Keep Quiet About GAME OF SILENCE

Article first published as GAME OF SILENCE Review on Seat42F.

NBC’s latest drama, GAME OF SILENCE, is based on a Turkish show. Four best friends went through a traumatic experience in their childhood that changed everything for them. Now, as adults, they remain scarred by their experience, and at least one of them would like to do something about it. Are they getting in over their heads?

Honestly, I don’t like GAME OF SILENCE very much. The story is somewhat interesting and seems constructed well enough. They cast is fine. Events are over the top to the point where they don’t seem believable, but one could say the same about most television shows. Superficially, it seems like a good premise. So what is it that doesn’t sit right with me?

Well, for one, the characters are a little flat. The central protagonist is Jackson Brooks (David Lyons, Revolution), who has left the old neighborhood behind to become a lawyer. Everything is going right in his life before the others come back, engaged to an intelligent, beautiful woman (Claire van der Boom, Hawaii Five-O) and about to make partner, a very tired set up. Yet, while Jackson resists giving that up when his buddies ask for his help, he doesn’t exactly stay out of things. Why did he try so hard to leave in the first place if he wasn’t going to stay out?

There is a girl the group looked out for, Jessie (Bre Blair, Last Vegas), whom Jackson used to have a thing for. Now, Jessie is with someone else, but that feels false, too. It seems like TV programs always have to force a love triangle, and this one feels particularly strained, given who her current partner is. How many folks in real life break up with one person and then start dating their friend? It doesn’t seem such a common occurrence, and I struggle to comprehend why the characters in GAME OF SILENCE felt this would be OK. The formula is sometimes acceptable when the story justifies it enough or there are fitting distractions from it, but that is not the case this time.

The other players are even more underdeveloped, at least at the start. Jackson’s gang, which includes Gil (Michael Raymond-James, True Blood), Boots (Derek Phillips, Friday Night Lights), and Shawn (Larenz Tate, House of Lies), all appear to be one-note, despite the fact that they are all played by recognizable faces from quality shows. Viewers are shown what the guys want, but not why exactly, and while to some degree that is being saved for frequent flashbacks, more could easily be done to differentiate their personalities and motivations than is present.

GAME OF SILENCE feels a lot like a number of films and miniseries from the past few decades. Some kids got into trouble, and then it comes back to bite them. From It to Mystic River, the main premise has been done before at a higher quality level. Why make something that so obviously invites comparisons if it’s not going to stand up to the level of what’s come before it?

That’s probably my biggest problem with GAME OF SILENCE. It just doesn’t feel fresh and exciting. It’s almost like I’ve already seen it before, even though I know I haven’t. It relies far too much on the familiar and the cliché, rather than building a world that viewers can get lost in. With the steep competition on the airwaves today, it’s got to do better than this to stand out. I applaud NBC for making something that’s not just another crime drama, but am disappointed by the lack of creativity that went into something like this.

GAME OF SILENCE premieres Tuesday, April 12 at 10/9c on NBC.

"Love" LEGIT

Article first published as LEGIT Review Season 2 on Seat42F.

LEGIT’s second season begins on FXX this week with “Loveline.” It’s as much a continuation of the first year as it is a fresh tale. Jim (Jim Jefferies) appears on the radio show Loveline with Dr. Drew Pinsky (himself). During and after this appearance, past girlfriends haunt him, while Dr. Drew attempts to convince Jim that he has a sex addiction and should seek help.

I love that LEGIT goes this route of continuation, rather than starting over. It provides a cohesion and through-line between the two seasons, and even if you didn’t see the previous episodes, or your memory is a little fuzzy about them, there are still plenty of jokes that can be enjoyed with no background. It’s not the type of show to really do long arcs, but the inclusion of Peggy (Ginger Gonzaga) and Jenny (Bre Blair) are still able to hail back to the previous installments.

Even more of a connecting tissue is the movie that Jim got fired from after his highly inappropriate, but very funny, rape misunderstanding last season. The film is now in theaters, and it turns out to be very, very good, much to Jim’s dismay. This provides no end to the humor at Jim’s expense.

A theme of “Loveline” seems to be ‘poor Jim.’ The main character in LEGIT is likeable enough, but he also has his flaws. He can be selfish and self-absorbed. “Loveline” shows us a different side of him, the kind that unfairly suffers from circumstances often outside of his control. It makes him more sympathetic, and even when he looks a bit pathetic, you still root for him to do well, something that isn’t quite always the case in previous entries.

Of course, that’s not true of everything in the half hour. There is at least one scene in which Jim lies to get what he wants, something we’ve seen is part of his nature. But mostly, this premiere finds Jim more accessible and easy to get behind than before.

Even Jim’s sex addiction issues aren’t an indicator of Jim being bad. For one thing, we’re only told about the worst of his actions. What is shown is actually relatively tame. We know he’s screwed up, but I’m not even convinced that Jim needs help. He may just need to find the right person.

Playing it down could actually backfire. LEGET gets well-deserved credit for the handling of some sensitive issues, especially in the way it portrays people with disabilities, both physical and mental. If the sex addiction story is made light of too much, without any real consequences or development, then it could do disserve not only to that problem, but also the character of Jim.

What I like about LEGIT is that it features fully formed characters. Billy (DJ Qualls) is so much more than what one might expect at first glance, and Steve (Dan Bakkedahl) has plenty of problems and idiosyncrasies, too, his alcoholism brought up again in “Loveline.” Jim can be unfeeling at times, but the way he takes care of Steve and Billy as much as he does proves his humanity and compassion for fellow men. Yes, the show is a comedy and needs to keep being funny, but it could also make the sex addiction thing a season-long plot that shows us something new in Jim.

That aside, though, “Loveline” is absolutely just as hilarious as pretty much any installment of LEGIT so far. It’s an edgy, different show with a specific voice and perspective not often shown on TV. I greatly enjoy it, and this premiere is true to the established form. It definitely bodes well for the coming installments.

LEGIT premieres Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on FXX.