Matt Roush reviews Rules of Engagement and the return of Lost
I miss Christine already — as in
The New Adventures of Old Christine, the sparkling Julia Louis-Dreyfus comedy that's temporarily being benched for a tryout of
Rules of Engagement (premieres Feb. 5, 9 pm/ET on CBS), a new romantic sitcom that delivers few sparks in either the comic or amorous arenas.
Like a less-cartoonish version of Fox's 'Til Death, CBS' Rules contrasts two couples: longtime marrieds Jeff and Audrey, who've settled into a routine of mutual but affectionate irritation; and young neighbors Adam and Jennifer, engaged after only seven months together and facing hurdles of insecurity as they get to know each other.
Adding some snark whenever the laugh track dies down is Adam's womanizing pal Russell, a bimbo magnet lazily played by David Spade, who looks like the smarmier older cousin of How I Met Your Mother's funnier Barney.
Rules would be more engaging if it weren't so familiar, but there is at least one consistently hilarious performance: Patrick Warburton (Puddy from Seinfeld) as Jeff, a miserly sourpuss of a Neanderthal guy's guy — Russell calls him "Magilla" — who delivers his wisecracks with a droll, heavy-lidded deadpan. He's well matched by Megyn Price (Grounded for Life) as his long-suffering but secretly amused spouse. As the less experienced lovebirds, Oliver Hudson and Bianca Kajlich are pretty but bland, a condition that permeates this sluggish show.
Fans of a more classic CBS comedy will want to mark their calendars for April 9, the date The King of Queens replaces Rules to play out the final episodes of its nine-season run.
No Longer Lost
The mystery deepens, the plot thickens, and — most critically and thankfully — the action takes a mighty leap forward as Lost makes a welcome return from a punishingly long hiatus. The riveting first episode focuses on what led the season's most enthralling new character, Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell), to the island and to join the Others. Is she friend or foe to captives Jack, Kate and Sawyer? Only time will tell, and even then, probably only so much.
By the Book
Think comfort food on a cardboard platter. Lifetime's series of movies based on Nora Roberts' romantic melodramas follows a standard formula: Pretty people in scenic locales fall in love while hokey danger lurks. I liked Montana Sky ( Feb. 5, 9 pm/ET) better than last week's dreary Angels Fall because of its solid hook: three testy half sisters (Ashley Williams, Charlotte Ross, Laura Mennell) forced to live together on a ranch they inherit. John Corbett has fun playing a protective cowboy. Who wouldn't?
