Web Therapy has no trouble getting it up

Showtime's Web Therapy, which mysteriously moved to Sundays a couple of weeks ago, ended its sophomore run last night with a delightful installment entitled "Electile Dysfunction." Robin (Julie Claire), to get even with a rude Fiona (Lisa Kudrow), released the sneakily recorded sex tapes featuring Kip (Victor Garber) and Ben (Michael McDonald). The result is that Kip is forced to drop out of the race. This is fine with Fiona, who is ready to be done with politics and her gay husband so that she can fly away with Austen (Alan Cumming). Unfortunately, there is a snag in that plan, too.

I want to say poor Fiona, as she is the protagonist of the show, and her luck seems to be bad, but I can't. Kudrow makes the character so detestable that, every time there might be an inkling of sympathy for her, it's quickly quelled. This isn't a complaint, but rather an observation about the way the lead is built. Her husband is gay. That sucks. No wonder she is uptight and repressed. But then Fiona sends her possibly dangerous stalker (David Schwimmer, Friends) after her own sister (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Does she have zero moral compass?

Many great modern television series are built on the antihero, but almost none of those are comedies. That makes what Web Therapy is doing so original and genius. If one if watching a dark drama and the main character is a baddie, that's one thing. When one is laughing at the antics of the principal person, who then takes things way too far, it's hard to keep laughing. Somehow, this show manages to make the cruel funny, and therein lies its brilliance.

Besides all of the actors mentioned above, the cast is stuffed with familiar faces like Victor Garber, Lily Tomlin, Rashida Jones, Molly Shannon, Minnie Driver, Selma Blair, Rosie O'Donnell, Conan O'Brien (as a douche-y version of himself), and even Meryl Streep. What would attract such an elite group of performers to the small screen? When is the last time Streep guest starred in any television show, other than an award-winning miniseries (Angels in America) or a couple of quick voice cameos (The Simpsons, King of the Hill) in the '90s?

But it's not just those the audience already knows that sell the work. Web Therapy boasts a wonderful supporting cast which includes Dan Bucatinsky, Jennifer Elise Cox, and Tim Bagley. They may not may as instantly recognizable, but they're every bit as good as the more famous people, which is necessary to make the show gel together the way it does.

Season one of Web Therapy ended with Fiona being selfish (unlike the actress playing her, who allows everyone a chance to shine), giving up the chance at love with Austen to stand by Kip, hoping that would bring her status and political acumen. Is Austen's betrayal with Gina (Cox) payback? Would it have happened anyway? It's hard to say, but given the way that Fiona treats Austen, it's hard to believe their union would have been a happy one.

As much as Fiona stops in a dark place, the rest of the characters are looking pretty good. Gina has a great new job and is being pampered, Kip and Ben are happily off cavorting somewhere, and Fiona's mother, Putsy (Tomlin), has launched the competing Net Therapy, stealing Fiona's formerly loyal assistant, Jerome (Bucatinsky), away, paying him a more fair salary. So it's not a bad ending, since these are all better human beings who deserve good things more than Fiona. Let's see how Fiona can wreck their happiness next.

Web Therapy has not yet been renewed for a third season, but if there is justice for good TV, it will be. And if not, season two provides some nice closure.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my website, JeromeWetzel.com! First posted on TheTVKing

Conan - TBS Premiere

     Last night, after spending the better part of a year "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television" (as was the name of his comedy tour), Conan O'Brien returned to TV; still sporting his time-off beard. His new show — airing on TBS — is called Conan, which, according to the host, was to make it harder for him to be replaced. In fact, there were a number of jokes told last night about his brief run as host of The Tonight Show, and made at NBC's expense.

     Ironically — as Conan did not want to do The Tonight Show at midnight, hence his departure from NBC — Conan's 11pm timeslot means that TBS's other late night show, Lopez Tonight, was bumped from 11pm to midnight. However, George Lopez has been warm towards Conan since the announcement of the new show, and seems to harbor no ill feelings. In fact, having the more famous Conan as an opener will likely help Lopez's ratings.

     Everything that fans love about Conan has come back with him. NBC allowed him to take his characters, and so the Masturbating Bear made an appearance in last night's premiere. Andy Richter has returned as sidekick, and most of the show's creative team has moved over from NBC with the host. The glaring exception is the departure of long-time bandleader Max Weinberg, who has been replaced by Jimmy Vivino. Max has recently suffered health problems, and his family stayed in New Jersey when Conan's crew moved to California. The band is now known as The Basic Cable Band, or BCB on certain logos.

     Long-time fans of Conan should have few complaints. The new series sticks to the brand of humor viewers are familiar with; TBS even allows Conan to push the envelope a little further in terms of content than network television. It's a comfortable gig that will hopefully last a long time. It should be helped along by the flight of many television viewers from network into cable.

     Last night's premiere featured guests Seth Rogen and Lea Michele (Glee), as well as Jack White, whom Conan sang with. There were also cameos by Ricky Gervais and Don Draper (the Mad Men character portrayed by Jon Hamm).

