WEIRD LONERS Neither in the TV Landscape

Article first published as WEIRD LONERS Review on Seat42F.

FOX’s latest sitcom, premiering this week, is called WEIRD LONERS. As you might expect, it follows four individuals who could be labeled with the descriptors in the title. They end up together by circumstance at a time when they could all really use a friend or two, and will likely become a stable group because of convenience and a common sensibility, getting themselves into wacky situations that don’t go well because of their oddness and selfish natures.

The ensemble is mostly made up of network comedy staples. Zachary Knighton (Happy Endings, FlashForward) plays Stosh, who blows up his life and career when sleeping with his boss’s fiancé. Since his condo is company-owned, too, Stosh decides to crash with his lonely, possibly unemployed cousin, Eric (Nate Torrence, Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip, Hello Ladies). Eric goes out looking for wall art and finds Zara (virtual newcomer who fits right in, Meera Rohit Kumbhani), an aimless artist. At the same time, Stosh can’t help but interfere with Eric’s hot neighbor, Caryn (Becki Newton, Ugly Betty, The Goodwin Games), who is considering marrying a boring guy (David Wain, co-creator of Childrens Hospital), the exact opposite as the type of man she is naturally inclined towards. And, because why not, Caryn asks Zara to move in with her, meaning all four now dwell in two adjoining townhomes.

As you can see, none of the four have their lives together, and all are in their mid-30s, past the time most of their peers decide to grow up, a fact highlighted in the opening of the pilot. A little arrested development is mixed with a lack of self-awareness, at least for most of the group, giving ripe ground for comedy to grow upon.

WEIRD LONERS isn’t exactly a new idea. Perhaps the characters are more emotionally stunted in this show, but it’s not that different from Happy Endings, How I Met Your Mother, Cougar Town, Friends, or a myriad of other programs built on the theme of acquaintances with a strong bond. It’s a formula that works pretty well with the right actors and writers, and despite its flaws and formulaic approach, Weird Loners certainly seems to have both of those groups working for it.

Because of the starting point of each of these characters, there is ample room for growth and development moving forward. The focus is likely to be on goofy situations and one-liners, but all four of the players also bring emotional depth and complexity to their roles, making them seem like three-dimensional individuals. People such as they are sure to find ways to better themselves over time, their coming together providing the resources all of them are lacking at the start.

Will that be enough for Weird Loners to succeed? I don’t know. The most recent good example of this, Happy Endings, got a mere three seasons. It may be that this recipe has been prepared so often that viewers are tired of it, and not looking for another helping. I could easily see it being a one-and-done late season also-ran. But I really like the cast, all of whom deserve to be on TV on a regular basis, so there’s always the chance that enough other people will appreciate it, as I have done, and give it the numbers to stay on the air.

If you’re not sure if you should check out WEIRD LONERS, I do recommend it. While not being particularly original, it succeeds at being funny. The pacing is good, the laughs are frequent enough, and the personalities are engaging, if not likeable. The characters aren’t completely realistic, but they do feel authentic. If nothing else, it is an entertaining half hour without the plot holes or quick, easy gags that many shows succumb to.

WEIRD LONERS premieres this coming Tuesday on FOX.

CHILDRENS HOSPITAL "Going" Away Again

Article first published as CHILDRENS HOSPITAL "Going" Away Again on TheTVKing.

Cartoon Network's Adult Swim's Childrens Hospital brings their fifth season to a close this week with "Coming and Going." Feelings are in the air. Or rather, lack of feelings, as the cast splits into twosomes to deal with their issues. Owen (Rob Huebel) has never had an orgasm and has the urge to feel what that's like, so Lola (Erinn Hayes) reluctantly agrees to help. Glenn can't experience emotional feeling at all, so Blake (Rob Corddry) makes it his mission to fix Glenn. And Sy (Henry Winkler) tricks Chief (Megan Mullally) into going out with him in the hopes of sparking some romantic feelings from her, meaning they miss the war zone at the hospital, but their opera provides a beautiful soundtrack for the disaster.

Each episode of Childrens Hospital completely stands on its own, with almost no continuity from each week to the next, except in the vaguest of terms. For instance, in the fourth main plot this week, the one that doesn't fit into the theme mentioned above, Cat (Lake Bell) helps Valerie (Malin Akerman) give birth, even though we've never seen Valerie pregnant until now, and it's been well established in multiple installments that Valerie is actually Derrick Childrens (Jon Hamm), a man in disguise. Doesn't quite add up, does it?

Yet, that has never stopped the show from being funny. Instead of worring about continuity, it frees up the characters and writers to do whatever they find amusing in the moment. This has led to a lot of strange, stand-alone episodes, like the Shakespeare-esque entry a couple of weeks ago, yet never a shortage of laughs. Each episode is like a mini play or sketch put on by an extremely talented group. The ensemble is excellent across the board, and they only let in the best guest stars, which this week included Jack McBrayer and one of the show's writer/producers David Wain, who plays Rabbi Jewy McJewJew.

There are some connecting threads through most (not all) of the episodes. Season five finds the cast shipped off to Japan to work a hospital on an army base. This has been a recurring setting, and so informs the stories. It has made this season a little different overall from the first four, in terms that there have been new things that didn't necessarily lend themselves to the old set, but quality and tone have been maintained.

