Knights of Prosperity, Dirt, In Case of Emergency, Beauty and the Geek - Matt Roush Reviews
Enjoy the holiday break while it lasts, because the moment the clock strikes 2007, TV is back in business, wasting little time in introducing new and returning shows and specials on network, cable and public TV. The first week of the new year is unusually full, with the premieres of shows that hope to get noticed before juggernauts like
American Idol and
24 arrive mid-month, commanding everyone's attention. I'd like to report that this first wave portends a happy new TV year, but as usual, it's a mixed bag of winners and losers in a variety of genres. Here's my first scorecard of 2007.
The Knights of Prosperity
Wednesdays, 9 pm/ET, ABC
The Scoop: There's plenty of scruffy whimsy in this quirky caper comedy about a gang of social misfits (two janitors, a cab driver, a waitress, a security guard and a geeky intern) who decide their path to the American Dream lies in robbing Mick Jagger's penthouse. (Jagger does a cheeky cameo in the pilot.) You'll root for these inept amateurs, but sustaining this premise won't be easy.
The Score: 7 (out of 10)
In Case of Emergency
Wednesdays, 9:30 pm/ET, ABC
The Scoop: Someone call a script doctor. CBS' uneven The Class looks like a classic next to this shapeless, pointlessly annoying comedy about four miserable neurotics who went to high school together and must have failed chemistry. Their contrived reunion smacks of clumsy, crass farce, minus narrative coherence. As one character puts it, “Clearly, we've all hit a low point.” Clearly. The Score: 1
Dirt
Tuesdays, 10 pm/ET, FX
The Scoop: Dirt reminds us that few things are as depressing as dull smut. If Nip/Tuck is FX's Melrose Place, then Dirt is its Models Inc., an embarrassing dud that's both trashy and self-pitying. Unconvincing on any level of execution, this saga of a tabloid editor (Courteney Cox) who fancies herself a journalist has one fresh twist: a schizo paparazzo. He's mad. The show, though? Just sad.
The Score: 2
Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens
Jan. 3, PBS, check listings
The Scoop: American Masters scores again with a fascinating portrait of the famed Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair photojournalist. Directed by her sister Barbara, it works as a piercing, intimate bio of a woman who lost her companion (Susan Sontag) and father within weeks of each other, and as a cultural snapshot of America and celebrity during the most turbulent, rebellious decades.
The Score: 9
Beauty and the Geek
Wednesdays, 8 pm/ET, The CW
The Scoop: Third time is even more charming for this unexpectedly sweet reality game show that pairs socially awkward brainiacs with flaky femmes who are rarely quick studies. As the guys (including the inevitable Trekker) struggle with stand-up comedy and the gals try to decipher the Dewey Decimal System, everyone learns a little about self-respect, and a good time is had by all.
The Score: 8
