20 Good Years
Ken Kennedy's(KENNEDY!) Number One Fan
(Wednesdays at 8:00/7:00c this fall)
The network's description: "This high-energy comedy follows two New Yorkers
who have finally realized that life doesn't last forever. Mismatched buddies
John Mason (Emmy Award winner John Lithgow, "3rd Rock from the Sun"), an
impulsive, thrice-divorced surgeon who has been forced into retirement --
and Jeffrey Pyne (Jeffrey Tambor, "Arrested Development"), a widower judge
who agonizes over every situation -- are polar opposites in every way. The
one thing the duo can agree on is that they only have about 20 good years
left and both men vow to live each day as if it were their last -- with no
regrets. "20 Good Years" also stars Heather Burns ("Bewitched") as John's
pregnant daughter Stella, and Jake Sandvig ("The Story of Us") as Hugh,
Jeffrey's un-motivated son."
What did they leave out: That's pretty much it.
The plot in a nutshell: Sixtysomething best friends John Mason (John
Lithgow) and Jeffrey Pyne (Jeffrey Tambor) are both facing their late-life
crises. For multi-divorcee John it's being put out to pasture at the
hospital and for Jeffrey it's his girlfriend's (Judith Light) ultimatum that
they get married. At his birthday party however John decides he's not going
to let the last "20 good years" slip by and that he and Jeffrey should live
each day to the fullest. More specifically to try something they've never
done before each day - in the pilot's case, jumping into the freezing ocean
first thing in the morning. After some prodding - John is the loud,
charismatic one and Jeffrey is the quiet, nebbish one - Jeffrey agrees to go
along and so their adventure begins. Along the way we also meet their grown
children - John's daughter Stella (Heather Burns), a schoolteacher who's
decided to get pregnant on her own and Jeffrey's son Hugh (Jake Sandvig),
who recently dropped out of college to become a model.
What works: In today's single-camera dominated TV landscape, it's downright
refreshing to see a good old-fashioned sitcom done right. Lithgow
essentially drives the show, reminding us why he won three Emmys for "3rd
Rock from the Sun." His manic, boisterous delivery is uniquely his own and
is great to see back on TV again. Tambor is no slouch either and his
presence gives Lithgow a great springboard. Another refreshing aspect is
that this isn't four mean-spirited people ripping on each other for a half
an hour. Lithgow and Tambor simply take the concept and run with it, diving
head first into even the goofiest of aspects (Lithgow, for instance, appears
in a Speedo more than once). The show also wisely avoids any kind of "aren't
old people crazy" leanings (i.e. there's no rapping granny) as any idiocy is
a result of the characters themselves rather than sixtysomethings as a
whole.
What doesn't: It's not going to revolutionize the television comedy or even
signal the revival of the multi-camera sitcom, but it is darn funny. And
that's all that matters.
The challenges ahead: Can NBC spearhead a comedy block on Wednesday nights,
something it hasn't tried in years?
COMING TOMORROW: ABC's "Notes from the Underbelly"
--
Spreading the gospel of Kennedy one post at a time.
MRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR....KENNEDY........KENNEDY!