"Coming and Going" fully takes advantage of the place in a big way when, due to a series of unfortunate mishaps, the base is attacked by the American military. Yes, the base is made up of American military already, but somehow those outside of the base think that terrorists have taken over. It's kind of a loose premise, not at all believable, but one that works for the bits.

This means that each of the four main plots unfold as bombs explode around them. Maybe giving birth or having sex near a battle isn't completely unheard of for a TV drama, but who dares use such set ups for a comedy? Even as men go down, there isn't anything serious about the proceedings, with raising a flag being the way to stop the fighting, as bizarre as anything else.

It's also the small touches that make the episode. From Owen later admitting that he has had orgasms before, and was just confused by what the term 'orgasm' meant, to Glenn being killed, only to find out it was the hospital's previously never-seen "other Jewish doctor" who dies, despite it being obvious that Marino is the one going down, there are quirky, weird, unexpected touches all over the place. Valerie asks a little girl to deliver her baby, whom Cat immediately accepts as "Doctor Littlegirl." It's all as bizarre and wonderful as that.

What's impressive about this episode, over the rest of the fantastic weekly episodes, is, given a double-length running time of half an hour, there is not only time to run more stories simultaneously, but also they are all expertly interwoven. Normally, several of the cast sit out for many episodes per year so that a cohesive plot can emerge in less than fifteen minutes. Here, that is not the case, all of the principals present, and their stories are connected by synchronized occurrences and a great soundtrack.

In all, "Coming and Going" is an awesome example of a top-notch series. Childrens Hospital is gone for now, but hopefully a sixth season won't be too far away.

Interview with Lake Bell

You may know Lake Bell from her starring role as Cat Black on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim series, CHILDRENS HOSPITAL. You may also know her from the recently canceled HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA, as a columnist in The Hollywood Reporter writing about cars, or her stint as a model, or from the short film she wrote and directed, WORST ENEMY. In short, she’s a busy woman, with a lot of talent, and varied interests.

Recently, I got to speak with Lake, who directed the season premiere of CHILDRENS HOSPITAL, “The Boy with the Pancakes Tattoo,” as well as tonight’s episode, “Staff Dance.” Here are the highlights of that conversation.

I asked Lake what the biggest difference was between acting and directing. She responded that the main difference is that you’re directing. All kidding aside, she likes the experience of running the ship and working in a new genre, her previous directing experience being drama-centric. It helps, she says, because of the “absurdist mania” that comes from working with her favorite people in the world.

That’s right. Lake loves her co-stars. While that may be no surprise, given the sheer amount of fun that radiates from the program, she did say directing was a serious gig. Often, the air on the set of CHILDRENS HOSPITAL is to joke around and have a good time. But with only two days per episode to shoot, and filming two episodes back to back, someone has to take charge and make sure that they don’t goof around too much. Lake takes that responsibility very seriously, and she said the others couldn’t have been more supportive of her efforts, not giving her any trouble or hazing.

In fact, Lake was recruited to direct CHILDRENS HOSPITAL after the guys in charge, Rob Corddry, David Wain, and Jonathan Stern, saw her short film. WORST ENEMY having earned praise and positive attention at Sundance and elsewhere, they were far from the only ones to take notice. But having Lake on staff as an actor, anyway, they had the unique opportunity to convince her to direct not one, but two episodes. And they didn’t just ask once, making sure that she knew it was a serious offer.

Lake describes her time directing as being “in heaven.” She totally dove into the position, sitting out a number of episodes as an actor (her choice) so that she could prep, execute, and polish the stories in post-production. Tasked with some serious, action-heavy, huge tales to tell, she worked her butt off to make sure she did a good job. If the season premiere is any indication, her hard work has really paid off.

I asked Lake if she would rather concentrate on acting or directing going forward, and she said ideally, she’d like to split her time. She has been so busy lately that she has been unable to accept any new acting jobs. In a perfect world, that won’t be the case forever. For now, though, she is content to go with the flow, and tackle what comes her way.

Her schedule cleared up a little bit for these new challenges because of the cancellation of HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA, another series that she starred concurrently with CHILDRENS HOSPITAL. Lake says she understands that cancellation is not personal, and that television is a business. While she misses the people she worked with, and the HBO show holds a special place in her heart because she met her future husband, artist Scott Campbell, on set, she thinks that things happen for a reason. She tremendously enjoyed the work, but now she’s open to participate in jobs she couldn’t have done otherwise. It’s a wise attitude to take, and one that should serve her well in the business, long-term.

I wanted to know which role Lake would most like to reprise. Given the range of characters Lake has played, from these recent roles, to a guest spot on NEW GIRL last year, to being a series regular on BOSTON LEGAL, to the films she has appeared in, like IT’S COMPLICATED and A GOOD OLD FASHIONED ORGY, there is a wide range of characters to choose from. Lake’s answer was quick and sure: Lucy from NO STRINGS ATTACHED, who she describes as being “bizarrely comfortable” to play. The reason she chooses Lucy is because of Liz Meriweather’s fantastic writing.

The call flew by. Thanks to Lake Bell for taking the time to talk with me. Her second directed episode of CHILDRENS HOSPITAL, “Staff Dance,” airs tonight (August 16th) at midnight.