Go Below With STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS

 Article first published as TV Review: STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS on Seat42F.

A new kind of STAR TREK has arrived, with STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS premiering today on CBS Access. It follows the ensigns who work on the lower decks of the starship U.S.S. Cerritos and do the grunt work of the vessel, not getting the credit and glory the senior staff enjoy. Oh, and it’s a cartoon.

Believe it or not, this is not the first animated Star Trek series. There was a show in the early 1970s called Star Trek: The Animated Series that starred the same cast as the original show, voicing their characters on continuing missions. That series took the liberties of a few big aliens and worlds that the live action budget could never have achieved, but was basically the same type of story the original had already told, albeit shorter. And also, speaking as someone who has seen all twenty-two episodes because I’m that kind of Star Trek fan, it was pretty bad.

STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS doesn’t need to go bigger on aliens, as Star Trek now has the budget and technology to do some pretty incredible stuff. It does, though, because why not? If you can do show races or shots you want, go for it.

My only complaint of this aspect is that it feels just a bit too cartoon-y. I’m not saying it should be as grounded as the its processor because, why even bother to make it animated then? But it’s just a tad too zany for the Star Trek universe, in my opinion. A cross between The Orville and Rick and Morty, I wish it been more of a cross between The Orville and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

TNG is the series that STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS owes the most to. It is set shortly after Star Trek: Nemesis, before disaster rocked the Federation and shook Starfleet to its core, as shown in Star Trek: Picard. This is from those post-Dominion War lighter times, with uniforms and starship design to match. The references are many and varied, and pull plenty of original series in, too, with Spock and Kirk getting shout-outs in the pilot. The visuals are full of Easter eggs, especially in the theme song, so it does feel set in the Trek universe, even if a few things get a little too wild.

The idea of focusing on the non-bridge crew has been around for awhile on Star Trek. It was the plot of a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, also called “Lower Decks,” and is the subject of much fan speculation. So it makes sense in a time where we’re getting so much Trek, we’d eventually get around to that idea.

A great cast has been assembled. Tawny Newsome (Space Force) steals the show as Ensign Mariner, a very capable young woman who has problems with authority and a huge chip on her shoulder. She has the most interesting story, to be sure, but even if she didn’t, Newsome would shine. Her sidekick is Ens. Boimler (Jack Quaid, The Boys), who is much more predictable, but hopefully will grow over time. Secondary to the pair are Ens. Tendi (Noel Wells, Saturday Night Live) and Ens. Rutherford (Eugene Cordero, The Good Place), who are obsessed with their work in the most delightful way, and are surely destined to be a romantic couple.

But unfortunately, STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS doesn’t commit to this conceit of just portraying the junior staff. Instead, we see Captain Freeman (Dawnn Lewis, A Different World), Commander Random (Jerry O’Connell, Billions), Dr. T’Ana (Gillian Vigman, Suburgatory), and other senior staff pretty regularly. And of course these characters are great. But they aren’t needed, and I think the show would be far more interesting if we saw them only fleetingly if at all, like the president in the early seasons of Veep. I could excuse the captain, given her role in relation to one of the core group, and even the doctor popping up makes sense when Tendi is on duty. But the others are in the show too much.

In short, I like the show. Quite a lot, actually. But I think it misses the mark in a few areas that would elevate it to something really special. It’s good, but it could be great, and the squandered potential is a bit sad. Even if I still want it to run for years while I obsessively watch every episode. After all, it is easily the best animated Star Trek series ever made.

STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS streams new episodes every Thursday on CBS All Access, beginning today.

TRANSPARENT Show Something New

Article first published as TRANSPARENT Show Something New on TheTVKing.

Recently, Amazon released several new pilots, and I've been working my way through the dramas and comedies, reviewing as I go. The fourth of the five on my list, Transparent, is the first one this year I've found something good to say about. It's a dramedy, leaning more towards the heavy side, about a father with a secret and his three grown children. How will they cope when they learn the news he's trying to work up the courage to deliver?

The patriarch of the family is Mort (Jeffrey Tambor, Arrested Development), a caring individual who doesn't understand how he could raise three such selfish kids. He finds it hard to open up because they don't seem to care, more concerned with who gets what when he starts giving out things. It's hard to imagine how the trio grew the way they are under Mort, unless Mort has changed significantly in ways the viewer has not been made privy to, or just didn't enforce discipline.

The problems the children face could stem more from their mother (Judith Light, Who's the Boss?). We don't see a lot of her in this pilot, despite being one of the five names on the 'Starring' card, but what we do see isn't all that likeable a woman, scolding her daughter and sort of steamrolling her current beau, even as she tries to make it seem the opposite.

At the center of the show are Mort's kids. Josh (Jay Duplass, The Mindy Project) is a music producer who sleeps with the various artists he manages, a horn dog who acts soulful. Ali (Gaby Hoffman, Girls) has no house and no steady job, and has decided to get her body into shape in the hopes that it will help her overall situation. Sarah (Amy Landecker, Dan in Real Life) has a nice home, husband (Rob Huebel, Childrens Hospital), and kids in the suburb, but is tempted to betray them when she runs into former girlfriend Tammy (Gillian Vigman, Suburgatory).

