Movies and TV routinely had fun with the secret-agent genre even when Cold War tensions ran high. Here in the 21st century, with "spy spoof" a virtual redundancy, it may still be possible to steer a middle course between Austin Powers craziness and Mission: Impossible action. But a tongue-in-cheek effort like Secret Agent Man (which borrows only the theme song from the mid-'60s series Secret Agent) must meet a high threshold of quality to avoid being dismissed as a Man from U.N.C.L.E. rerun.
This show from executive producer Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black) didn't pass the test when UPN aired five episodes in March and April. Seven more remain to be seen starting May 26, and you can find amusing ideas in the batch: a secret panel of "elders" (maximum age: 33) that determines the outcome of presidential elections; an agent (Dondré T. Whitfield) doing infomercials for a retractable golf club originally developed as an exotic weapon; out-of-touch Russian spies disguised as Elks Club members from Kansas. Unfortunately, lover-man agent Monk is played by the well-constructed but wooden Costas Mandylor (Players). The sexual-tension routine with Holiday (Dina Meyer), his brisk blonde colleague, lacks wit and sizzle. And often the show is overly pleased with its own irony. "Why don't we save the world first?" says Monk, when a sultry foreign operative suggests a tumble. That's just too cool.
Bottom Line: As agents go, about a 005
Showtime (Sat., May 27, 9 p.m. ET)
Show of the week
At times this docudrama resembles a debating society, but the issues it addresses are vitally important. The subject is the 1990 trial of Dennis Barrie (James Woods), then director of Cincinnati's Contemporary Arts Center, who was charged with obscenity by Sheriff Simon Leis (Craig T. Nelson) for presenting a Robert Mapplethorpe photo exhibit that included images of gay sex and sadomasochism. Woods plays Barrie not as an unshakable champion of free expression but as a reluctant hero who almost loses his stomach for the fight when his wife (Diana Scarwid) and sons suffer harassment and many in the community turn against him. "I can't back down now," Barrie says with a very human mixture of courage and helplessness.
Dirty Pictures supplements the script with point-counterpoint commentary by William F. Buckley Jr., Congressman Barney Frank and others. These opinions have weight, but they cause the courtroom drama to suffer from forensic overload.
Bottom Line: Worth arguing about
NBC (Fri., June 2, 9 p.m. ET)
Though you probably think you have more exciting things to do than spend most of an hour watching a newsmagazine story about insurance, be assured that this Dateline offers a form of entertainment as well as troubling information. Reporting on a 15-month investigation, correspondent John Larson traces a pattern in which State Farm Insurance uses outside companies to review—and often minimize—some policyholders' injury claims. Your faith in State Farm's "good neighbor" policy may be shaken, but you'll enjoy watching the bosses of the "paper review" firms shift from flat denial to fast backpedal when confronted with evidence that they skewed the process against the claimants.
Bottom Line: Gotcha!
>Sunday, May 28 MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT PBS (8 p.m. ET) Trisha Yearwood and Gen. Colin Powell take part in the annual live performance at the U.S. Capitol.
Monday, May 29 WORLD WAR II: TRUE COLORS TLC (10 p.m. ET) An hour special features famous scenes (Normandy, Iwo Jima) as shot by Marines themselves.
Tuesday, May 30 SECRET CUTTING USA (9 p.m. ET) Sean Young stars in this TV movie as the mother of a teen who seeks emotional release by causing herself physical pain.
Wednesday, May 31 SURVIVOR CBS (8 p.m. ET) Marooned adventurers compete for $1 million in the series premiere.
Thursday, June 1 FRASIER NBC (9 p.m. ET) Frasier and Roz get surprisingly close at a broadcasting convention.
Friday, June 2 BIOGRAPHY: PRINCESS MARGARET A&E (8 p.m. ET) A royal profile depicts the "rebel princess" as a bundle of contradictions.
Saturday, June 3 THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS Showtime (8 p.m. ET) Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn brave Manhattan in this 1999 comedy.
>Andy Richter
When he started as the sidekick on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 1993, Andy Richter was dead set against becoming the next Ed McMahon. "I never thought this was going to be a job I did for the rest of my life," says Richter, 33. "You weren't going to be seeing my head on any sweepstakes envelopes."
True to his word, Richter will exit Late Night on May 26 to return to his comedic acting roots. "I want to be someone else for a while," he says. "I'm tired of being me." He'll play Richard Gere's hunting buddy in the upcoming big-screen comedy Dr. T and the Women.
With his other buddy, Conan, Richter helped create such memorable Late Night bits as "In the Year 2000" predictions (flashlights under their chins) and the Richter-O'Brien staring contests that Andy always loses. But as Conan loses his No. 2 (with no plans to replace him), Richter says, "I still have moments where I think, what the hell am I doing•" For now, though, he says, "I'm just thinking about sitting on a beach for 10 days"—he and actress wife Sarah Thyre, 31, are planning a Caribbean vacation—"and then I'll worry about my new, fascinating career."
- Contributors:
- Jason Lynch.
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!
