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Written by Stephanie Hoo, asap
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Monday, 16 April 2007 |
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NBC’s Monday at 10 p.m. slot devours coulda-been-good shows that weren’t.
First there was “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” which was yanked in favor of “The Black Donnellys,” which was itself axed recently.
Disappointments both. They aren’t bad-bad shows. Both are backed by topflight creative talents — “West Wing” creator Aaron Sorkin in the case of “Studio 60” and the Oscar-winning writers of “Crash” for “The Donnellys.”
And, yet, they’re flops. Grade A flops. Brie turned bad.
“Studio 60” started strong. Post-“Friends” Matthew Perry had shaken Chandler off. Yet, it was hard to care whether his character would get back together with his ex, Harriet, played by Sarah Paulson.
Their constant fights were tiring and increasingly bitter, and the pair had zero chemistry. Not only didn’t you want them to get together, you wanted them to stop talking to each other because all they did was argue — and not in a funny “Moonlighting” way. More like the way you fight with your own soon-to-be ex, with endless rehashings of who-did-what-when.
Yuck.
Then came “The Black Donnellys,” about four Irish American brothers sliding into organized crime in a dark and gloomy New York.
Again, yuck.
Not one Irish stereotype goes unturned — the rollicking wake, the dark green pub, a narrator laying on the blarney extra thick. The brothers themselves — Jimmy, Tommy, Kevin and Sean — are so flat and characterless they’re interchangeable.
One has a gambling problem, one has a drug problem, one has an impenetrable faux New York accent and one spends most of the time either moping or in a coma.
To be sure, “Donnellys” is beautifully shot. And, it lovingly spotlights a slice of endangered ethnic New York.
But with both “Studio” and “Donnellys,” it’s actually doubly disappointing when a coulda-been-good show goes bad — like uncorking a vintage wine and getting a mouthful of vinegar.
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Stephanie Hoo is asap’s business writer. | Only registered users can write comments.
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