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Drew By Day; Comedy Tonight
Drew Carey host of The Price Is Right by Monty Brinton/CBS
Giggling at the antics of the slap-happy contestants who “come on down” at what he calls “the happiest place on Earth,” Drew Carey looks like he’s having a blast, and looks right at home, on the spiffed-up set of The Price Is Right as he takes over as host today. There’s no fuss and no ceremony, and outside of the introduction telling us we’re at the Bob Barker Studio in Television City, and that one of the games is still called “Barker’s Bargain Bar,” and that Carey chooses to sign off with the traditional plea to have your pets spayed, there’s no actual homage to the former host as the new Price era begins.
And yet, probably the greatest tribute to Bob Barker is that the show goes on, and goes on effortlessly with its funny-looking new ringleader, who appears to be genuinely tickled at the breathless excitement of the frantic folks who come to play the game. When one of the contestants does a cartwheel after taking the stage, Carey quips: “What are you going to do if you win it?” (He also throws in a reference to the classic comedy routine “Slowly I turn . . .” which seems to go over everyone’s head.) In short, he’s the right guy for the job, and for as long as he wants it (can’t imagine him sticking it out for 30-plus years unless the price really IS right), this man of the people will fit right in on the game show that still feels like TV’s most open-door party.
Keeping on the theme of TV’s lighter side, has anyone noted what a boom night Monday is for new comedies? Three engaging shows vie for attention in the 8 pm/ET hour, including NBC’s spy caper Chuck and CBS’s The Big Bang Theory, which is developing into a keeper (thankfully, no more visits to the sperm bank for smarmy sex jokes), with great buddy chemistry between Jim Parsons (a real find as the obsessively fussy Sheldon) and Johnny Galecki’s neurotic Leonard. When their other geeky genius friends visit (Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar), we’re talking ensemble bliss. Tonight’s episode sounds especially promising, with a guest appearance by Laurie Metcalf as Sheldon’s mother. (That makes two Roseanne veterans to appear on the show so far alongside Galecki; Sara Gilbert did a funny bit last week as a female geek who Leonard asked for a kiss: or, in geekspeak, “a biosocial exploration with a neurochemical overlay.”)
In the same time period (8:30 pm/ET), the CW’s underwatched Aliens in America is a charming alternative and a great fit with Everybody Hates Chris. Tonight’s episode is an excellent showcase for Adhir Kalyan as Raja, the Muslim exchange student Raja who remains sweet of soul even when the show gets a bit crude and obvious in scoring its punch lines. Raja’s unsentimental education in the ways of American adolescence (and local prejudices) takes a new twist as he is forced to lie about the non-existent “rocket club” his buddy Justin made up as a way to hang in private with his nerdy, sex-obsessed friends. When Raja goes shopping for supplies to build an actual rocket to alleviate his guilt, you can imagine the complications, since everyone in town still seems to think Raja is a closet terrorist. This show manages to satirize prejudice in a topical way without seeming too heavy-handed, largely thanks to Kalyan’s charming performance.
The newest welcome addition to the night, following on the high-stepping heels of Dancing With the Stars (at 9:30 pm/ET), is the sharp and slick Samantha Who?, a farce about amnesia, identity and reinvention that stars a very winning Christina Applegate as a woman who wakes from an eight-day coma with no memory of who she was, and the more she learns about herself to her horror, the more she’d like to forget.
“Bad Sam” (before the hit-and-run accident that put her in the hospital) was not a nice person, as we learn in occasional flashbacks of inexcusable behavior. New Sam, however, very much would like to be a better Sam, although she first has to mend fences with her estranged parents—Jean Smart is a hoot as her self-absorbed mother—and a nervous boyfriend (the terrifically appealing Barry Watson, bouncing back nicely from the forgettable What About Brian) who’s oddly ambivalent about Samantha’s reappearance. Doesn’t take long for us to discover why. There’s also strong support from Gilmore Girls’ bubbly Melissa McCarthy and the sultry Jennifer Esposito as, respectively, the angel and devil sidekicks who battle for what’s left of her soul. And Tim Russ, who mastered the deadpan as the dour Vulcan Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager, provides the voice of calm reason as Frank the doorman, who has observed Sam at her worst for far too long.
Applegate is adorable in the title role: dithery and zany as befits a comic heroine, as Sam reacts to each revelation about her true character in dismay; but also possessed of an actual spine, as she sets about trying to rewind her life, repair the damage and make not only herself but everyone around her aim higher. Next week, we follow her to work, where New Sam’s blunders are seen as wisdom by co-workers who still live in fear of Bad Sam. It’s a fun situation, but as is often the case with high-concept shows, comedy or drama, you can’t help wondering how long they can milk this premise before it gets old. Samantha is also handicapped by ABC’s inordinate fondness for the single-camera filmed comedy format, with busy graphics adding a veneer of sophistication when what you might prefer are the belly-laughs you get in the traditional sitcom set-ups so confidently displayed on CBS’s Monday lineup.
