Not So PURE GENIUS

Article first published as PURE GENIUS Review on Seat42F.

CBS’s latest drama shows us an idealized world. In PURE GENIUS, a very rich techie creates a hospital with the goal of allowing true, immediate innovation for the doctors who work for him. Or rather, with him, since while he is technically the boss, he strives to create an environment where everyone, from the CEO to the janitor, is on an even playing field and gets a chance to contribute. Will his experiment work? Or will it run up against harsh reality?

For ease of access, the pilot begins with the head of this organization, James Bell (Augustus Prew, The Village), inviting the well-respected, but beaten down, Dr. Walter Wallace (Dermot Mulroney, Shameless, My Best Friend’s Wedding), to come check out the facility. Touring, Dr. Wallace (and the audience) meets the young doc who struggles to be taken seriously, Zoe Brockett (Odette Annable, House), the physician fighting prejudice to help the ‘hood he hails from, Malik Verlaine (Aaron Jennings, Movie 43), the put-upon assistant, Angie Cheng (Brenda Song, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody), and more (Royal Pains’ Reshma Shetty and One Life to Live’s Ward Horton). So we have our diverse ensemble.

I am very torn on whether to give PURE GENIUS a positive or a negative review. This show has things going in its favor, and things working against it. So let’s break it down.

First, the good stuff. The series is enticing. It’s easy to get very excited about the concept, stymied as people are today by regulation, bureaucracy, and budgets. The hospital as presented here is a utopia for its staff, who have been given much freedom and lots of resources to work with, and a beacon of hope for patients. Find something experimental on the internet that no one is making yet? No problem, they’ll just acquire the company and have them work for them.

The stories are moving. Who doesn’t love a bunch of do-gooders devoting their lives to helping others? These people are self-sacrificing, brilliant professionals who, if they were real, could save all of our lives multiple times over before lunch. They celebrate their wins, and mourn their losses. On a show like this, there will be a lot more of the former than the latter, providing frequent emotional victories for both the characters and the viewers. It’s enjoyable, feel-good entertainment.

Now the stuff that’s not so good, starting with the previous positive point. It is emotionally manipulative. Sure, it pushes you to care for those on screen, but it’s often forced, calculated even. A team of number crunchers writing a script purely based on analytics of reaction could not have done a better job crafting a show to push all the right buttons at the right times. It’s too perfect in that regard, obvious in its attempts to elicit response.

PURE GENIUS is also incredibly cliché. From finding out why Bell really created the place, to the way in which patients are helped, to the forced temporary setbacks, it’s a very rote, predictable show. It does a decent-ish job of disguising its case-of-the-week structure with flash, and yet, those versed in modern television will recognize it right away. I wouldn’t expect much freshness out of PURE GENIUS, and we probably won’t get it.

So it’s hard for me to recommend or not recommend this one. I enjoyed the first episode, and am tempted to watch more. But I probably won’t because, in the era of peak TV, there are plenty of better shows out there. I can’t fault anyone who wants to watch this series, though, because I do feel the draw of it. Let’s call it a wash and say if you like medical procedurals, this is a fun one with a nice take, though it’s a bit repetitive in its formula.

PURE GENIUS premieres Thursday, October 29 at 10/9c on CBS.

Emotional Disconnect From DADS

Article first published as DADS Review on Seat42F.

FOX’s DADS seems to be a recipe for success. Take two very talented young, but experienced, actors, mix them with a couple of screen veterans, toss in some wonderful supporting cast members, and have Seth MacFarlane and a couple of his Family Guy pals turn it into a father-son sitcom. It’s a no brainer, right?

Well, unfortunately, not so much. At least in the “Pilot,” none of the jokes land and the story feels predictable and stale. Familiar situations are milked dry, and performances are wasted on paces that an amateur could walk through. The result is not at all pleasing, and not likely to be long-lived.

The two central characters are Eli (Seth Green, Robot Chicken, Austin Powers) and Warner (Giovanni Ribisi, Ted, Friends), long-time best friends that run a video game company together. This is a young, hip profession that should appeal to the prized young, hip, male demographic, one would think. After all, what’s better than hanging out with your buddy playing games all day? Add to that a hot Asian assistant named Veronica (Brenda Song, The Suite Life, The Social Network), whom the boys get to dress up as a Japanese school girl to impress Chinese investors, and it’s an adolescent’s dream.

First, just to get this out of the way, the controversy over Veronica’s outfit is a non-one. She is presented as a strong, assertive woman who is working to get ahead, and will definitely be rewarded for her devotion to the team, or else. The costume is a visual gag, no more, and does not demean her in any serious fashion.

But, neither is the business environment a solid concept. For one, little time is spent focusing on the work, so their company could produce anything and the premise would be the same. If DADS is going to go to the trouble of creating the fun environment, then they should be using it. Also, Veronica seems to wear the pants in the office, so the guys don’t even appear to be in charge. It’s all a waste.

Warner is currently struggling with his father, Crawford (Martin Mull, Clue, Arrested Development), moving in with him. Warner’s wife, Camilla (Vanessa Lachey), and two children don’t appreciate the inconsiderate intrusion, but Warner can’t bring himself to confront Crawford about anything. Things get worse when Crawford, ever the “entrepreneur, ruins a business deal.

The problem isn’t the avoidance of any type of confrontation, as that is a reasonable, interesting dynamic, but rather that Crawford could possibly be so horrible and still be loved by his son or viewers. Mull is a gifted actor, but struggles to make the character the least bit sympathetic. He hams it up for a laugh, including in a scene with the other dad, who we’ll get to in a minute, but it makes the emotional stuff seem thin. It just doesn’t work.

Also, Camilla is a one-note stereotype and the kids are completely unseen, despite a party scene at Warner’s house. Again, an opportunity to flesh out the world is traded for set dressing.

Single, care-free, man-whore Eli is judgmental about Warner’s situation until his own father, David (Peter Riegert, Damages Animal House), blows into town and ruins Eli’s life. Eli and David have the opposite relationship of Warner and Crawford, frequently yelling and acting out. Again, this is played to the extreme in such a way that it’s hard to care about the pair.

The best work of the entire half hour is done by Green, who does overdo it with the physical pantomiming, but shows a soft side when finding out about David’s bad luck. It’s at least a relatable performance amid the more cartoonish ones. But it just doesn’t cut it in any otherwise boring installment.

The problem is, by and large, than instead of concentrating on what makes these four men tick and how they relate to one another, the writers try to deliver bit after bit. That may work for an animated series like Family Guy, but does not for a live action show, unless it’s the caliber of Childrens Hospital, which this is not. Things that are supposed to be funny, such as a fighting-over-a-check scene and a portrait in Eli’s apartment, are definitely not. Sadly, DADS is not on my list of recommended new series this fall.

I must mention that DADS puts Tonita Castro back to work, as she deserves to be, but sadly, it likely will be a quicker gig than she had on Go On.

DADS premieres Tuesday, September 17^th at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.