     Conan airs Monday through Thursdays on TBS at 11pm.


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Article first published as TV Review: Conan - TBS Premiere on Blogcritics.

Ellen, Team Coco head to TBS

     Sunday night TBS had a special lineup.  First was Ellen's Somewhat Special Special, followed by Team Coco Presents Conan's Writers Live Hosted By Andy Richter.  Each special was an hour.  Honestly, I watched Andy Richter's opening monologue, which was only very mildly amusing, and then I watched the first writer, who didn't once make me actually smile.  Then I immediately deleted the special.  Perhaps the other writers were better?  It makes one wonder, though.  Conan is hilarious.  He was hilarious even when his writer's were on strike.  Does that mean he's funnier than the writers he hires to support him?  Or maybe he just has better delivery.  He didn't appear himself, as he is still legally prohibited from being funny on television, as per his contract severance agreement with NBC, but he will return to the late night game on TBS this fall.

     Ellen, though, was superb.  In her fourth variety special for TBS, she knocked it out of the park.  The performers themselves were hit (the costume changers, the magician) and miss (the guy swirling on that pole), but Ellen herself was more than enough reason to watch.  She delivered a bit of stand up, and at the end took questions from the audience, some of them very emotionally moving, even if she tossed her trademark humor into the answers as well (example: she couldn't live without Portia, her wife and the car).  My favorite part was the video of her playing with the kids at the science center.  Although she pretended to be annoyed by the youngsters, and often drank 'martinis', as well as helped them rob a gift shop, it all came across as very good-natured, and it seemed like she and the kids were having a lot of fun.  Ellen proves you can be funny and nice at the same time.  America, here is your new sweetheart.  Not that she's new, but she is suddenly all over the place, and handling it quite well.

     Team Coco was a bunch of short stand up segments, much as Comedy Central does all the time.  Perhaps that's why it didn't seem as fresh.  Variety shows, once a television staple, and so rarely seen any more.  They occasionally pop up during the summer, and usually fail pretty spectacularly.  How does Ellen, herself so unlike the old stars who used to host them, pull it off so well?  I think it's combination personality, likability, and getting good acts.  She had Nick Cannon do the DJing, and both her and Nick looked genuinely amazed when the camera cut to them watching the performers.  She draws the audience in because she is so genuine, so relatable.  I look forward to her fifth, should TBS be smart enough to order it.  The 4th was more than somewhat special.

NBC comes back full force post-Olympics

     With NBC's coverage of the Olympics over, it's time for the network to try to maintain some of the massive audience they have recently enjoyed.  The fourth place network struggles mightily in the ratings, though of course, the games, which they insist they way overpaid for and actually lost money on, gave them some relief.  This week, however, their normal slate of shows is back, and it's time to see how they do.
     The biggest story is that Jay Leno has returned to The Tonight Show, as of last night.  I, like most other people, didn't tune in.  The man is just not funny.  However, that frees up NBC's 10pm hour five nights a week, which was previously filled by the failed prime time Leno show.  What does that mean for viewers?  Well, last night it meant a two hour jumbo edition of Law & Order.  Law & Order: Special Victims Unit gets the same treatment on Wednesday, and then Dateline NBC takes two hours on Friday.  Thursday night features a one hour version of the new show from Jerry Seinfeld, The Marriage Ref, which aired a half hour this past Sunday.  And then tonight is the most interesting way to use the time, the premiere of the new hour dramedy, Parenthood, based on the 1989 movie of the same name.  But more on that tomorrow, after I get a chance to review the pilot.
     If, like me, you aren't impressed by extra hour of crime shows and the newest cheesy reality show, NBC actually does boast a few good series.  Among the best are Thursday night's sitcoms, excluding Community, of course.  The Office is during a full hour this week as Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) finally have their baby!  It's been a long time coming, and should, as usual, prove to be funny.  The Office has some of the best online content, including webisodes, and Pam currently has a baby blog on the web site.  This does mean, sadly, that 30 Rock will not air this week, but Parks and Recreation promises to be funny, as Ron (Nick Offerman) wins 'Woman of the Year'.  No, that is not a misprint.
     Lastly, NBC will also begin a new celebrity biography series this Friday called Who Do You Think You Are.  The first hour looks at Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker.

It's official: Conan is done with NBC

     It's a done deal.  Multiple news sites (like this one, this one, and even this one!) have reported that Conan O'Brien has accepted a $45 million severance package to leave NBC for good.  It had been reported that the major obstacle left to be worked out concerned what would happen to Conan's staff.  Under the final deal, Conan will take $33 million, and the rest will be split among his roughly 200 employees.

     Something else that needed to be negotiated was how long Conan needed to stay off the air waves after leaving NBC.  While he was still supposed to be under contract to the network for some time, this current deal will allow him to return to television as early as September 1st of this year, assuming someone else hires him.  ABC doesn't seem to be much interested, and Fox, which was willing to pay a heck of a lot a few short years ago, is playing coy.  Comedy Central is said to be a possibility, but how he would fit in with the very popular Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert remains to be seen.

