Doesn’t it suck when things that seem so, so great end up going so, so horribly wrong? No, I’m not talking about Eliot Spitzer, though that certainly is disheartening. I’m talking about The Return of Jezebel James, the new series from Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. It stars Parker Posey, Lauren Ambrose and Dianne Weist. The premiere is tonight at 8/7c on Fox.
But that litany of great names might add up to nothing. The reviews and promo clips are not pretty. Says the L.A. Times,
The problem is that from these folks you expect a fascinating female lead, but you get instead every uptight, cellphone-clenching, relationship-avoiding, food-issue-riven working woman you’ve ever seen (and never met).
Uh-oh. Plus, there’s a laugh track, which … why? The Boston Globe notes that the show’s stars deserve better:
With her soft deadpan and her renegade vibe, [Ambrose] doesn’t belong within a mile of a laugh track. … Posey, so adept at being both ironic and sympathetic, is no better off in this unfunny mire.
Sigh. Still, I’ll probably tune in, and maybe it will be better than it sounds. Or at least better than reading one more headline about Spitzer.
On Saturday, Lifetime offers the return of Alyssa Milano, in Wisegal. She plays a young widow who ascends to power in the mob. I dunno, Lifetime, that’s not a very impressive title — why not something like Mother, May I Sleep With the Mob Now That My Husband Is Neither My Stepson nor My Lover?
Milano also produced the film. The Lifetime website has a gallery called “Alyssa Milano: Through the Years” to keep you entertained until Wisegal debuts. It includes this cute photo:
I think the real winner of the weekend is likely to be John Adams, starring Paul Giamatti and the always impressive Laura Linney. It starts at 8/7c on HBO and will probably be much more educational than any of my high school history classes. Here’s the trailer:
If that sounds too serious for you, switch over to World’s Funniest Commercials, hosted by Kathy Griffin. The theme is “Hilarious Liaisons,” which could mean a same-sex pairing or two. It airs at 8/7c on TBS.