Still, we can look at all of this comic activity on Mondays as a sign that TV comedy, despite the doom-and-gloom headlines, isn’t quite dead yet.
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Oct 15, 2007 9:15 AM
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I hope ABC gives the promising "Sam" starring the talented Applegate time to grow and not hastily cancel it like "Crumbs" which was very good and also followed "DWTS"!
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Oct 15, 2007 1:11 PM
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> I hope ABC gives the promising "Sam" starring the
> talented Applegate time to grow and not hastily
> cancel it like "Crumbs" which was very good and also
> followed "DWTS!"
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Oct 15, 2007 1:12 PM
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Where's mention of How I Met Your Mother?! I love that show and still can't understand why people aren't watching it. How can people tune in to Big Bang Theory (which I do like) but not Mother? What are they watching in that first 1/2 hour. It's up against all hourlong shows.
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Oct 15, 2007 2:12 PM
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I'm looking forward to Samantha Who?, I'm just worried about its day and time slot. I think it should replace Cavemen and air in that slot instead.
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Oct 15, 2007 2:16 PM
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I'm looking forward to Samantha Who?, I'm just worried about its day and time slot. I think it should replace Cavemen and air in that slot instead.
Posted by shopbop170 Oct 15, 2007 2:16 PM
Same with me, shopbop! It seems weird that they put it in between DWTS & The Bachelor ... like they were just trying to fill that 1/2 hour. Although that said, I don't know that Tuesday would be the right spot for it (IMO, it just doesn't seem like it would be compatible with Carpoolers). IMO, they should probably do away with both Cavemen and Carpoolers and find another 1/2 hour sitcom (and not According to Jim ... I'm thinking something new that's similar in style) and pair it with Samantha Who? on Tuesday. Of course, all that said, I'll definetely be watching Samantha Who? tonight!
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Oct 15, 2007 2:36 PM
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I've been looking forward to watching Samantha Who but I'm afraid it won't have a chance in that day/time slot. Heroes' fans will never leave - too loyal.
I love ABC's line up for all of the other nights. I don't even bother watching other stations (except for Heroes and 24).
But Tuesday night has needed a lot of work for a long time! You could ditch DWTS AND Bachelor as far as I'm concerned. They have worn out their interest.
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Oct 15, 2007 5:34 PM
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I only watch Big Bang because it's sandwiched between two of my must-see-tv shows (How I Met Your Mother and Heroes). Because of that, I tape Chuck and now will also tape Samantha Who. All of this and I also watch Journeyman. Yum, I love Monday nights.
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Oct 15, 2007 6:22 PM
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Thinking about Samantha Who? a little bit more (and btw, I watched the show tonight and loved it) ... it does seem strange to have it kind of sandwiched between DWTS and The Bachelor (almost like they were just trying to fill a 30 minute time slot), but I actually think it'll probably do well in this time slot. I mean you have DWTS going off, which is a huge ratings getter, and then this and I think they'll probably have very similar audiences. Of course, why would anyone switch from Heroes with 30 minutes left anyway for this or anything else? Answer is they won't, so they weren't going to get those viewers anyway, but with the ratings DWTS gets, if Samantha Who? holds onto even half they'll be doing good! I think the show will do very good in the ratings when they post tomorrow and hopefully they'll continue to do just as well in the following weeks!
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Oct 15, 2007 11:17 PM
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Saw Samantha Who after my favorite - DWTS - It was very cute and funny! Unfortunately DWTS is time-limited and won't continue as its lead-in for every long. I also wonder, as you do, how long the premise of the show can be kept up!
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Oct 16, 2007 11:06 AM
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"Where's mention of How I Met Your Mother?! I love that show and still can't understand why people aren't watching it. How can people tune in to Big Bang Theory (which I do like) but not Mother? What are they watching in that first 1/2 hour. It's up against all hourlong shows."
I agree completely! Mother is definitely the reason I tuned into TV on Monday nights. I hope this season can live up to last season, which I just bought on DVD. The first series DVD I've ever purchased! Big Bang Theory has me hooked. Jim Parsons' Sheldon character is a revelation. What great timing he has. Last night's episode was not my favorite, but it still had some laugh out loud moments. I hope this show, well, BOTH these shows get the backing, promotion and viewership they deserve.
And did I mention Neil Patrick Harris was robbed at the Emmys??? Crazy.
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Oct 16, 2007 7:41 PM
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as far as HIMYM, is concerned, I thought the topic was new comedies, which HIMYM is not
I LOVE Big Bang Theory...I knew people like the guys...ok ok I was one of them ...and I wonder if the guys were named for Sheldon Leonard, the producer
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Oct 17, 2007 2:52 PM
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