Resign Please, MADAM SECRETARY

Article first published as MADAM SECRETARY Review on Seat42F.

CBS has a lot of faith in their new non-procedural (!) drama series, MADAM SECRETARY. A fictional tale of a female secretary of state, tapped to help out the President (Keith Carradine, Fargo) because she has a different perspective than his other advisors and he trusts her, it will air twice on the Sunday it premieres to make sure that if football overruns the schedule, viewers can still find it. Of course, the simpler solution would be to just learn how to schedule around sports, since the network has plenty of experience screwing that up, but I digress…

MADAME SECRETARY stars Tea Leoni (The Naked Truth) in the lead role of Elizabeth McCord. Elizabeth is your typical network leading lady, tougher and smarter than anyone around her, bucking convention to save the day and do what’s right. She’s torn between work and family, of course, as every modern woman must be, and she is besought by doubters on all sides. Luckily, she has the skills and stamina to persevere, doing whatever she must to go around any obstacle in her path, a noble hero if ever there was one. Leoni plays her convincingly, if perhaps a bit too earnestly.

Her main obstacle seems to be the president’s Chief of Staff, Russell Jackson (Zeljko Ivanek). Russell is a very familiar archetype, too, putting his own interests and politics ahead of what is right, and thus, is easily dealt a setback. He won’t go away quickly, though, and will probably clash over and over again in the same ways with Elizabeth as the series wears on. Ivanek, a brilliant performer with many impressive credits, including Damages, True Blood, Suits, and Argo, is completely wasted in a part that is similar to what he’s known for, but could easily be filled by any number of actors, not nearly complex enough (at least in the pilot) to rate Ivanek’s level of talent.

One might assume that Elizabeth’s staff will get in her way, too, since they’ve mostly been retained from a predecessor who operated in a way that could be described as polar opposite to Elizabeth’s approach. Indeed, we see Elizabeth’s own Chief of Staff, Nadine Tolliver (Bebe Neuwirth, Cheers), flabbergasted at her boss’ behavior in the premiere hour. However, this is clearly a ‘team of rivals’ situation in which Elizabeth will win over the people under her command, which also includes speechwriter Matt Mahoney (Geoffrey Arend, Body of Proof), press coordinator Daisy Grant (Patina Miller, All My Children), and assistant Blake Moran (Erich Bergen, How Sweet It Is). It begins happening right away, far too easily.

Rounding out the cast are Tim Daly (Private Practice, Wings) as Elizabeth’s husband, Henry, a professor who catches many of his young female students’ eyes, Evan Roe as Elizabeth’s self-described anarchist son, Jason, and Katherine Herzer as good daughter Alison. There isn’t much remarkable about Elizabeth’s family situation, but the guys in her household will likely cause her problems, personally and professionally, as the story plays out. This is being telegraphed well in advance of any on-screen developments.

I really want to like MADAM SECRETARY based on its premise and players involved, but the pilot is predictable and boring. I applaud CBS for moving outside of the mold and trying to find an appropriate pairing for The Good Wife, which deserves it, surrounded by rote crime series, but this show is just too under-developed to fit the bill. As you may have surmised from the above paragraphs, it sounds a lot like many other dramas already out there, with shades of The Good Wife and Scandal, but packaged in an inferior product.

MADAME SECRETARY tries to be exciting by adding in a conspiracy in which people are being killed to cover something up. Elizabeth’s predecessor might very well have been one of the victims, meaning she could be next. But even that seems forced and hokey, rather than compelling, as it should be. The overall tone and style of the program are just not living up to expectation. It’s really a shame.

MADAM SECRETARY premieres Sunday, September 21^st at around 8:30 p.m. ET, depending on football overruns, on CBS.

Browsers

Article original published as Amazon Originals Browsers Review on TheTVKing.

The last Amazon pilot on my review list is Browsers. Set in the offices of what appears to be a sort of Huffington Post-style website called Gush, Browsers finds four young interns joining the staff, full of spirit and passion and song. Yep, it's a musical.

Browsers may be compared to Glee or Smash, the other two musicals on the air, but it shouldn't be. The songs, all originals from what I could tell, do not at all compare to the level of quality on those other shows. The singers are talented enough, but the melodies feel like the lesser numbers from a Broadway show, and the staging is a bit cheesy.

