Summer TV is officially over and now it’s time to look back on the summer that was, including some shows that probably flew under most people’s radars…[Part 1 of 2]
Starz’ “Power”…Starz decided to take a break from technically glorious but stuffy period pieces and make this “urban” “crime” “drama.” Now if you’re wondering why I put each of those words in quote marks, it’s because the show feels like wholesale bullshit that is less realistic about the world of drug kingpins than an old episode of Walker, Texas Ranger. See, crime shows have to work on any one of three levels: ultra-realism (The Wire) or in-depth character studies (The Sopranos, Breaking Bad) or breakneck pacing (The Shield). “Power” fails all three tests because it’s crime world might as well be penned by J.K. Rowling for all its realism, its characters never surpass two dimensions (the core four characters never come off as real people, and the main character never lets you fully inside his head), and the sparse action is more in the bedroom than through plot dynamics. Grade for Season One: C [Although 50 Cent’s recently-released-from-jail antagonist promises to at least up the thrill level next season.]
Vicious…This BBC sitcom came to PBS in the summer and even though it is terribly old-fashioned (a screeching laugh track, 90 percent of it is set in one room, only one member of the main cast is younger than 65, etc.) it’s not without its charms. Derek Jacobi and Ian McKellan play an acid-tongued gay couple who’ve been together for decades but can’t stop cutting each other down. The verbal duels draw you in, and the obligatory “sweet endings” aren’t that hard to swallow and are over soon enough. Sure, if you missed it, it would be fine, but just McKellan’s delivery alone is worth watching. Grade for Series: B-
The Assets…This lame spy miniseries was cancelled very early in the game by ABC last February (it aired only 2 of the 8 episodes), but they finished it in the summer. It’s based on the real-life hunt for a notorious CIA traitor who turned out to be Aldrich Ames, a man who merely sold the names of CIA “assets” in the Russian government. The heroes are one-note, shrill, and boring, and a better series would have at least posed the question “If all Aldrich is really doing is selling the names of Russian double agents back to Moscow, then is he really betraying his government?” But this series isn’t interested in shades of gray or interesting questions. The sole bright-spot: an absolutely mesmerizing performance by Paul Rhys as spooky spook Ames. Something in his portrayal is haunted and captivating. A good actor does well with a good character in a good tv show, but a great actor keeps you hanging on his every word even when the show is otherwise un-involving. Grade: C
Crossbones…A straight turd of a series that is so bad, I can’t believe I actually watched the whole thing. There were about five times an episode when I wondered why I was watching this, and if there was some flaw in my character that permitted me to keep watching. Tracy Ifeachor (female pirate Nenna) and Yasmine al Massri (as Blackbeard’s second wife) are destined for better things, but I hope I never see the rest of the cast in anything else…and I think that might even extend to John Malkovich. Grade for Series: D [And the sad thing is, a show about a British naval officer who has to go undercover as a pirate on Blackbeard’s island—the world’s first democracy—is actually a pretty interesting idea. Too bad this series has no interest in following through on it, instead getting lost in eye-rolling subplots involving Blackbeard’s “ghost” first wife or the spy himself, who’s too boring to spend ten minutes with.]
Maron…The strongest show of the lot, and the second season (to me) felt slightly improved over the first one. Marc Maron—of all the people playing themselves on TV, he feels the most similar to his TV alter ego—feels like a more appealing lead this time out, with toned-down self-righteousness and better guest stars (like the brash standup who guilts him into help after Maron inadvertently steals a joke). Grade for Season 2: B+