First PITCH

Article first published as PITCH Review on Seat42F.

Disclaimer: This article is written by a non-sports fan. Nope, I don’t watch any of the sports.

FOX will be striking several chords with its new drama PITCH. It’s about the first woman in major league sports, as a girl becomes pitcher for the San Diego Padres. No, this is not a true story, and no, no woman has ever played for the MLB, NFL, NBA, or NHL (America’s four major professional sports leagues, according to Wikipedia; remember, I don’t follow sports), although the Padres are an actual team. But it feels like a true story, especially with the right to use actual logos, and hopefully reality will echo art in short order.

Ginny Baker (Kylie Bunbury, Twisted) always wanted to play baseball. She was great at it from a young age, and her father (Michael Beach, Sons of Anarchy) taught her how to compete with the boys. She finally earns her way into the minor leagues, and when an injury sidelines the Padres’ regular starter, she is called up to substitute in his steed.

Obviously, this is a huge weight to put on one woman, forced to represent her entire gender. The parallels are drawn between Ginny and Jackie Robinson, and PITCH portrays the sexism we’d all expect to happen right from the start. It’s easy to imagine all of the problems that would pop up when a woman finally makes that leap. PITCH gets a lot of them out of the way quickly, presumably so they can move onto other drama.

But PITCH isn’t just a preachy, big-picture show. Yes, showing a female in the big leagues is extremely important and long overdue. However, there is an actual woman for which this is happening, and a lot of the focus is on Ginny. We see how she handles things emotionally, and it feels authentic. Bunbury is terrific at making Ginny seem real, and as much as I feel her pain when she falls short, I also feel her pride when she succeeds, as we know she must.

In this way, PITCH is also a typical sports movie. Like many of the great films in the genre, it follows an underdog who overcomes adversity and naysayers to rise to the top of her game. This formula is incredibly familiar, and yet it rarely feels stale, even when the audience knows what to expect. Everyone likes to see sympathetic characters win, and Ginny fits that profile perfectly.

The cast is rounded out by a bevy of strong performers. Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Saved By the Bell, Franklin & Bash) is the abrasive team captain, Mike Lawson. Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years) is the coach who doesn’t want Ginny, Al Luongo. Mo McCrae (Murder in the First) is Ginny’s long-time buddy and now teammate, Blip. Meagan Holder (Born Again Virgin) is Blip’s wife and Ginny’s pal, Evelyn. Tim Jo (The Neighbors) plays social media guru Eliot, and Ali Larter (Heroes) is Ginny’s agent, Amelia. Finally, Mark Consuelos (Alpha House) is the general manager of the team, Oscar Arguella.

Now, while the pilot is wholly a typical sports movie, I’m assuming the series will be more of a soapy drama over time. I feel like there are already the makings of a romance between Ginny and Mike, and Oscar is definitely after Amelia. There will be ups and downs as the season unfolds, and while the games will probably frequently be shown, there’s also going to be plenty of character stuff.

I think PITCH will be good at that. The pilot was very strong, other than a scene in which Mike seems to play savior to Ginny, which I found a little patronizing, but also kind of necessary to the plot. If it can avoid those, and it did for the rest of the hour, I think PITCH could definitely be a series worth watching. Though I think it’s too soon to crown it, as some already have, the next Friday Night Lights, which remains the definitive TV sports drama of our time.

PITCH premieres Thursday, September 22nd on FOX.

DVD Review: ‘The Wonder Years: Complete Series’

Article first published as DVD Review: ‘The Wonder Years: Complete Series’ on Blogcritics.

While there are many classic TV shows one will remember with fond nostalgia, few are as precious as The Wonder Years. The coming-of-age sitcom, which aired from 1988-1993, is set in the late 1960s, during the Vietnam era and after the run of assassinations. It simultaneously ushers a boy through puberty and documents a transitional time in American history, as concerned (if not more so) with emotion and context than being funny. The laughs tend to come from authentic situations, rather than goofy gags, and the characters are realistic and loveable. Finally, this complete series is available on DVD from StarVista/Time Life.

As the story begins, Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage, The Princess Bride) is starting junior high school alongside his best friend, Paul Pfeiffer (Josh Saviano). They may be a bit dweebish, but Kevin still catches the eye of the beautiful girl-next-door, Winnie Cooper (Danica McKellar, Young Justice). If Kevin should ever get a little full of himself, though, he has jerk older brother Wayne (Jason Hervey), stoic dad Jack (Dan Lauria, Sullivan & Son), not-quite-understanding mom Norma (Alley Mills, The Bold and the Beautiful), and peacenik sister Karen (Olivia d’Abo, Law & Order: Criminal Intent) to ground him. Viewers are privy to Kevin’s thoughts via narration by Daniel Stern (Manhattan, Home Alone).

The Wonder Years ran for six seasons and received numerous accolades. Premiering in the prime post-Super Bowl slot, it won the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy for its very first, six-episode season and Savage became the youngest-ever Emmy nominee for Oustanding Lead Actor for a Comedy Series. These were only the beginning of a run that would score many trophies, pushing the boundaries of its genre and production. While it does feel, at times, like an after-school special, it takes that format and deepens it in such a way to move anyone that views it, leaving the cheese out, for the most part.

Sadly, the series finale is not what many would have liked. Mired in struggle between the network and the producers, who wanted to mature the material along with Kevin (something ABC resisted mightily in a family-friendly program) the show came to an abrupt end after season six. The writers only had Stern’s narration with which to craft a true ending, no more opportunity for filming existing. This set contains the originally-broadcast version of the hour-long finale, as well as the edited-down, two half-hour editions. Those involved did a terrific job, considering, and the somewhat unsatisfying ending is realistic. Still, even with the rough stop, The Wonder Years remains an important body of work, remembered fondly for good reason, and is well worth the time it takes to relive it.

