The Possibilities are LIMITLESS, But the Reality Isn't

Article originally published as LIMITLESS Review on Seat42F.

There are a lot of shows right now popping up to offer continuations of past shows or movies. My review of the disappointing Minority Report posted earlier this week, and now I tackle LIMITLESS, a sequel to the 2011 film of the same name, which starred Bradley Cooper. The show LIMITLESS picks up a few years later with a new young man who finds the NZT drug that allows you access to all of your brain, and other than that, progresses in roughly the same way the big version did.

LIMITLESS stars the excellent Jake McDorman (Greek, Shameless, Live Free or Die Hard) as Brian Sinclair. A failed musician, he receives a pill from his former bandmate and is suddenly able to help his ill father (Ron Rifkin, Alias). The problem is, when Brian goes to find more, he gets pulled into a murder investigation and an illegal drug ring, which soon finds him on the run from the law and worse.

I enjoyed the pilot of LIMITLESS. It does repeat the plot of the movie a tad bit more than I’d like, but it offers a more sympathetic hero than the film; Brian wants to help others, not himself, and it takes us back into the conspiracy presented. Adding Brian’s family as a major element makes the show more than a crime drama, and the really cool return of Eddie Morra (Cooper reprising his role) works in seamlessly for a nice set up.

What I’m concerned about is that LIMITLESS, instead of exploring this deep, rich tapestry, will confine itself to tracking down one lead every week, Brian working with the FBI agents to do so. The reason I think this is the direction that the show will take is because, a.) LIMITLESS airs on CBS, home of the crime procedural, and b.) all of the main characters, save Brian himself, are FBI agents. His terrific family are merely guest stars, and not likely to be the focus of most future installments.

Now, the ensemble assembled is not one to complain about. Brian’s ‘partner,’ Rebecca, is played by Dexter’s Jennifer Carpenter. Along with Hill Harper’s (Covert Affairs) Boyle, she works for Nasreen Awad (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Grimm). These are enjoyable enough actors, and are interesting to watch in the initial installment.

It’s just, how many of these carbon copy shows do we need? I just wrote a review wherein I laid out the premise of a quirky oddball with a special skill who inexplicably is allowed to work cases with the authorities. And that description applies to what feels like half of the scripted dramas on the broadcast networks right now. Do CBS, NBC, and the rest feel like this is a good recipe for long-term success? Because it’s not. A few of these will pop and provide short-term gains, but none will see a long shelf life, nor find passionate fans binge watching for years to come.

LIMITLESS is counting on the movie ‘prequel’ to bring in an existing audience, potentially giving it an edge over a completely original show since there will already be fans out there before the pilot even makes it on air. But if that premise is just going to be contorted into a clone of other works, why is it necessary? And will that audience stick around for very occasional cameos from Cooper? I am inclined to think not, though I could be wrong.

I really wish CBS would get itself on track and make more quality content, like The Good Wife. But it seems like the network is content to help drive the nails into its own coffin, while cable and streaming platforms like AMC and Netflix continue to kick their butt in creativity. Oh, well. CBS has had a good run. Everything must end. LIMITLESS will probably help them reach that finish line.

LIMITLESS premieres September 22^nd on CBS, and CBS All-Access subscribers can watch the pilot online now.

Be Sure to Attend WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER: FIRST DAY OF CAMP

Article first published as WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER: FIRST DAY OF CAMP Review on Seat42F.

I love that we live in the modern age where television can be done in many different models, not just the strict, twenty-some episodes per year for an indeterminate number of years commitment. If things had not been shifting as they are, we would never get a gem like WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER: FIRST DAY OF CAMP (premiering this week on Netflix) due to actor availability alone. Just look at the cast list, which includes Janeane Garofalo, Jason Schwartzman, Paul Rudd, Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Christopher Meloni, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, H. Jon Benjamin, John Slattery, Josh Charles, and many more. It would not have been possible to get them all together in a longer-format series.

WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER: FIRST DAY OF CAMP is actually a prequel to the 2001 film, Wet Hot American Summer. Whereas the movie covers the last day of the year at Camp Firewood, the eight-episode series is set eight weeks earlier, to the first day of the season. Practically all of the adult actors from the original, both major and minor characters, reprise their roles, with a new batch of kids tossed in, and a ton of guest stars who are often as famous, if not more so, than the central cast.

The question might occur to you, as it did me, is this necessary? The movie is terrific; I just re-watched it last night and laughed frequently. But it’s also irreverent, with a loose plot and relatively under-developed characters. It succeeds because of the jokes and the performances, not because of its depth.

Well, if the new version were an exact copy, I’m not sure it would work. Sure, we could enjoy a goofy sitcom over a longer period of time, but it would certainly get tiring if binge watching, as many Netflix subscribers prefer to digest their shows. Instead, WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER: FIRST DAY OF CAMP builds a much more complex story (i.e. can of vegetables), interweaving a number of running subplots, intriguing mysteries, and origin stories fans may not have known they even wanted.

