No Guilt About Skipping GUILT

Article first published as GUILT Review on Seat42.

A guilty pleasure show is, by definition, a show you feel bad about enjoying. Freeform is going for that category with the new drama series GUILT, premiering this week. Loosely inspired by the real-life Amanda Knox case of an American student abroad accused of murder, it weaves a complex web of many characters with various selfish drives and possible motives for murder. And it utterly fails to be good television, even in the guilty pleasure realm.

GUILT begins with Grace Atwood (Daisy Head, The Proxy), a coed, waking up next to a sexy French artist (Zachary Fall, Allies), only to find her roommate dead in the London flat below. If that sounds like a lot of nationalities, that’s because it is, just a small taste of how the show goes for flash over substance. It’s important that everyone and everything be beautiful and exotic to make the tale as fantastical and enticing as possible. Each scene brings more and more of these types of choices.

And that immediately gets to the crux of what GUILT does wrong. Rather than going for a slow burn drama that focuses on character development and the emotion of the situation, this show likes to throw out lots of tears, splashes of blood, and awkward expositional confessions that really aren’t necessary or warranted in the moment.

You might think those are just the elements of a good mystery, but GUILT isn’t that, either. It isn’t short on suspects nor clues, but so many of them are clearly false that it lacks authenticity. Whereas a real case like this might make it difficult to find the details of the situation, the police tasked with the job, led by DS Bruno (Cristian Solimeno, Rush), are beset by constant leads, few of them worth much. It’s a dizzying, fast-paced ride that doesn’t worry about authenticity or a strong foundation.

This is clear in looking at the rest of the cast, too. Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Anthony Head plays James Lahue, slimy stepfather to Grace, and an American despite Head being British (and Daisy’s real-life father). While I like Head in the right roles, this one just has him as a flat antagonist who serves little purpose. Billy Zane (Titanic) is equally bombastic as the lawyer James hires, introduced with a poorly animated squirrel and some too-loud moaning, Zane may be having fun as Stan, but it’s hardly fun to watch him.

The moaning is only the tip of the iceberg for the sexcapades present in the pilot. Yet, because GUILT is on the network formerly known as ABC Family, it stops short of showing anything really exciting. Viewers get lots of suggestions to kink or eroticism, but no payout of it. Given the pulp nature of the piece, sex might help it sell itself as something worth watching, even if only for the titillation factor. With the limitations placed upon it, though, it lacks anything novel or alluring enough to suck all but the least desensitized in. There are plenty of cable networks that go a lot further on a regular basis.

So what we’re left with is a light-weight piece that promises much and delivers little. It sacrifices any chance of serious consideration for some over-the-top dramatics and “surprise twists” that are neither. It’s the type of summer show that might appeal to a YA audience that didn’t know there were better options out there, but I wonder how much of one exists in the age of carrying the internet in our pockets. I just don’t see it as likely to catch on, and if it somehow miraculously does, it will only be among a niche audience.

GUILT premieres Monday, June 13th at 9/8c on Freeform.

COMMUNITY "Features" Character Development

Article first published as TV Review: 'Community' - "Advanced Safety Features" on Blogcritics.

In the latest installment of Yahoo! Screen’s Community, Britta’s ex-boyfriend from season three, Rick (Travis Schuldt), returns. This time, he’s working for Honda and is guerrilla marketing at Greendale. Britta (Gillian Jacobs) can’t help but fall for him all over again, but can they make their relationship work while serving Rick’s Honda overlords? Also, Jeff (Joel McHale) tries to win Elroy (Keith David) over.

“Advanced Safety Features,” the name of this episode, is a terrific look at Britta, highlighting her various sides. It doesn’t really reveal anything new about her; fans already know she is easily influenced, especially by handsome, charming men, and also that she attempts to be a rebel against corporate interests. But by letting these two sides of her go to war in her heart, Community profiles a character in a way that reignites interest in her and gives her much-deserved focus.

I wish Rick were able to give up his salesman instincts for Britta. As Community is likely starting to wind towards a conclusion, now halfway through the sixth season of what could very well end up being #SixSeasonsAndAMovie, she deserves a happy ending. But it wouldn’t be true to either Rick or Britta for them to give up their ideals, and Community has never been the type of show to let any of its leads have a healthy romantic life. Britta would be the exception, and I’m not sure that really works for the show.

