“You
should come out with me. I’m like some dyke-sniffing
truffle hog.”
Lines
like this one aren’t exactly common fare for network sitcoms,
but on CBS’s new series Out of Practice, the
lesbian jokes flow freely. (In this case, the line is said by
a man to his lesbian sister, after his brother remarks sarcastically
that he must meet a lot of lesbians because his advances are
always being rebuffed.)
Besides
being frequent the Sapphic quips are generally funny, and the
writers don’t always resort to stereotypes to get the
laughs. They also aren’t afraid to use a word like “dyke,”
and in this case the bold choice of terms indicates a level
of comfort that implies respect.
One of the show’s primary characters,
Regina (Paula Marshall), is a lesbian, and her family members--who
comprise the remainder of the main players--are clearly accepting
enough to mention her sexual orientation in good-natured teasing.
The also take it as a matter of fact, as one of many enduring,
and even endearing, aspects of her personality.
The
fledgling show got off to a slow start last month.
The pilot came off as a typical laugh-track sitcom that not
even the big-ticket actors could rescue from caricature and
cliché. But pilots are for setting up basic premises,
introducing characters, and taking care of other necessary business.
While the ultimate goal is to generate a buzz and secure the
show’s success, it’s a rare sitcom that dazzles
right off the starting line.
But
the second and third episodes of Out of Practice show
clear improvement. The groundwork has been laid and everyone
can get on with the business of providing entertainment. And
it’s proving to be a well-written show with strong performances
and some clever lines. It even has its moments where the viewer’s
own laughter coincides with the canned variety provided.
The Barnes family is helmed by Lydia (Stockard Channing), a
hotshot cardiologist, and Stewart (Henry Winkler), the gastroenterologist
she has recently divorced. Their youngest son, Ben (Christopher
Gorham) is a couples counselor whose own marriage is failing,
and sister Regina is a busy E.R. doctor who needs constant stimulus--both
professionally and personally. Their older brother Oliver (Ty
Burrell) is a self-absorbed plastic surgeon who mainly occupies
himself with pursuing the prettiest women he can find (some
of whom he has worked on).
Stewart
has taken up with his thirty-something secretary Crystal (Jennifer
Tilly, who is actually 47 and looks damn good). Crystal has
had some unspecified work done by Oliver and plays a type similar
to her role as Violet in Bound, which her voice is perfectly
suited for.
One
of the show’s regular features is Lydia taking
cheap shots at her daughter’s grooming habits and girl-chasing
behavior. Lydia’s only lines that aren’t cheap shots
seem to be those that set up the cutting zingers she hurls.
The usual targets are her daughter, or her ex-husband and his
new girlfriend (as in: “Can I get you anything? A chair?
A pole?”).
But
how many lesbians haven’t had to endure nitpicky remarks
about their hair style and fashion choices? It's at least realistic.