However, I do think cheesy is what Browsers is going for. The emotions displayed by the various players are relatively surface, designed to tug a heart string, but not provide any real insight. The premise itself is played in a hokey way, with the head of the company having much direct interaction with the lowly interns. The office design is cartoonish, and there are fantasy sequences, including one character talking to an angel version of herself.

The cast, mostly unknown, are entertaining enough, even if they seem purposely and carefully crafted to offer us a diverse spread. There's Kate (Brigette Davidovici, Bathroomies), the fresh-faced crusader, Josh (Dustin Ingram, Unfabulous), the music-loving tool, Prudence (Constance Wu, Eastsiders), the drug-taking Asian computer genius, and Gabriel (Marque Richardson, True Blood), the liberal who can't keep his mouth shut to save himself. Unfortunately, they all come across sort of similar and bland, despite the efforts made to make them distinct.

These four are beholden to Julianna Mancuso-Bruni (Bebe Neuwirth, Cheers), the Ariana-type, sporting a very strange accent. She runs the company with an iron fist, creating an air that she's "not to f***with," as she literally sings, sans censoring beeps. Yet, she shows her heart when Kate pleads with her to reverse the decision to fire Gabriel, which she does. She tries to be tricky, but is just as predictable as the other characters.

Though I get the reference the creators are trying to invoke by giving Neuwirth that thick accent, I don't care for it. I think it overshadows what she is trying to do, and Neuwirth is a very talented, accomplished actress. Why not play more to her strengths, especially on a show with so much singing, as she has done well on Broadway, instead of making her such a caricature?

The link between Julianna and the interns is one of Julianna's many assistants, Justin (Chris Wood). It's odd how that, in an office full of people, and being told that Julianna has six assistants, only Justin, Julianna, and the four newbies get any development. But I guess that's a conceit many shows make.

I enjoy Browsers because I do like a good musical, and this is nothing if not standard musical fare, but it's not particularly layered or original. I wish there was a little something more here to sink my teeth into. I enjoyed a couple of bits, such as Amy Winslow (Andrea Bendewald, Suddenly Susan), a clear play on Ann Coulter. Should the series be picked up, I would encourage more social and political commentary. The characters just aren't that interesting by themselves, at least not as they are presented in the "Pilot."

I do wonder if some of the flat elements are on purpose. These young people embody a generation that flits from here to there, rarely keeping attention on one thing for long. This manner is present in the tone of the show. In fact, given the lack of depth, viewers may be inclined just to 'browse' Browsers, making the title quite appropriate.

The Browsers "Pilot" is available now on Amazon.com.

The Good Wife takes the 'Long Way Home'

In last night's installment of CBS's The Good Wife, "Long Way Home," Alicia (Julianna Margulies) must once again represent Colin Sweeney (Dylan Baker), this time as he faces the outcome of a sexual harassment suit. Unfortunately, Colin is keeping her guessing as to whether he is committing perjury or not, making her job more difficult. And, of course, she has plenty else going on, too, learning that she will soon need to find a new place to live, and also having difficulty with her mentee, Caitlin (Anna Camp).

Baker's Sweeney is always a pleasure. He's a manipulative, borderline psychotic troublemaker, so it's not like he's a nice character. But Baker plays hm with such talent and grace, constantly keeping viewers guessing what Sweeney's real motivations are. It's a prime part for the actor, and one that he excels at. "Long Way Home" is no exception to that recurring performance.

In "Long Way Home," Sweeney is trying to wrest control of his company back from his rival. This power play is interrupted when a young woman named Isobel (Morena Baccarin, V, Homeland, Firefly) steps forward with a child that she says is Sweeney's, and accuses him of improper conduct. He denies it all. The rush for Alicia, Caitlin, and the firm is on to prove that Sweeney's competition is behind the stunt. Except, Sweeney begins lying under oath. Then so does Isobel, to the dismay of her own attorney, Victoria Adler (Kate Burton). And then Sweeney and Isobel come to an amiable agreement, raising the child, who is, indeed, his, together. What's going on?