Even Britta’s relationship with her parents (Martin Mull and Lesley Ann Warren), while healing, remains tenuous. When Britta takes Rick to meet them, things seem to be going well, the estrangement ended. But by the conclusion of “Advanced Safety Features,” Britta is frustrated with the pair once more, and they are still clueless as to the why, unable to fix it. All of the players in Community are developmentally arrested, and Britta does not escape that this week.

Speaking of arrested development, Jeff is desperate to have everyone like him. This isn’t news, either, but in Elroy, Jeff finally finds someone who doesn’t fall for his cool aloofness. Jeff goes to extreme measures in order to correct this while trying to make it look like he’s not doing anything, even booking Elroy’s favorite band for the school dance. None of that works, and Elroy remains unmoved.

“Advanced Safety Features” gives Jeff a clue as to how to accomplish his goal early in the hour, but Jeff misses it. After Elroy bonds with Annie (Alison Brie), Abed (Danny Pudi), and Chang (Ken Jeong), they observe that genuine human interaction is something the man responds to. Jeff does eventually show his vulnerable, true side to Elroy, not in a calculated move, but rather through a desperate eruption. Elroy immediately responds.

Jeff has gotten much more open over Community‘s run, sometimes by choice, and sometimes being forced to act real by his friends. One might think that by now Jeff would learn what works and what doesn’t. If he did, then he’d be fixed and able to operate normally in society. This series is about a bunch of misfits, so that won’t fly, at least not until the show comes to an end for good.

“Advanced Safety Features” has great character stuff, but is also charmingly quirky and funny. Jeff tricks Frankie (Paget Brewster) into learning to play steel drums. A song from earlier in the season comes back. A musician keeps complaining that everyone asks where the person in the name of the band is. The Dean (Jim Rash) fills his office with Honda stuff. Billy Zane (Titanic) plays Rick’s boss who ‘magically’ disappears. This is all great stuff that makes the episode feel full and sharp.

I give a ton of credit to Honda for their participation in “Advanced Safety Features.” I don’t know how much involvement they may have had in the production, but surely Community couldn’t release this episode without permission from the brand, and the way the product is portrayed isn’t always 100% favorable. Any company that has a sense of humor has my respect, so if you need good value and lots of leg room, check out the Honda Fit. I assume. I’ve never been in one.

New episodes of Community post every Tuesday on Yahoo! Screen.

PSYCH's "Breakup" With Us

Article first published as PSYCH's "Breakup" With Us on TheTVKing.

USA's Psych series finale, "The Breakup," is not what I was expecting at all, and yet feels completely perfect. This is a show that has its flaws, but also knows exactly what it is and satisfies both the characters and the viewers in its close. It keeps its story protected and gives the players about the happiest ending anyone could hope for.

A large part of the episode involves Shawn (James Roday) struggling to tell Gus (Dule Hill) that he's disbanding their detective agency and moving away to be with Juliet (Maggie Lawson). Shawn keeps talking to the camera, walking us through their final case together and all the times he almost manages to say the words, but can't. Then, two thirds of the way through the episode, we get the reveal - Shawn isn't talking to the viewers, he's making a goodbye DVD for Gus, and our "hero" slips away without confronting his best friend.

Shawn is emotionally stunted, but there are three people in his life he cares deeply for: his father, Henry (Corbin Bernsen), who will be fine if Shawn only visits sometimes, Juliet, the love of his life, and BFF Gus. Because Juliet takes a job in San Fransisco, Shawn is forced to make a choice: Gus or Juliet? It's an impossible task, but one can't stop romantic love, and so Shawn does what he has to do.

A lot of what Shawn says to Gus in the video makes sense. Maybe Shawn really has been holding Gus back, providing distractions from career and women and stopping Gus from reaching his potential. In Shawn's mind, he's actually doing right by Gus when he leaves, and one can understand that. In this way, Shawn's departure seems more like self-sacrifice than abandonment.

But Psych seeks to have it both ways. Gus, conflicted, and making a fool of himself with a woman one last time, decides to refuse "The Breakup" and moves to San Fran, too, so that he and Shawn can continue the life they've become accustomed to. Shawn gives Gus an out, and Gus says no, reaffirming their bond. That Gus doesn't make the decision lightly makes the outcome mean even more, Gus willing to sacrifice for Shawn, too. Their relationship, always the heart of the show, is served well.