     Conan will air his final episode as host of The Tonight Show tomorrow night, and will feature guests Tom Hanks and Will Ferrell.  You may remember that Farrell was on his first show, way back last June.  NBC will air reruns of the show next week, which had previously been scheduled, but there is no word yet on what will do during the last two weeks before the Olympics, during which Conan was supposed to film new episodes, but will now not.  NBC wasted no time in confirming that after the Olympics are over, Jay Leno will resume his previous job as host of The Tonight Show in it's customary time slot.  While Leno had better ratings than Conan ever achieved, popular support in the current fight has been mostly behind the Irish red head.

      The Tonight Show, no matter who is hosting, airs on NBC at 11:35pm Monday through Friday.

Doh! 20 Years of The Simpsons

     Can you believe that Matt Groenig's The Simpsons has been on Fox for twenty years?  The longest running primetime show on television, it started as a short on The Tracey Ullman Show, and became a cultural phenomenon.  I was six when the show premiered, and was not allowed to watch it for many years.  However, I, of course, did become a fan awhile ago, and though some people think the show has lost its freshness, it still consistently delivers the funny.

     The anniversary kicked off last night with an episode featuring Krusty the Clown.  It wasn't anything special, but fairly good, as most episodes are.  Krusty was forced to share his show with a young woman dressed as a princess (voiced by Anne Hathaway).  The two fell in love, and it was a sweet story, ending with them together.  Meanwhile, Homer and his friends were wooed by another power plant after Mr. Burns dropped the daily doughnuts in the break room.  The episode was not earth shattering, but provided a few chuckles, which after twenty years, is pretty good.  As the credits rolled, the following words appeared on the screen: "Thanks for 20 wonderful years.  The best is yet to come."  Eh, maybe not, but it's still certainly worth watching.  Other guest voices in the episode included Eartha Kitt, Maurice LaMarche, Gary Larson ("The Far Side" cartoonist), and Jackie Mason.

     Following the regular episode, Fox aired a one hour special ("In 3-D!  On Ice!", though it was neither)  Hosted by documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), it featured interviews with Seth McFarlane (Family Guy), Trey Parker and Matt Stone (South Park), Conan O'Brien (The Tonight Show), Sting, Bryan Williams, Hugh Hefner (Playboy), Seth Meyers (Saturday Night Live), David Cross (Arrested Development), Dan Rather, and many others, including many people that worked on the show, and even fans.  The opening was very cool, featuring a variety of bands, well known and not, playing the theme song.  It chronicled the way the creation of the series, and the effect it has had on the world.

     Whether you like them or not, The Simpsons has certainly left its mark on the world.  And it shows no signs of stopping.  There are currently no plans to stop making the show.  It airs Sunday nights on Fox.

Leno Loses in Primetime

    For months now, the chronically unfunny (in my opinion) Jay Leno has hosted The Jay Leno Show five nights a week on NBC.  What is unusual about this late night talk show is that it airs in primetime.  NBC decided this year to give up ten o'clock five nights a week as a 'bold experiment', and it has failed big time.  Not for NBC, the network insists, as Leno is performing as expected.  Plus it costs them very little to make his show, versus five other, bigger budget programs.  The problem is the affiliates.

     NBC doesn't own most of the local NBC stations.  Affiliates began complaining that Leno was losing them viewers for their eleven o'clock newscasts.  This is very bad because advertisers pay top dollar to run spots during the news, and lower ratings mean less money.  The local affiliates count on that money to stay afloat.  Some threatened to pull Leno off the air, even before the show premiered, and in return NBC threatened to stop allowing them to air any NBC shows.  Things seemed to have settled once Leno began airing in the fall, but when November sweeps came back, the unrest returned.  NBC has backed down and agreed that on February 12th Leno will be leaving ten o'clock.

     The problem posed is that Leno still works for NBC and they have no desire to get rid of him.  However, Conan O'Brien is under contract to host The Tonight Show, and Leno cannot take it back.  Currently, NBC would like to air a shortened Leno from 11:35-12:05, bump The Tonight Show back to 12:05-1:05, and by extension, move Late Night With Jimmy Fallon back to begin at 2:05.  This would leave Last Call With Carson Daly out, as two a.m. belongs to the affiliates, though NBC has pledged to keep him at the network.  Currently, none of this moving around is finalized, other than Leno leaving primetime, but all involved parties are in talks to make it happen.

     So what would air at ten p.m.?  Suddenly NBC has five more hours to fill.  Top on the list are new episodes of Friday Night Lights, which has aired on satellite already, but NBC is allowed to begin airing as of March 1st, and had planned on bringing back soon anyway.  Also likely is the USA-aired Law & Order: Criminal Intent, an expanded Dateline, and another reality show or two.  Nothing is set in stone, and NBC could end up airing other shows from it's networks, including Bravo, USA, or even SyFy.

     What exactly will happen remains to be seen, but NBC is hoping it will all be worked out by February 12th.  This could shape up to be one heck of a battle, or a huge disappointment.