hot Kam and hot (but dumb) Ulysses was fun to watch…while it lasted. Bonus points: the first one “murdered” was an ex-NFL cheerleader.

WHODUNNIT? airs Sundays at 9PM E/P on ABC with next day streaming on Hulu.

THE EXES [TV LAND]

   GUILT-O-METER READING: LOW  

OK, the premise is asinine and the first season of the show was crap but once THE EXES found its mojo, things started looking up. It also happens to be one of the most gleefully dirty sit-coms on television. While not nearly as accomplished as HOT IN CLEVELAND, it’s a world away from TV Land crap like RETIRED AT 35 (RIP). When it’s firing on all cylinders, THE EXES is a damn funny half hour. TV Land has also ordered 10 more episodes for the current season. Oh yeah…can anyone tell me what’s up with Donald Faison and his freakishly white teeth?

WHY GUILTY? It’s a TV Land original that isn’t HOT IN CLEVELAND. Enough said.

WHY PLEASURE? Kristen Johnston is the main attraction here and Kelly Stables is pitch-perfect as her sexually liberated assistant. Season two featured a couple of laugh-out-loud episodes, including a profanely funny guest stint by Zach Braff playing a closeted pro athlete (see video below) and an entire episode that was one very long (no pun intended) and very funny dick joke (Google “The Exes cucumber” and see for yourself). The vintage vibrator-centric season three opener was more hilarious than a show like this really has a right to be.

THE EXES airs Wednesdays at 10:30PM E/P on TV Land with streaming on Hulu 21 days after first airing.

MELISSA & JOEY [ABC FAMILY]

  GUILT-O-METER READING: LOW  

I’m not sure exactly what season MELISSA & JOEY is currently in (thanks to the oddball way ABC Family parses out original series episodes) but it’s been a big ratings winner for the network since its debut in 2010. It’s also damn funny so, if you're comedy snob, you should probably skip to the next entry on this list.

WHY GUILTY? It’s not on the ABC Family “cool list” like PRETTY LITTLE LIARS or TWISTED. It’s not a “prestige” title like the recently cancelled BUNHEADS (which I'm still angry about) or the terrific new drama THE FOSTERS. It also stars a Lawrence brother and a former teenage witch. Yes, they do outfit Joey Lawrence in some if the tightest shirts on TV but the show is also self-aware enough to constantly poke fun at the muscle meme.

WHY PLEASURE? It’s probably one of the most subversive sit-coms on a network where you would never expect to find such a thing. While THE FOSTERS has turned controversy into ratings gold, MELISSA & JOEY has been getting away with tons of hanky-panky and adult humor since 2010. Melissa Joan Hart and Lawrence have genuine chemistry and the comedy chops that come from growing up on television. The two younger principles, siblings on the show, are played by Taylor Spreitler and Nick Robinson. They’re two of the most pleasant teen actors on any network. MELISSA & JOEY deftly weaves broad comedy and slapstick with issue-oriented social messages that are refreshingly honest and well-handled. I’m sure conservative folks would be horrified at Hart’s wine soaked version of parenting but I also suspect, for the vast majority of viewers, this modern spin on the family sit-com will resonate and ring true.

MELISSA & JOEY airs Wednesdays at 8PM E/P on ABC Family with next day streaming on Hulu. Earlier seasons are available on Netflix.

ONE LIFE TO LIVE [HULU]

  GUILT-O-METER READING: MODERATE  

When ABC dumped daytime vets ALL MY CHILDREN and ONE LIFE TO LIVE in 2012, soap fans flipped out. It took more than a year of stops and starts (and some incredibly complex deal making) but both shows returned with original episodes at the start of the summer. The twist? They are now online originals (aside from the poorly handled re-run test on OWN) airing in a truncated “volume” format that means fewer episodes and seasonal scheduling. Of the two shows, ONE LIFE TO LIVE has definitely made the transition with more grace. It’s not that ALL MY CHILDREN is bad; it just feels like it’s not having as much fun playing in this new sand box. With that said, OLTL does look better and has a stronger cast and writing team.

WHY GUILTY? It’s a soap…and it was cancelled.

WHY PLEASURE? There is something oddly reassuring and wholly appropriate about the the dramatic path OLTL (and AMC) took from oblivion to re-birth. The jury is still out on how long the reformatted shows will last. It hasn’t helped matters any that there have already been a few production and scheduling hiccups since the re-launch. Still, it is heartening to see iconic TV vets at least trying to find their way in a very complex media landscape. Even if the pair doesn’t survive for long, the fact that they are back at all says a lot about the potential of online-only original series and the power of fan-driven programming support campaigns.

