NBC (Saturdays, 10 p.m. ET)
B +
In this limited-run private-eye spoof, Bradley Whitford plays a San Francisco gumshoe following around the dashing founder of a New Age clothing catalog (John Calvin) at the behest of his jealous wife (Kate Capshaw). Whitford's obligatory voice-over commentary is more Seinfeld than Sam Spade: "Speaking of crime terminology, what the hell do they mean by 'forensics'? What exactly is a bunco squad? Police talk, I hate it."
The scripts tend to be on the precious and verbose side. However, the humor is fairly sophisticated, and the series is well played (particularly by Calvin). Also, this sitcom, created by Jay Tarses (The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd) doesn't have a moronic laugh track braying at you. The reluctant-detective conceit would be difficult to sustain over the long haul, but a baker's dozen episodes make for a light, cool summer treat.
Syndicated (check local listings)
C-
In this two-part espionage thriller (and I use that word reluctantly), a mysterious Parisian baroness (Patricia Millardet) hires the world's foremost antiterrorist agent (Roy Scheider) to go after the deadly, never-seen Caliph. Scheider's leg man is played by Ted McGinley (Married...with Children), sporting a silly goatee and an even sillier Southern accent.
A project like this lives and dies with its action scenes, and this Italian-American coproduction is absolutely moribund. Scheider, who gets his own futuristic underwater adventure series, seaQuest DSV, on NBC next year, looks like he's having trouble staying awake. For instance, when Millardet disrobes and slinks toward his bed for the first time, he gazes at her as if she's an overdue notice from the electric company.
TNN (Man., May 31, 9 p.m. ET)
A
This delightful, relaxed special celebrates the career of bluegrass pioneer Monroe. There's plenty of pickin' and grinnin' on the porch of his Tennessee log cabin as he's joined by Ricky Skaggs and John Hartford. There's plenty of reminiscing, too, as the Kentucky-born mandtolinis, 81, recalls his days with the Grand Ole Opry (he became a regular in 1939), his early travelling tent shows and some of the musicians who have passed through his Bluegrass Boys. Talk about your supergroups: At one point in the mid-'40s, Monroe played with Earl Scruggs, Lester Flatt and Chubby White. What I wouldn't pay to see those boys light up a fairground!
In both the archival and recent footage, Monroe comes across as quiet, dignified and modest, a man singularly comfortable with himself, his talent and his life.
>LET LUCCI RULE!
THIS IS THE WEEK OF THE DAYTIME Emmy Awards (ABC, Wed., May 26, 9 p.m. ET), which means there will be the usual speculation about Susan Lucci's chances. The All My Children star has been nominated 14 consecutive years for Best Actress and has yet to win. In this case, character truly is destiny. Each year Lucci's audition tape is blown out of the water by some impressive talents who play daytime's most sainted martyrs and black-hearted villainesses—and who devour the scenery in the process. By comparison, Lucci's coy, manipulative Erica Kane will always seem more transparent. But, hey, all the other awards shows are glorified popularity contests. The fact is that Lucci is and has been for most of her career the most recognizable and charismatic performer on daytime, the only one whose popularity extends outside the genre's fan base. How often do you see Elizabeth Hubbard, Kim Zimmer or Erika Slezak appear on QVC? Is Lucci the best actress in soapdom? Maybe, maybe not. Now give her the damned statuette already!
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
