Twenty Good Years
Y
Oct 11, 2006
8:30-9 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 11
NBC
If nothing else, you have to applaud NBC for courageously ignoring demographic pressures and committing to "Twenty Good Years," a comedy that is about aging baby boomers on the cusp of retirement. Sadly, there is nothing else.
OK, that's an exaggeration. No series with veteran comedic actors John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor can be dismissed out of hand. But if "Twenty" proves anything, it's that even gifted performers can't conceal the flaws of a truly uninspired script, though they can distract from them here and there.
Lithgow plays John Mason, a brash and egotistical surgeon with a track record for loving not wisely but too well. His alimony payments to three wives are nonetheless manageable until he is reminded by hospital administrators that, along with his 60th birthday, comes a mandatory reduction in workload.
Tambor is Jeffrey Pyne, a judge with a deliberative style on and off the bench. It's not clear how, but he's been John's good friend for 40 years. For the last three of them, Jeffrey, a widower, has gone with Gina (guest star Judith Light). She's grown weary of his inability to commit and orders him to pop the question during John's birthday party.
With both men at a crossroads, John is struck by the notion that they have, at best, 20 more years to enjoy life. He sells Jeffrey on the idea that they must fill each day with adventure, starting with a dip in icy waters off Coney Island. The Speedo scene that ensues is destined for a place in the Guinness Book of Agonizing Sitcom Moments.
The premise has merit, but Marsh McCall's script confuses hysterics with wit, and the whole thing feels like bad dinner theater. Twenty good years? I'd settle for two good laughs.
The supporting cast consists of Jake Sandvig, who plays Jeffrey's son Hugh, a male model, and Heather Burns, who is John's daughter, Stella, about to give birth to a child conceived with the help of a sperm bank. It's unclear whether they'll figure much in the series. They have little to do in the pilot, and NBC sent out no subsequent episodes.
Lacking anything funny to say, Tambor does what he can to create a full-blooded character, and enjoys modest success. Lithgow, on the other hand, compensates with an over-the-top performance, even by "3rd Rock From the Sun" standards. This guy's supposed to be a surgeon? You wouldn't trust him to change bedpans.
Not too long ago, NBC sent a signal that it had misjudged the potency of this pedantic show. Announced in May as the lead show in the hourlong comedy block, the network has since decided to start the hour with "30 Rock" and then hope viewers will stick around. Even that is optimistic.
TWENTY GOOD YEARS
NBC
Werner-Gold-Miller and Marsh McCall Prods. in association with Warner Bros. Television
Credits:
Executive producers: Marsh McCall, Tom Werner, Eric Gold, Jimmy Miller
Producer: Pamela Grant
Executive consultant: Michael Leeson
Director: Terry Hughes
Teleplay: Marsh McCall
Creators/story: Michael Leeson, Marsh McCall
Director of photography: Rick Gunter
Editor: Skip Collector
Music: Steve Hampton, John Adair
Set designer: Bonnie Bennets
Casting: Bruce H. Newberg
Cast:
John Mason: John Lithgow
Jeffrey Pyne: Jeffrey Tambor
Stella Mason: Heather Burns
Hugh Pyne: Jake Sandvig
Gina: Judith Light
Annette: Paula Cale
NBC
If nothing else, you have to applaud NBC for courageously ignoring demographic pressures and committing to "Twenty Good Years," a comedy that is about aging baby boomers on the cusp of retirement. Sadly, there is nothing else.
OK, that's an exaggeration. No series with veteran comedic actors John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor can be dismissed out of hand. But if "Twenty" proves anything, it's that even gifted performers can't conceal the flaws of a truly uninspired script, though they can distract from them here and there.
Lithgow plays John Mason, a brash and egotistical surgeon with a track record for loving not wisely but too well. His alimony payments to three wives are nonetheless manageable until he is reminded by hospital administrators that, along with his 60th birthday, comes a mandatory reduction in workload.
Tambor is Jeffrey Pyne, a judge with a deliberative style on and off the bench. It's not clear how, but he's been John's good friend for 40 years. For the last three of them, Jeffrey, a widower, has gone with Gina (guest star Judith Light). She's grown weary of his inability to commit and orders him to pop the question during John's birthday party.
With both men at a crossroads, John is struck by the notion that they have, at best, 20 more years to enjoy life. He sells Jeffrey on the idea that they must fill each day with adventure, starting with a dip in icy waters off Coney Island. The Speedo scene that ensues is destined for a place in the Guinness Book of Agonizing Sitcom Moments.
The premise has merit, but Marsh McCall's script confuses hysterics with wit, and the whole thing feels like bad dinner theater. Twenty good years? I'd settle for two good laughs.
The supporting cast consists of Jake Sandvig, who plays Jeffrey's son Hugh, a male model, and Heather Burns, who is John's daughter, Stella, about to give birth to a child conceived with the help of a sperm bank. It's unclear whether they'll figure much in the series. They have little to do in the pilot, and NBC sent out no subsequent episodes.
Lacking anything funny to say, Tambor does what he can to create a full-blooded character, and enjoys modest success. Lithgow, on the other hand, compensates with an over-the-top performance, even by "3rd Rock From the Sun" standards. This guy's supposed to be a surgeon? You wouldn't trust him to change bedpans.
Not too long ago, NBC sent a signal that it had misjudged the potency of this pedantic show. Announced in May as the lead show in the hourlong comedy block, the network has since decided to start the hour with "30 Rock" and then hope viewers will stick around. Even that is optimistic.
TWENTY GOOD YEARS
NBC
Werner-Gold-Miller and Marsh McCall Prods. in association with Warner Bros. Television
Credits:
Executive producers: Marsh McCall, Tom Werner, Eric Gold, Jimmy Miller
Producer: Pamela Grant
Executive consultant: Michael Leeson
Director: Terry Hughes
Teleplay: Marsh McCall
Creators/story: Michael Leeson, Marsh McCall
Director of photography: Rick Gunter
Editor: Skip Collector
Music: Steve Hampton, John Adair
Set designer: Bonnie Bennets
Casting: Bruce H. Newberg
Cast:
John Mason: John Lithgow
Jeffrey Pyne: Jeffrey Tambor
Stella Mason: Heather Burns
Hugh Pyne: Jake Sandvig
Gina: Judith Light
Annette: Paula Cale
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