OLTL and AMC are available on Hulu. The first season finale for both shows is August 19th.

 

BABY DADDY [ABC FAMILY]

  GUILT-O-METER READING: MODERATE  

BABY DADDY is sort of like THE EXES of ABC Family. Not nearly as funny or sharp as it’s more seasoned sibling MELISSA & JOEY, it’s still a pleasant way to spend a half hour. It’s one of those shows I keep telling myself I won’t watch but then every time I see a new episode on my DVR, I press play on my remote like a reflex.

WHY GUILTY? It’s a “classic” sit-com (in the FULL HOUSE sense of the word) with a modern skin slapped on. You do feel kinda bummed if Derek Theler doesn’t take his shirt off at least once an episode. The cast is relentlessly appealing but comic timing is all over the map.

WHY PLEASURE? Two words: Melissa Peterman. Her comedy skills are flawless. She does incredible stuff with often thread-bare material. She’s a bawdy broad…and I mean that as a high compliment. Jean-Luc Bilodeau makes a guy who is really kind of a jerk into someone you want to hang with and there is the aforementioned thrill of a shirtless Theler. A fun drinking game is to take a shot every time Tahj Mowry (younger brother of Tia and Tamera Mowry) desperately tries to remind us that he is very, very, very straight. Really. He is. Totally.

BABY DADDY airs Wednesdays at 8:30PM E/P on ABC Family with next day streaming on Hulu. The prior season is available on Netflix.

HEMLOCK GROVE [NETFLIX]

  GUILT-O-METER READING: HIGH  

Remember TWIN PEAKS? Not the kick-ass first season. The second one. The season that was an aimless, rambling mess and was probably being made up as it stumbled along. HEMLOCK GROVE is like that…but good. Not “good” good. Train wreck good. Delicious, audacious, insane, mind-bending and gloriously messy. It’s like a dessert you know is bad for you but you just can’t stop eating it. Netflix has picked the series up for a second season. HEMLOCK GROVE also snagged two Emmy nominations, one for visual effects (see video below for why).

WHY GUILTY? It comes from Eli Roth, the douche bag responsible for the first two HOSTEL films. It’s a Netflix original that has none of the aspirations of the exceptional HOUSE OF CARDS. It’s about werewolves, the third most overexposed film beastie after zombies and vampires. Dougray Scott seems to be channeling the scenery chewing performance of Piper Laurie from CARRIE but with none of the “I can see your dirty pillows” glee.

WHY PLEASURE? The show knows it is ALL of the above…and damn proud of it. Still, it’s a gorgeous looking affair that can hold it’s own against any network series (at least as far as production values are concerned). As terrible as Scott is, the rest of the cast is quite good, with especially strong turns from vets Famke Janssen and Lili Taylor. The younger set is also in capable hands with nice work from Bill Skarsgard and Landon Liboiron (almost unrecognizable from his TERRA NOVA days). BATTLESTAR GALACTICA geeks (like me) get a special treat with both Aaron Douglas (aka “Chief Tyrol”) and Kandyse McClure (aka the ill-fated “Dualla”) filling supporting roles. McClure is clearly having a blast with her wackadoo take on the character of Dr. Clementine Chasseur. Best of all, the gore is kept to a minimum even though torture-porn guru Roth is pulling the strings. The first wolf attack happens largely off screen but the way it's shot makes it even more horrifying. Check out the much ballyhooed “transformation” sequence and add HEMLOCK GROVE to your Netflix queue.

HEMLOCK GROVE is a Netflix exclusive. All 13 episodes of season 1 are now available.

MISTRESSES [ABC]

  GUILT-O-METER READING: HIGH  

It took a few years (and a misfire at Lifetime) but the stateside adaptation of the BBC series MISTRESSES has been steaming up the ABC line-up all summer. This re-tooled MISTRESSES is a near perfect concoction of delicious trash spiced up with a top-notch cast and some surprisingly sharp writing. I watched it to make fun of the show and ended up getting hooked.

WHY GUILTY? It’s a U.S. reformat of a well-received British original (check out season one on Netflix to compare). The ABC version ramps up the sex, drama and bat-crap-crazy with plenty of illicit hook ups and some eye-popping girl on girl action (see video below). It’s basically a show about horny people who cheat on their spouses and/or partners in some very creative ways.