Lest you worry that will take away from the style of humor that worked for Wet Hot American Summer, it does not. The silly gags are still present, Arty (recast) still the radio station, and the characters are the same as they ever were. They just have a little more to do, and what they do sometimes (but not always) has a little more importance. Continuity remains intact, as much as it ever was.

Given the short bits this four-hour comedy is broken up into, not everyone can show up right away. Most of the biggest stars are back in episodes one and two, with a lot of the smaller ones joining in episode three. The original ensemble is supplemented mostly by cast members from writer David Wain’s other TV show, Childrens Hospital (which also has Wet Hot American Summer stars), and Mad Men alum, along with Wain himself, so it takes even longer to get around to everyone.

Yet, it doesn’t feel crowded. Sure, Michael Ian Black, for one, doesn’t have a lot to do in the first few installments, but I’m optimistic that will change as the season goes on. Like the movie, WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER: FIRST DAY OF CAMP jumps around a lot, and that allows for lots of subplots.

Most importantly, though, it just feels like the magic is back. True, the actors don’t pass for sixteen-year-olds, but they didn’t in 2001, either, and the only adds to the conceit. I was enjoying the show so much, I couldn’t stop to write this after one or two episodes, and barely tore myself away after the third. As someone who loves the film, I think this iteration adds to, not takes away from, the work. I hope we eventually get to see even more of this terrific summer of 1981.

WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER: FIRST DAY OF CAMP was released last Friday on Netflix.

Saturday Night Lives has Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga end season on high note

     NBC's Saturday Night Live ends its 36th season by bringing back frequent and popular guest Justin Timberlake as the host, and Lady Gaga as the musical guest. The monologue begins with Timberlake singing about how he's not going to sing tonight, which proves to be extremely untrue over and over again. The episode is full of recurring sketches, including a revisit of The Barry Gibb Talk Show with SNL alum Jimmy Fallon, a new "Secret Password," Timberlake singing in a cheesy costume, a broken amusement park ride with creepy robots, Herb Welch, and the third in a series of digital shorts that Timberlake and Andy Samberg perform. Lady Gaga also appears in several sketches, as well as doing her customary two musical numbers.

     This is arguably the best episode of season 36. While the opening sketch with disgraced IMF chair Dominique Strauss-Kahn in a prison cell with two hardened-looking criminals talking economics before they rape him is only mildly amusing, as soon as Timberlake appears, almost every segment is strong. Besides the opening, the weak points are "Secret Password" and Herb Welch, which are both done to death, and are virtually always the same thing. It is time to retire them.

     Perhaps the most anticipated sketch is the Digital Short. Timberlake and Samberg delight with "Dick in a Box" and "Mother Lover," playing the same characters. Their newest begins with the duo leaving their moms' houses, which means brief cameos for Susan Sarandon and Patricia Clarkson, who appear in "Mother Lover." They are then both called to a girl's house to have a threesome. In "Threesome," Gaga proves she has real comic chops as she prepositions the boys, who have sex with and without her. The lyrics are hysterical, and the hapless, sleazy characters that Samberg and Timberlake play for the third time are good for many more laughs.

     Lady Gaga dresses as a bottle of wine in a sketch where Timberlake, as a bottle of beer, faces off with Kristen Wiig, as a teabag who inadvertently says dirty things, as they battle for control of the crowd passing by. All three get to sing parodies as they try to lure the public to sample their beverages. While this is something done before, enough changes that it still feel fresh.

     The third sketch to include Gaga is a game show called "What's That Name?" In it, Timberlake is revealed to not know the names of girls he sleeps with or former N*SYNC band mates, while Gaga remembers small details about fans she meets only briefly. Timberlake shows a real willingness to poke fun at himself, while Gaga plays off of her reputation as caring Mother Monster. Because they are both playing versions of themselves, this sketch has a meta level, and shows they both have senses of humor.

     Weekend Update, which is always funny, no matter how lame the show gets, brings back "Really!?!" with a solo Seth Meyers. It doesn't work quite as well as when he does it with Amy Poehler, but "Realy!?!" is very funny, and it's nice to see it's not dead. Also in Update, Samberg plays Nicholas Cage berating Bradley Cooper (the real one) about why Cage is not in The Hangover Part II. Cooper is a good sport in the unexpected cameo. Finally, Update ends with Seth leaving to go on vacation with Stefan (Bill Hader), a character that gets more amusing each time he appears. It is a fitting end to the season.

     All in all, SNL goes out with some very funny material, talented guests, and wonderful music-based sketches. If only this quality can be maintained next year, the series will be back on top in no time. Saturday Night Live will return this fall to NBC.

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Article first published as TV Review: Saturday Night Live - "Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga" on Blogcritics.