If you're a regular television viewer, you probably know that CBS just brought back "The Odd Couple." Well, no, not the reruns with Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. They've revamped and recast and re-jiggered and brought it all up to 2015 prime time code. The first couple of episodes got decent Nielsen numbers but, then again, it's airing right after the nation's #1 sitcom, "The Big Bang Theory." Dead air could get better ratings in this time slot against whatever NBC's got on.
Naturally, as a fan of the original movie as well as the Randall/Klugman TV series, I was going to be a tough critic. This would have to be over-the-moon fantastic to register with me. So, I am acknowledging that challenge from the get-go. But, in reality, I didn't think this version of "The Odd Couple" was going to make me as mad as it has.
Let's get the good news out of the way. It's a multi-camera sitcom shot in front of a live audience. Welcome back to that tried-and-true format first mastered by the genius of Desi Arnaz back in 1951. Why this type of sitcom has fallen into disfavor with creative folks and network types is beyond me. Indeed, when you look at the top-ranked sitcoms running in syndication over the years, they are all multi-camera. "I Love Lucy." "Two and a Half Men." "Everybody Loves Raymond." Hell, reruns of "Big Bang" are keeping TBS alive most of the day. So, the fact that "The Odd Couple" is playing to live people laughing away on a bleacher is music to my ears.
And that's it for the good news.
This reboot of "The Odd Couple" was first announced in December of 2013. It finally aired in February 2015. You would think that, with all the prep time, they would get it at least half-right. I'm looking at the names of the writers involved and they've all got pedigrees that I welcome. Folks from the likes of "Desperate Housewives" and "Frasier" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Mad About You." Supposedly, original producer Garry Marshall shows up to consult, probably around lunchtime. Okay, that's a solid writers' room.
Wait! Among the list of producers is star Matthew Perry, who's playing the messy Oscar Madison. Oops. Yellow flag from me. And, once I see the product on air (featuring a co-writing credit for Matthew), the yellow flag quickly goes to red. And it's a major on-air collision with casualties.
Truth be told, as much of a fan I was of "Friends," the character I liked least was Chandler. And, frankly, of the six actors in the cast, I always thought Matthew Perry was the least adept. He always seemed to be trying too hard to push the joke over the top. You could hear his line five minutes before he said it. Western Union hasn't done that much telegraphing. And, as a result of this forced performance, Perry's work on "Friends" lacked heart.
Unsurprisingly, that's the problem with this version of "The Odd Couple." It's funny and loaded with one-liners but it's missing the connective tissue that allows you to relate with the characters. The fascia that makes you want to share their joy and feel their pain. All the classic TV sitcoms down through the years have this ability. "The Odd Couple" in 2015 does not. At the core of this deficiency is one Matthew Perry.
As Oscar, Matthew drives through every line like a German panzer knocking down a French villa. He's living for the punchlines and nothing else. He seems to be on stage simply to crack a joke and seemingly has no connection to any of the other characters. Amazingly, he has no chemistry with Thomas Lennon, who's doing a decent job as the fastidious Felix even though that character comes off way too much like David Hyde Pierce's Niles in "Frasier." So, if there's no organic acting relationship between Oscar and Felix, well, my God, your show has sunk so deeper that even James Cameron's cameras can't find it.
That's the biggest problem with "The Odd Couple," but, wait, there are others. Because network development dopes can't leave well enough, they've recreated "The Odd Couple" but brought it up to 2015 sensibilities. That means we will be treated to diverse characters and actors. Hey, I have no problems casting all colors. The proper way to do this is to write it all pigment-blind. But, no. In this edition of "The Odd Couple," Oscar's assistant, once Penny "Myrna Turner" Marshall, is now essayed by a smart and sassy Black woman who is, in herself, the worst possible stereotype imaginable. Why?
Meanwhile, the scripts are littered with so many Twitter and hashtag and Facebook references that the episodes will be incomprehensible and dated when they rerun a year from now. Ask yourself why "I Love Lucy" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" are still hot commodities to this day. Very simple. They kept current events out of the writing.
Oh, sure, the folks at "The Odd Couple" did their best to bring over elements from the original concept. In fact, the plot line of the Broadway play was essentially the foundation of the pilot script. Yes, there were the poker playing cronies (one Black, of course). Yes, there were the sisters who lived in the building. But, what happens when you take a two-and-a-half hour play and reduce it to 22 minutes?
The heart gets removed. And, yeah, I already told you that.
So, yes, this reboot and updating of "The Odd Couple" was unnecessary. It's completely emblematic of the lack of creativity in today's Hollywood system. They think they can strike gold again just by bringing it all from the 50s or 60s to current-day America. Er, I think not. But I doubt we have seen the last of these atrocities. Can you imagine the following excerpts from future editions of TV Guide?
THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW: Deputy Barney Fife gets himself into a pickle when he practices a choke hold on gas station attendant Gomer Perez.
MY THREE SONS: Steve and Uncle Charlie have to find out which of their three foster sons is the owner of the crack pipe they found in the garage.
GET SMART: The President (special guest star Hillary Clinton) asks Max and 99 to infiltrate the Tea Party.
THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW: Rob Petrie gets in hot water when he accidentally unfriends boss Alan Brady on Facebook.
HOGAN'S HEROES: Hogan and the gang are up against it as they realize they have to escape the prison camp before tomorrow's Isis beheading.
I LOVE LUCY: Lucy's plan to sneak into her husband's act go up in smoke when neighbor Ethel Yoshimura tweets Lucy's revelation that Ricky has a small penis.
You think this is all impossible and over the top?
Um, just wait.
Dinner last night: Stir fry vegetables.
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