Article first published as SIRENS Review on Seat42F.
USA is trying its hand with sitcoms when the new series SIRENS premieres Thursday evening. The episode sent to critics, and that is currently streaming free on the network’s website, is listed as #1.04 “Rachel McAdams Topless.” I’m not sure that’s going to be the first episode that airs, but it should give us a taste of not only the tone of the series, but who the characters are as well.
USA is trying its hand with sitcoms when the new series SIRENS premieres Thursday evening. The episode sent to critics, and that is currently streaming free on the network’s website, is listed as #1.04 “Rachel McAdams Topless.” I’m not sure that’s going to be the first episode that airs, but it should give us a taste of not only the tone of the series, but who the characters are as well.
At the center of SIRENS are three EMTs.
Johnny (Michael Mosley, Pan Am, The Proposal) is having trouble defining
his relationship with on-again, off-again girlfriend Theresa (Jessica
McNamee, Packed to the Rafters). Or are they dating? It’s not clear.
Hank (Kevin Daniels, Modern Family, Ladder 49), Johnny’s best friend, is
gay and black, though neither is really played up as a character
element in the first episode, with Hank’s role being to deliver the best
lines and support Johnny. They are joined by nervous, naïve newbie
Brian (Kevin Bigley, Game Change).
Now, that doesn’t sound like a recipe
for a particularly original show, and I admit, Brian, especially, is a
familiar type. But Sirens doesn’t try for anything fancy. It’s about a
group of guys hanging out together, getting into absurd situations, and
having way too personal conversations. They have good chemistry, and are
enjoyable.
For instance, in “Rachel McAdams
Topless,” they try to erase a patient’s computer, only to be scarred by
disturbing porn. Then they end up talking about porn and sex for the
most of the half hour, as other things they stumble upon also hinge on
that topic. So it’s a lot of raunchy, honest talking between buddies.
I happen to find this very funny. I know
it’s certainly not everyone’s type of humor, but it’s far better than
gross vomit and poop gags. SIRENS rises or falls on how real each of
these three men seem and whether viewers will care about them or not.
Half an hour in, I do care. They seem nice and are trying their best,
never mean-spirited or cruel.
The relationship between Johnny and
Theresa is good, too. He swears to her that he’s given up porn for her, a
lie of course, which she quickly discovers. But not knowing she knows,
he and his buddies try to prevent her from finding out, stumbling on her
own embarrassing secrets in the process. Theresa and Johnny learn a
little about one another, and it helps them appreciate their partner
more.
First and foremost, this makes “Rachel
McAdams Topless” a comedy of errors, with one-liners smartly tying into
later twists in the story, running gags rather than just a series of
punchlines. At times, the situations feel staged, of course, and in this
style of narrative, that’s unavoidable. But the energy put off by the
cast is infectious, and it keeps moving forward at a pleasing pace.
I’m not sure Theresa is all that
authentic a character, possibly more of a guy’s dream of what a woman
should be than real. Or maybe she’s someone who just bucks trends and
doesn’t conform to what’s currently publicly acceptable to say, a
liberated, modern woman. At times, she’s more masculine than Johnny, a
relatively new arrangement in society that can still seem novel on
television when done right, as it is here.
But SIRENS doesn’t ask us to overthink
this stuff. It’s just a goofy comedy designed to make us laugh. I wish
it aired on HBO or Showtime so it could actually back up the topics of
conversation with visuals; hearing and hinting at things that are never
shown make it tamer than it should be. But its sensibilities do seem
appropriate to a TBS or basic cable format, so it should work for USA,
known mostly for fluffy dramas.
SIRENS premieres this Thursday at 10 p.m. ET on USA.
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