Test Pilot: Big Shots
ABC
Test Pilot is a semiregular feature this summer sharing my first impressions of the pilots for next fall's shows. These aren't reviews, since these pilots may be rewritten, recast and reshot before airing, and end up much better or worse. But, premature opinions are why God invented the Internet, so let's get on with...
The Show: Big Shots, ABC
The Premise: Did you ever wonder what the inner lives of extremely rich, horny white guys are like? No, you did. You told me one time. You probably don't remember. I think you were drunk. Anyway... Dylan McDermott, Christopher Titus, Joshua Malina and Michael Vartan are high-powered CEOs in various stages of marriedness and fidelity, playing golf, confiding in one another, helping with their business and romantic schemes, and discussing What It's Like to Be a Man Today, in this comedy-drama.
First Impressions: Did I mention that this is a show about men? Because this pilot reminds you every single chance it gets. "We're men. When it comes to sex or a criminal situation, we're allowed to lie." Or, "It's a rite of passage for men." Or, "Men: we're the new women." I have no idea whom this series is intended for, exactly. The alpha males the show is about would probably rather be watching Man Vs. Wild, or maybe Entourage. Women--probably the more likely target, considering ABC's existing lineup of femme-centric dramedies--may be turned off, unless they enjoy seeing their worst stereotypes of men confirmed on a weekly basis.
Will I Watch Another One? You know us men. We can't commit.
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1
This isn't the first less-than-enthusiastic description I've read of this show, which is really too bad. I thought it had a chance - I've typically liked both Joshua Malina and Dylan McDermott. But this sounds like a situation of bad writing giving the actors little to work with. I may still check it out, but my hopes are definitely not high.
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2
@Molly: I have to admit, I have never cared for Dylan McDermott, who I think overacted his way through The Practice. The other men I all like, though--it made me nostalgic for Titus' Fox sitcom, where his character (admittedly, based on himself) was far better drawn than the guy here so far. (His role is basically to complain repeatedly about how it sucks to be married and how little sex he's getting. It's pretty much an According to Jim type character with more money.)
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3
I'm the new women? Who's the new men?
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4
I'm so disappointed about Christopher Titus--thank you for tipping your hand on the evaluation before you mentioned his name. It made the letdown easier to bear.
Dylan McDermott is less of a letdown--he's hot, but I think he went to the Joey Tribbiani school of acting. ("You have a fishhook in your eyebrow, and you kind of like it.")
Maybe the show is a gesture toward equal representation of awful stereotypes? Wretched stereotypes about women are confirmed on some major network nightly--and I'm not even counting daytime TV.
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5
I think this is a situation of a pilot beeing to busy capturing the audience and presenting the characters. When there are 4 main characters each one with at least 2 women around naturally everything will seem a bit too rushed.
I believe this one will get better with time. It has the actors, the goos crew and the funny story. Just needs more work into it.
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