I'm not sure exactly where the story would go if ordered to series, but since the main cast comprises only the five main family members, no spouses or friends or anything, one assumes it will be a character study of the particular clan. They all have their secrets and flaws, and so much time could be spent exploring those, perhaps growing them into better people, but only after much trial and suffering. More than likely, they won't change much, but that works, too, seeing authentic reaction to real issues.

The tone is definitely HBO-esque, and not just because of nudity (which there is plenty of) or the cursing. It's got an indie-vibe, including in the music selection, not fitting into a typical structure or formula, meandering, in a good way, through seemingly only loosely connected threads. It's pretty dark, with few laughs to be found, but evokes plenty of feelings from the viewer.

Tambor, as usual, is excellent, bringing a quiet dignity to the role, and evoking sympathy in his plight. He is surrounded by other excellent performers who are much less sympathetic characters, so the burden of likability will be on his capable shoulders. While Tambor has shown range in the past, never being one-note, I did feel like I saw something new yet again from him in the episode, exposing some raw vulnerability, and it made me want to watch more.

With only one more pilot to go, Transparent is the only new Amazon premiere I've been able to solidly recommend so far this year. Check it out, available streaming on their website now.

Suburgatory delivers "The Motherload"

It's Mother's Day in Chatwin on the season finale of ABC's Suburgatory, entitled "The Motherload."  As the neighborhood tries to outdo each other in honoring the moms, Eden (Alicia Silverstone, Clueless, Miss Match) wonders if perhaps Tessa (Jane Levy) isn't dealing with her feelings of abandonment, not having her mom in the picture. George (Jeremy Sisto) insists that he knows his daughter and Tessa is fine, but is she?

Yes and no. Tessa is a fully developed person, who does just fine without a mother up til now. Then she and her dad move out of the city, and into a place where mothers are no longer an abstract concept, but an ever-present dominating force. Perhaps subconsciously, Tessa looks to fill that void, bonding with Dallas (Cheryl Hines). Soon enough, Tessa is reminded that Dallas already has a daughter.

It's a shame that Dallas cares more about Dalia's (Carly Chaikin) absence than Tessa's presence in "The Motherload." Then again, Dalia is actually Dallas's daughter. Tessa may be sweet and more loving that Dallas's actual-born child, but there is a special bond between a woman and the girl that she gives birth to. Even if, from an outsider's perspective, the relationship appears flawed. In this, there is no blaming Dallas for accidentally shunning Tessa.

So who can Tessa turn to in Suburgatory to fill that mother void? Or does she even need to fill it? Tessa seems to think that, if she escapes back to the city, these emotions will stop. What she doesn't realize is, once brought into the open, this sort of thing can't be packed away again. Not only that, but George has been a heck of a parent to her, and if she leaves him to return to the Big Apple, she will likely miss him far more than she currently misses her absentee mommy. So this cliffhanger will obviously have to work itself out, with Tessa staying put in her suburban, somewhat hell-ish, community.

George is also seeking affection outside of their two-member family in "The Motherload." He invites Eden to live with them, but now that she's there, he's finding it a struggle to make her an included part of the clan. He wants Eden to feel welcome, but he doesn't want her to make decisions regarding Tessa. It's a real struggle for him to open up to someone and share all of the things that one has become accustomed to handling on one's own. George will probably fail in this first attempt, as he continues to figure out his path. But there will be other girls after Eden leaves. Maybe even Dallas, when George is ready.

Noah (Alan Tudyk) and Jill (Gillian Vigman, New Girl, The Hangover) don't make things any easier for Eden in "The Motherload," as she freaks out when she sees their big game hunting-themed nursery. True, the baby Eden is carrying is theirs, not hers, and she has no say in how the child is raised. But the decor does clash against some strongly held personal beliefs. Especially the baby seal and the club. It's no wonder, after her issues with George and these birth parents, that Eden can't wait to get the hell out of town!

Back to the Suburgatory's Mother's Day celebration, Fred (Chris Parnell) and Ryan (Parker Young) go all out to make Sheila's (Ana Gasteyer) day as special as possible. They fail, as Fred hires James Ingram (himself) to sing to her, only to learn that Sheila and James used to date. It's not Fred's fault, since Sheila never mentioned it, but it does lead to a pretty funny flop. And Fred was poised so well to win as a husband after the Cinderella stunt!

Sheila is so distracted by Fred's characteristic ineptitude that she doesn't even notice Lisa's (Allie Grant) lack of participation. Lisa mainly sits out because she is hoping that she is adopted, and waiting for the DNA test results to prove it.

Lisa often feels overshadowed by brother Ryan, so it's no surprise she isn't enthusiastic about family events. However, she also makes the startling discovery in "The Motherload" that it's not she who is adopted, but Ryan! Clearly, the story behind Fred and Sheila taking Ryan in might explain why they shower him with extra attention. But fans will have to wait until next season to find out!

Suburgatory is smart and funny; charming and goofy. It plays with stereotypes, but also presents fully fleshed out characters. Suburgatory is many things, and somehow makes opposite extremes blend together nicely, while serving larger stories. It packs a lot in, but doesn't feel rushed. Look at how much is going on in this review, and it's only a twenty-two minute episode! It's a really great show, and I can't wait for it to end its summer hiatus!

Suburgatory has been renewed for a second season and will return to ABC next fall.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! First published as Suburgatory delivers "The Motherload" on TheTVKing.com