WHY PLEASURE? This is a potboiler with a hidden agenda: hook you with the sexy stuff and then make you watch as karma bitch slaps each of the characters for their various indiscretions. The UK original is a shade or two darker to be sure but, it was no SHERLOCK or BROADCHURCH so TV snobs can unruffle their feathers. Yes, Alyssa Milano and Yunjin Kim are the stars but there’s breakout work being done every week by the campy, vampy and wonderful Jess Macallan. No matter what happens with MISTRESSES, she deserves a starring role in something, somewhere. Oh, did I mention hot shower sex?

MISTRESSES airs Mondays at 10PM E/P on ABC with next day streaming on Hulu.

 

THE ONLY WAY IS ESSEX [HULU]

  GUILT-O-METER READING: EXTREME  

Shhh…do not tell ANYONE I watch this piece of trashy, trashy trash. Picture a mash-up of JERSEY SHORE and any of those awful “housewives” shows from Bravo and then add British accents (really thick ones). The result? THE ONLY WAY IS ESSEX. THE smoking gun if you’re looking for proof that UK TV can produce an even bigger pile of gutter clump than several US cable nets combined.

WHY GUILTY? Every character is self-absorbed, self-impressed, “hot” in the Vivid Video sense of the word, vain, dumb and without any redeeming social value.

WHY PLEASURE? Every character is self-absorbed, self-impressed, "hot" in the Vivid Video sense of the word, vain, dumb and without any redeeming social value…BUT they’re British. That means the producers of the show are well aware of how massive a crap fest ESSEX is and they have no problem making as much fun of the principles as you will (see videos below). The show has been a huge hit in the UK, where it is still running. Hulu has exclusive rights to the show here and earlier seasons are available without a Hulu Plus subscription. Now, close your shades, turn off that auto-post social networking feature and take a ride on the spray tan side of the UK.

THE ONLY WAY IS ESSEX is a Hulu exclusive. Season six premieres August 15th.

 

OPINION: MUNN SCORES! MORGAN BORES!

IN TWEET: OLIVIA MUNN PUTS CNN BOOB PIERS MORGAN IN HIS PLACE. THAT VIDEO PLUS MUSINGS ON MUNN, MEDIA AND LOS ANGELES.

Los Angeles is probably the most unfairly maligned city in the United States. Yes, everything you’ve heard about it is probably true. At the same time, most of the negative stuff isn't nearly as bad as it’s made out to be. More often than not, the loudest haters tend to be those who have never spent more than a week there and/or New Yorkers, a plucky people with a remarkable ability to convince themselves that the raft of  problems in their city are just further proof of its status as center of the known universe. Big Gulp, anyone?

I lived in Los Angeles from 2000 to 2011. Sure, it has problems but it’s also a vibrant city rich with simple pleasures, amazing cultural diversity and an endless treasure trove of hidden gems. Unfortunately, Los Angeles is located in California, a state so screwed up that I finally said “enough is enough” and fled for greener (and colder) pastures. I say all of this as a roundabout introduction to this post. Plus, since RONTHINK launched, this is the first chance I’ve had to get in a few fun jabs at California and NYC.

One of the things I do genuinely miss about Los Angeles is attending the annual PALEYFEST. Run by the Paley Center for Media (formerly known as the Museum of Television and Radio), it’s a series of panel discussions featuring the casts, writers, creators and producers of current (and sometimes classic) TV series. I am planning a full post about the 2013 PALEYFEST this week but, after screening THE NEWSROOM panel, I couldn’t wait to highlight this piece of amazing video.

THE NEWSROOM is an original series on HBO. It’s written by Aaron Sorkin and stars, among others, Jeff Daniels, Dev Patel, Sam Waterston and Olivia Munn. Sorkin, a brilliant writer, is responsible for some of my all-time favorite TV series (SPORTS NIGHT, THE WEST WING) and THE SOCIAL NETWORK, easily one of the best movies of the past decade. That’s why I thought the THE NEWSROOM was such a disappointment. It had everything Sorkin fans love but was bogged down by an excesses of the stuff his detractors always whine about. I had written off the show…until now.

