TV Jots

So Far, Not So Good

On Monday night, I checked out “Before and After,” the series premiere of TNT’s latest original offering Trust Me. The episode was not only pretty boring, despite likable and talented stars Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) and Tom Cavanagh (Ed), but it also didn’t inspire me to tune in next week (although I will just to see if things improve).

The biggest issue with the first hour is that all of the characters introduced are either uninteresting or unbelievable. Worse, the first assessment applies to the plot, as well, never a good thing when trying to convince viewers a show is worth watching again.

The action opens with Life on Mars star Jason O’Mara playing anger-challenged creative director Stu Hoffman. Calm down, Mars fans, because Stu quickly drops dead from a heart attack at 43 after a relentlessly long and silly tirade provoked by a cell-phone advertising campaign gone awry. The client doesn’t like the tagline his team came up with, you see, and egomaniac Stu blames the people who work under him, but primarily Mason (McCormack), a nuts-and-bolts type business-savvy guy whom many seem to believe lacks genuine creative talent.

After Stu hurls his last loud and lengthy round of spittle-fueled insults at him, Mason reluctantly takes over Stu’s position, thanks to a promotion from the big boss, group creative director Tony Mink (Griffin Dunne). Of course, very creative and very childish Conner (Cavanagh) cops an attitude when he learns his work partner is now his superior, and he refuses to help Mason come up with a better tagline for the client.

While that drama is unfolding, hotshot newcomer Sarah Krajicek-Hunter (Monica Potter) arrives from a rival agency, expecting an office with a window and much respect for her many awards, as promised by Stu, the person who hired her to be his partner. Her disappointment after learning she’ll be treated like any other cubicle dweller now that he’s dead — complete with annoying, intrusive colleagues Tom (Mike Damus) and Hector (Geoffrey Arend), a junior creative team — is only topped by her dismayed reaction when her former boss refuses to rehire her because he’s always hated her arrogance. He’d rather let her position sit unfilled forever than take her back.

All of the blah storylines and blah characters wouldn’t be so bad if all of the cast members were actually funny. Thankfully, O’Mara’s strained performance seems to be a one-shot deal. But, Potter is a series regular, and she, like him, just doesn’t have the comedic chops or experience to pull off most of her dialog successfully.

McCormack and Cavanagh, on the other hand, are naturals. Their characters are just too dull and idiotic, respectively, which makes it difficult to care what happens to them so far. Let’s see if things progress next week during the second episode, February 2nd’s “All Hell the Victors.”