This all culminates in an hilarious conversation over a dead body with Juliet and Vick (Kristen Nelson), a fine way to include the former and once again chief in the proceedings, and then Shawn and Gus's funny joint proposal to Juliet, which she gleefully accepts before her ring is stolen. This gets a little whacky and unrealistic, but only in the way Psych always has been. Things have changed a bit, Shawn has matured, but they've also stayed the same, the characters continuing what we've seen long after they leave our televisions.

There are many elements throughout the episode that also serve the plot well. Shawn finally calls his dad for help. The last murder case initially draws parallels to the ceasing of Gus and Shawn's partnership with their suspect (Billy Zane,  Back to the Future) having lost his childhood bestie. gus gets to work for Bud from The Cosby Show (Deon Richmond). New lead detective Brannigan (Mira Sorvino, Mimic) proves the department will be fine without our twosome. Woody (Kurt Fuller) has some nice bits, and Buzz (Sage Brocklebank) finally becomes a detective. We finally meet the oft-mentioned Dobson during the montage of Shawn's left-behind DVDs, and it's frequently referenced actor Val Kilmer (Top Gun, Batman Forever)! These are all excellent pay offs.

Psych would not be what it is without its resident stick in the mud, Carlton Lassiter (Timothy Omundson). Lassie has grown a lot, becoming a fine chief in Santa Barbara, now having a family. He's left without the rest of the cast, but in an awesome place. He also gets his own farewell from Shawn.

Shawn decides to confess that he's not a psychic to Lassiter in his DVD, but Lassie breaks the disc before Shawn can say it. It may be because Lassie would have to arrest Shawn for fraud if he heard the words, and Lassie has come to like Shawn. I think the policeman values the chaos Shawn brings into his life, helping to hone his skills and raise his game. They have a hug earlier, one Lassiter wants, as Lassie, brilliant detective that he is, knows that Shawn is leaving before Shawn says anything. This same skill set also implies that Lassiter already knew the truth about Shawn and chose to ignore it, cementing his likeability even more.

There's a comfort in knowing that Psych goes on, even if it's not being filmed. Some shows need closure and a finite ending; this one does not. Psych is more about laughter than tears, and it finds a way to bring that through. My complaints about the show have been that it's too light and too procedural, and yet those same elements are used to great effect in this last episode, only possible because the writers have been committed to them all along. It's the perfect, fitting end.

Thank you to the cast and crew of Psych for an entertaining eight years. I won't say it wasn't time to go, but you will absolutely be missed, and if you ever go for a continuation or comeback, count me in.

The Deep End fits well in ABC's Thursday

    The Deep End has been placed on ABC Thursdays nights just before Grey's Anatomy, and this is the perfect spot for it.  It resembles the other show in many ways.  It stars five attractive, young people at the bottom of the rung on a law firm, and the cast is peppered with older, established potential mentors at different tiers in the same law firm.  It's the legal version of Grey's, and the music, tone, and sensibilities are also incredibly similar.  Does that mean that this show is more of the same?  Not exactly.  It's a formula that works, with a different take.  As long as it is done correctly, and it appears from the pilot that it has been, then it should do all right, though critics aren't too impressed.  The question is, will audiences embrace it?  Based on ABC's track record, they should.

     The two young women joining the firm are Addy (Tina Majorino, Veronica Mars, Big Love, Napoleon Dynamite) and Beth (Leah Pipes).  The guys are Liam (Ben Lawson, Neighbours), Malcolm (Mehcad Brooks, True Blood, Desperate Housewives), and Dylan (Matt Long, Jack & Bobby).  Liam and Beth have already slept together, so the requisite sexual tension is already starting among the group.  Four of them already demonstrated a fun dynamic, though Malcolm showed up late in the pilot, and hasn't yet had much interaction.  They are different enough to keep the show interesting, but have enough similarities to mostly gel as a group.  They are all recently hired out of law school, the most promising candidates picked from a pool of thousands.  They will clearly be the heart and soul of the show, and the focus of the series.

     Elsewhere in the firm, Cliff a.k.a. The Prince of Darkness (Billy Zane, Samantha Who?, Titanic) has been running the place for three years, while sometimes clashing with fellow employee, and his spouse, Susan (Nicole Ari Parker, Soul Food).  However, now the old boss, Hart (Clancy Brown, Carnivale, SpongeBob SquarePants) is back, and the two have to find a way to work together.  The new recruit's marginally effective mentor is Rowdy (Norbert Leo Butz).  Each have their own concerns, but will also have to help out, or torture until they turn out right, the rookies.

     The Deep End will run Thursdays at 8pm on ABC.