Though the entire panel chat is worth watching (see the full video at the end of this post), the must-see clip is an uncomfortable exchange between CNN talking head Piers Morgan and Olivia Munn. In one of those “be careful what you ask for” moments, Morgan, the panel moderator, asks Munn to give her definition of journalism. She does and, if you’re a self-impressed jackass like Piers Morgan, it isn’t pretty. Given Morgan’s own problems with everything from his journalistic ethics to woeful ratings, his mere presence as moderator of this panel was already questionable. When Morgan makes the mistake of chiding Munn, cue the fireworks.

MUNN: “I prefer to see Piers Morgan and Dianne Sawyer…just on the news and not on the red carpet. That’s just me, personally…”

MORGAN: “Well, I had to do it. I’m moderating.”

MUNN: “No, I know…”

MORGAN: “…unpaid, Sunday night, don’t be so bloody churlish.”

MUNN: “…Do you want the truth or do you just, you know, want me to say something.?”

Ouch! The answer, of course, is the latter. Munn gave an honest response and Morgan got his panties in a twist. He also turned a discussion about a show he isn’t on, held in front of an audience who didn’t pay to see him, into one of the same “all about me” moments that Munn goes on to carpet bomb. Here's the full clip:

To her credit, Munn remained poised throughout and gave Morgan infinitely more respect than he deserved. More importantly, she was spot on. Media buzz aside, this exchange now becomes another fascinating piece of the puzzle that is Olivia Munn. In less than five minutes she manages the almost impossible task of defining and defending the nobility of real journalism, adding cred to her own increasingly impressive resume, refusing to be turned into a joke because she answered a question honestly and giving Piers Morgan a long overdue verbal bitch slap. Score!

During my decade plus in Los Angles, one of the positions I held was Director of Marketing at G4. It was a network with a tiny audience of the most mind-bogglingly wonderful fans I’ve ever worked with. In fact, they were the reason most of us were there. G4 is owned by Comcast, the cable conglomerate everyone hates (unless, of course, you believe the “future of awesome” really does emanate from Philly). Of all the networks owned by the company, G4 was the one that got the fewest resources and the least respect. I say “was” because G4 is held in such low esteem by Comcast that it will soon be turned into something called The Esquire Network. Good luck with that, Kabletown.

My tenure happened to fall during the heyday of Olivia Munn, when AOTS! was still on the air and held cult status as the best live show almost no one was watching. I’m not gonna say Munn was an angel 24/7, but working at G4 did have a way of making even the best people a little brittle (present company included). We all worked for relative peanuts. Some of us also worked for outright buffoons while others toiled away creating small television miracles, like X-PLAY and the aforementioned AOTS!, on a shoestring.

Munn and AOTS! co-host Kevin Pereira had that rare on camera “thing” that sparkled. I never had any doubts about Pereira. He’s a nice guy with a passion for everything geek and an ability to make you care. Munn was the question mark. I never fell into the trap of selling her short or assuming she was just a hot chick looking to be a star. She was too self-deprecating and willing to “go there” for that. In fact, with the exception of Munn and Carrie Keagan on BIG MORNING BUZZ LIVE WITH CARRIE KEAGAN, it’s hard to find female hosts who can manage the delicate balancing act of brains, body and bawdy. Both do it exceptionally well.

Munn has moved on from her TV hosting days and small cameo roles in feature films. She starred in the NBC sit-com bomb PERFECT COUPLES, a show so badly written no-one in the cast should be blamed for the epic fail. Rather than trying to make any more hay in the Comcast family (NBC is also owned by the company), Munn moved out and on to a major supporting role in MAGIC MIKE. To the dismay of her detractors, she was quite good. Those who continued to sell her short got their comeuppance when Aaron Sorkin cast her in THE NEWSROOM. While critical reaction to the show was split almost evenly between fawning and eviscerating, Munn received near universal praise for her performance.

Unlike some, I much prefer to see public figures grow, evolve, mature and blossom. I don’t subscribe to a media mindset fixated on building people up only to tear them down. Yes, some actors and politicians are their own worst enemies but, they are also often as much a player in their rapid rise as they are a victim in their spectacular falls. Munn started her career on the geek fringe, a place where you can spread your wings and make mistakes in front of a fan base honest enough to call you out, smart enough to give advice you probably should follow and forgiving enough to let you fly again. 

Based on where Olivia Munn is today, those who thought she was a flash in the pan should probably eat some crow. If the Olivia Munn we now see in movies, TV series and at this particular PALEYFEST panel is the real deal (and I think she is), second chances are indeed a very good thing.

Here is the full video of the NEWSROOM panel from the 30th annual PALEYFEST. Enjoy!