Ray Romano is back in a winning gamble on TNT
A scene from the new TNT television program,
THE SHOW "Men of a Certain Age"
WHEN | WHERE Monday nightfrom 10-11 on TNT
THREE REASONS TO WATCH Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula
WHAT IT'S ABOUT Three guys in L.A., late middle-aged, stuck in whatever old habits - good, bad or otherwise - they are stuck in, find solace in their friendship. Their bond approaches brotherhood, for they can forgive each other their failings, but are pretty much the only ones who can.
There's Joe Tranelli (Romano), father of two, recently divorced from Sonia (Penelope Ann Miller). He has a wicked gambling habit he can't quite break, and he even gets visits from his bookie at work (he manages a party supply outlet). Then, there's Owen Thoreau Jr. (Andre Braugher), also with two kids. He works for his father, car dealership owner Owen Sr. (Richard Gant), a rock-ribbed disciplinarian who treats Junior like junior - to the disgust of Junior's wife, Melissa (Lisa Gay Hamilton). Finally, there's Terry Elliot (Bakula), a playboy suffering from arrested development. He's approaching 50 and battles life's little setbacks with the emotional detachment of a 15-year-old. They spend a lot of time working their Stuff out over coffee at Norm's, a local diner.
MY SAY You know that famous line from "Walden"? "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation - what is called resignation is confirmed desperation." And there, ladies and gentlemen, is your pithy if sobering summation of "Men."
At turns it's sad, poignant, bitter and funny (yes, more than enough turns in that direction). It should be interesting to see how Romano fans react to his return to series television after four years away.
I think he's brilliant here - sort of how Ray Barone would have ended up had life dealt him some really bad cards (although Ray would have no one to blame but himself for the lousy hand). Joe's self-loathing is sometimes palpable, but there's redemption and humor in his pathos.
Tonight's pilot is uneven, however, while "Men" sometimes feels like it's on the wrong network: It's HBO-ish, or FX-ish, but not quite TNT-ish - another way of saying don't be too shocked when you see Joe not quite acting like Ray.
BOTTOM LINE Reasonably good pilot, but stick around for the subsequent episodes. This show gets better and better.
GRADE A
