Music lineup overshadows characters in stereotypical sitcom

D.O. article from 1/20/06. I'm pretty proud of this one.


Tom Farrell is looking for the next big thing in music. He's an A&R rep for True Vinyl Records, a label that really truly cares about the music, not the money. Watching "Love Monkey" is all about loving the music … and being able to tolerate an overtly obvious cross-marketing plan.

After losing his dream job, the golden-eared Farrell (Tom Cavanagh) needs to start again. His close circle of friends consists of "man about town" Shooter (Larenz Tate), the closeted former pro-baseball player-turned sportswriter Jake (Christopher Wiehl) and dermatologist Mike (Jason Priestly) who also happens to be married to Farrell's pregnant sister. Farrell's best girlfriend is Bran (Judy Greer), a straight-shooter news producer with whom the sexual tension sparks fly.

The character's lines are just background noise to the music, the real star of the show. The pilot episode featured a whopping 24 songs, ranging from featured artist-of-the-week Teddy Geiger to Air Supply. In case viewers are not up on their indie-pop, CBS has kindly listed each song featured in an episode on their Web site, along with a biography of the singer Farrell works with that week (next weeks guests are Ben Folds and LeAnn Rimes).

Music infiltrates every part of Farrell's life. He buys "The Essential Bob Dylan" as a baby shower gift for his sister. He offers to make them a birthing mix for the delivery room. When his girlfriend dumps him by saying, "When you love someone, set them free," he wonders, "Did she just quote Sting in the middle of breaking up with me?" When waxing poetic about the breakup afterwards to Bran, he quotes Dylan saying, "When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose."

Beyond the annoying and obvious marketing ploys, "Love Monkey" has potential to be an enjoyable show. It borrows liberally from other successful formulas about being hip urban professionals, most notably "Sex and The City." Farrell provides a constant voiceover of the inner-workings of his mind, à la Carrie Bradshaw. His three best friends, who fit stereotypical roles, are his confidants. Instead of brunch at a diner, they meet at a basketball court for a pick-up game.

But the city, including the real restaurant and bar locations, is the same, and so is the conversation topic: How do you meet the right person?

That is Farrell's problem. He can never seem to find the right woman to settle down with. Being the love monkey that he is, Farrell swings from woman to woman like they were branches on trees.

"You keep looking for the perfect branch, you're gonna end up one lonely monkey," Bran tells him.

The overload of music distracts attention away from the characters. CBS's Web site provides more information about the characters than the pilot episode did. Not only does True Vinyl Records, the make-believe label that Farrell head A&R for, have its own Web site, but each of the characters on the show has a detailed profile on myspace.com.

Somewhere a marketing executive is smiling.

Americanized 'Office' lacks humorous pacing of original series

D.O. column from 12/9/05. I don't get their headlines, I gave The Office a positive review and they give it a negative headline. Read the review for yourself...

Americanizing the beloved British television program "The Office" has created a hilarious show that is just as funny as its Golden Globe-winning BBC predecessor. The gifted cast, which consists largely of the show's writers, delivers laugh-out-loud funny lines with a naturalness that accurately captures the monotony of working in an office.

A documentary is being filmed at a paper manufacturing company located in Scranton, Penn., which allows the characters to talk directly to the camera. Michael Scott (Steve Carell) is the egotistical regional manager who wastes most of his day avoiding work and showing off. Perpetually engaged receptionist Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) has an office flirtation with the genial, but unmotivated senior sales representative Jim Halpert (John Krasinski). Together, they play practical jokes on the over-zealous Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), Michael's insufferably bizarre sales assistant.

Michael is more concerned with being thought of as entertaining than effectively running his branch. His poor attempts at humor usually offend and anger his staff. The entire office is forced to undergo diversity training after Michael recites part of a Chris Rock standup routine. Even after receiving the training, Michael doesn't understand what he did wrong.

"How come Chris Rock can do a routine and everybody finds it hilarious and ground-breaking, and then I go and do the exact same routine, same comedic timing and people file a complaint to corporate? Is it because I'm white and Chris is black?" Michael asks.

The funniest moments of the show come from the office pranks. Jim is constantly irritated with Dwight, whose desk is right next to his. To get revenge, he plots elaborate practical jokes. In the first episode, which was almost an exact shot-for-shot replica of the British version, Jim puts Dwight's stapler in gelatin mold and proclaims his innocence while eating a cup of Jell-O. One morning, Dwight walks into the office to discover his desk, which Jim has moved to the men's bathroom, is missing.
"Calm down. Where was the last place you saw it?" Jim asks.
The most striking difference is the pacing of the show. The BBC does not air commercials during shows, so there were approximately 29 minutes per episode. Much of the humor in the British version came from the uncomfortable silences that were stretched out after awkward situations. The American version has fewer than 21 minutes per episode, so the action moves along at a quicker pace, usually with sight gags. When Dwight exchanges his chair for a stability ball, Jim walks by and slashes it with scissors.
Either version of "The Office" is a guaranteed laugh because they are so well-acted and written. The British version focuses more on the lame attempts by the boss to be friends with the staff. The American version is a real ensemble which utilizes all of the characters' subtly delivered sarcasm to illustrate how fun a bad job can be, depending on who is working in the office.