Well, it's pretty clear that Sweeney has once more gamed the system. If a connection between Isobel and Sweeney's foe can be established, which is what appears to happen during the machinations, then Judge Friend (Bebe Neuwirth, Cheers) must rule in Sweeney's favor, removing the competition from the game. So there is plenty of motivation for Sweeney here to stage such a connection for his own benefit. Add to that, Isobel is a softcore porn actress, meaning, she can fake things decently, and how comfortable Sweeney is with his son, it looks like Sweeney used Lockhart / Gardner all over again.

Which is fine. After all, Lockhart / Gardner gets a big payday. Being oblivious to Sweeney's plans, they are not culpable in the illegal activities. And other than a suspicion, the lawyers can prove nothing. Nor do they have any desire to do so, as it would simply lose them money and get them into trouble. Not to mention, if they turn on him, Sweeney would go to someone else next time, costing them even more. And with a devious, intelligent mind like his, there is sure to be a next time.

All told, "Long Way Home" is a fantastic return for one of The Good Wife's best recurring characters.

Too bad Caitlin won't stick around to enjoy the spoils of the victory. She chooses to give up the legal life to be a stay-at-home mom, a decision that baffles Alicia, perhaps because Alicia sort of regrets having done so herself. Alicia tries to convince Caitlin to stay, to no avail. It might be a good thing for Alicia that Caitlin is leaving, considering a rivalry seems to be building between them. But The Good Wife fans will definitely miss Camp's terrific presence.

Hopefully Caitlin's uncle, David Lee (Zach Grenier), won't continue to blame Alicia for running Caitlin off, as he begins to this week, as it is very clear that Alicia has nothing to do with the resignation.

Adding to the office chaos, Will (Josh Charles) is treading carefully, now that he's back at work. He still cannot have any involvement in the legal proceedings of the firm, and Lionel Deerfield (Edward Herrmann, Gilmore Girls, The Practice) is on hand to make sure that Will doesn't cross a line. Will's return calms the power vacuum, but will he be able to keep his nose clean for six whole months, resisting the career that is his calling?

In "Long Way Home," Alicia learns that she must find somewhere else to live, as her rental unit will soon be sold. She can't really afford to buy the place herself. Peter (Chris Noth) suggests impropriety is afoot, in that they are not giving her enough notice. This is something Alicia may end up fighting in court, but she is still likely to have to move eventually, and so, not wasting any time, she begins looking.

One possibility is buying back her old house. Grace (Makenzie Vega) and Zach (Graham Phillips) are all for this plan, as it is back on the market, but Alicia isn't so enthusiastic. She claims it would be a financial hardship for her, which may be partially true. But then Alicia asks Diane (Christine Baranski) for a raise, so the money thing might not be an issue, long-term. No, there's more to it than that.

Alicia' visit to the house reveals a vulnerability, as she is overcome emotionally with memories of her time there. At first, those memories are happy, as she recalls her children. But when Peter's image is evoked, they turn upsetting. It may very well be that Alicia doesn't want to remember her marriage any more than she has to, now that it has fallen apart. This is reason enough not to return to the home. Alicia has moved on and built a new life for herself, and getting back her old dwelling is a step backwards, not forwards.

While no reconciliation seems imminent, Peter has his own troubles in "Long Way Home." He orders Cary (Matt Czuchry) to investigate reports that two co-workers had relations on Peter's office couch. When Cary comes forward with the guilty party, Peter fires them. But then Cary confesses his own indiscretion. Peter wants to slip it under the rug, but Cary tells him this is not possible, especially because others in the office know. What to do now?

Would Cary have come forward if Geneva (Renee Goldsberry, One Life to Live) hadn't pressured him to? It's hard to know. Geneva wasn't going to turn him in, so Cary could have escaped consequences, other than the damage to his reputation. But Cary is a stand up guy, and so one would like to think that he eventually would have confessed anyway. Cary understands that one must admit their mistakes and suffer the consequences, and that's what he does. Now he can move forward proudly, rather than hide this shame.

Peter has the tougher choice, and that's deciding what to do with Cary. Peter can't stand to loose his right-hand man, but neither can he let Cary continue on, unpunished. How much discipline is needed to satisfy the rest of the staff, but not damage Cary's standing too much? It's a fine balance, to be sure.


Next week's episode features the return of Tammy (Elizabeth Reaser), and so , like most installments, it's one not to miss! Catch The Good Wife Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! To buy The Good Wife DVDs, please click here. Article first published as TV Review: The Good Wife - "Long Way Home" on Blogcritics.