Part of the reason why The Wonder Years may have taken so long to get to disc is because is has a phenomenal soundtrack, with literally hundreds of classic songs featuring the likes of Simon & Garfunkel, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Carole King, and more. These are integral to the story, and the show would really be missing something without them. I do not know if every track has been retained, but the press materials report that over three-hundred numbers from the original broadcasts have been licensed for the DVD, so the vast majority, at least, are present and accounted for, which matters a lot in this release.

The picture and audio quality in this DVD release do not appear to have been updated. However, The Wonder Years had a dated look even for its time, so the production fits the style of the piece. It isn’t distracting enough to pull one out of the story.

Whatever efforts were not put into updating the video presentation are more than made up for in the quality of everything else. Should you choose to obtain the complete set, it comes with 26 discs packaged in binders replicating Kevin and Winnie’s school tomes, each with a helpful book that has notes and episode descriptions. They sit alongside a really cool yearbook, full of photos and information about the show, in an actual metal locker (which comes with series-themed magnets to decorate it with). There are a couple of different limited editions of this set that have even more inclusions, so the really die-hard fans may want to check those out, too.

The Wonder Years Complete Series has a TON of extras. Over 23 hours of bonus features boast lots of new featurettes and fresh interviews with many of the key people that made the series a reality. All seven of the show’s leads are among the participants, as well as several notable guest stars. There are outtakes galore (including of Winnie and Kevin’s first kiss), a cast reunion, a look at the teachers on the series, and so much more. I cannot stress enough how much is here, and it will take days, if not weeks, for most people to sift through it all.

The Wonder Years Complete Series isn’t perfect, but it’s darn close. It was certainly well worth the wait, one of the coolest series sets I’ve seen. As a fan myself, I’m super excited to dig even further into this than I’ve had time to do so far. The Complete Series is available now, and individual seasons will start being released this week.

Come on down to Sullivan & Son

TBS's newest comedy is Sullivan & Son, which kicked off with two episodes this week. The "Pilot" begins when Steve Sullivan (Steve Byrne) visits his hometown for his father, Jack's (Dan Lauria, The Wonder Years), retirement party. Though Steve is an attorney in the big city, he decides that he can't let his father sell the bar, which is an institution in the neighborhood, to a stranger. So he gives up his career and fiance to move home and take over.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about Sullivan & Son. Let's start with the positives. First, there is a ton of charm to this series, oozing out every pore. It's been awhile since a sitcom was really about a community brought together, like this one is. There is family and surrogate family, the bar serving as a gathering place for friends and neighbors.

The acting is also pretty decent. The cast is staffed with a bunch of terrific performers, including Christine Ebersole (Royal Pains), Brian Doyle-Murray (Groundhog Day, The Middle), Jodi Long (Eli Stone), Vivian Bang (Yes Man), Owen Benjamin (Pretend Time), Valerie Azlynn, and comedians Roy Wood Jr. and Ahmed Ahmed. Each has already developed a well defined character, and the group chemistry is absolutely delightful. They are totally believable as a gang of people who just love spending all of their time hanging out together.

The individuals relate to each other well outside of the larger group, too. In the second episode, "The Bribe," Steve butts heads with his Korean mother, Ok Cha (Long). She wants to continue to pay off the health inspector, but now that Steve is running things, he refuses, wanting to go by the book. This results in him getting shut down and, after running an illegal backroom bar, arrested. The scene where Steve and Ok Cha confront each other in jail, neither backing down, but coming to an understanding anyway, is a great picture of an authentic, though not necessarily typical, mother / son relationship.

The stereotypes played upon aren't a bother either. Sure, Ok Cha is stubborn and cheap, which viewers are told is standard for Koreans. However, these adjectives do actually apply to Ok Cha, and no one tries to attribute them to her children (unless they deserve it), so while it may seem couched in a slight bit of racism, it's actually handled just fine.

Now, the negatives. Why is Steve's bar packed before 3 p.m. on a Tuesday? The characters kind of poke fun at this conceit, but that doesn't make up for the fact that it's a silly thing. I mean, perhaps if it was just Steve's friends at the bar, it might be excusable. But wider shots reveal plenty of other patrons. This does not make sense.

Also, while the characters in Sullivan & Son are said to do nothing but drink all the time, none of them are too pathetic. No one looks unwashed or smelly or in need of counseling. Even Owen (Benjamin), who is unemployed, seems to be doing just fine. Carol (Ebersole), the bar floozy, isn't ravaged by disease of a hard life style. It just doesn't hold up at all that these are the types of people that spend all day, every day consuming copious amounts of alcohol.

Then, some of the humor is ridiculous. Owen suddenly gets smart just by giving up alcohol for a few days, though he really has no motivation to do so, since everyone else continues to drink. Susan (Bang) gets a gun to hit her mother with. Someone needing a tow waits by their car all week. These occurrences aren't that funny to begin with, and pull the viewer out of the fantasy world the show presents.

Overall, Sullivan & Son has heart, but the concept could use some work, and the humor is uneven. A few tweaks and this could be a really fine show. Tipping the other way could ruin it. I'll watch for now and see which, if either, happens.

Sullivan & Son airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on TBS.

Check out my new website, JeromeWetzel.com.  If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Article first published on TheTVKing