He may have just graduated from his long-running stint playing
Will Truman on the Emmy Award-winning
”
Will
&
amp; Grace,
”
but actor-turned-producer Eric McCormack has rebounded quite
nicely with the intoxicating
”
Lovespring International
”
(three-and-a-half stars out of four).
By Greg Archer
He may have just graduated from his long-running stint playing Will Truman on the Emmy Award-winning “Will & Grace,” but actor-turned-producer Eric McCormack has rebounded quite nicely with the intoxicating “Lovespring International” (three-and-a-half stars out of four).
McCormack’s new Lifetime series, which airs at 11pm Monday, is one of the brightest entries in a summer season that finds more creative meat on cable, even though the broadcast networks now resort to airing original programming between spring and fall.
If NBC’s “The Office” and HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” spawned a love child, it would be “Lovespring International.” The new half-hour improvisational comedy series chronicles the misadventures in a dating service marketed to customers as an “elite Beverly Hills” company – despite its location in Tarzana, Calif.
The “relationship counselors” are a gaggle of dysfunctional misfits, and their attempts to feverishly find love for their clients are overshadowed by their inability to do it for themselves. Imaginative, inventive and perfectly executed, Lifetime has already ordered more episodes beyond the original six slated to air through July.
More good news, although it may smack of a “Will & Grace” ploy, is that the series will feature a handful of guest stars in its freshman season. Most notable is W & G alum – and McCormack’s former sidekick – Sean Hayes. Expect Dave Foley (“NewsRadio”) to appear in an upcoming episode.
As for the main cast, they are, for the most part, downright stellar. McCormack has managed to assemble some of the freshest and funnies talent in this ensemble comedy.
At the forefront is Jane Lynch, who morphs into pill-popping/Botox-loving Victoria Ratchford here, the matriarch of the long-standing matchmaking agency. Ratchford, a great character actress, turned heads last year in “The 40-year-old Virgin.” Her ballsy, steely resolve tends to steal scenes, but you can’t really get enough of her.
Also on board is Sam Pancake, whose character, Burke, has a penchant for male clients, even though he’s married. Wendi McLendon-Covey, Jack Plotnick and Mystro Clark also star, but it’s Jennifer Elise Cox (Jan in “The Brady Bunch” movies) who steals the show as Lovespring’s ditsy company receptionist, Tiffany. She resents having to offer clients the infamous “Lovespring” cheese platter at their first meeting; another episode finds hers helping out a Lovespring client who wonders if the agency can find a match for her dog. Keep your eye on Cox. It’s hard to imagine her celebrity not traveling farther north than it already has.
I’m curious to see how this series evolves, but from the looks of things so far, the view is just fine. This Monday’s episode features a guest spot by McCormack himself, which should prove captivating only because it may take the actor – and us – time to get used him performing out of Will mode. In any case, grab the DVR or TIVO controls, and be sure to catch this enticing new series.
GET CLOSE TO the ‘CLOSER’
The SAG Award-nominated dream show, TNT’s “The Closer,” is set to launch its second season at 9pm June 12. The fresh, smartly written dialogue in this series is enough to lure you in and keep you glued to the couch, but it’s headliner Kyra Sedgwick – in the role of her career – that fuels this drama with a understated intensity that hasn’t really been matched by actresses in other televised dramas.
Is Sedgwick the best actress on television today? She very well could be. And Emmy voters ought to take notice. Sedgwick, who plays Brenda Johnson, won raves from the get-go when the series first premiered last summer, playing an Atlanta transplant brought into the Priority Homicide Division of the Los Angeles Police Department. As the only female on an all-male team, Sedgwick’s seemingly sweet Southern interrogation style masked a particularly unconventional way to getting to the bottom of a police investigation seen. Take note of J.K. Simmons (“Spider-Man,” “Law & Order,” “Oz”) in a perfect role – playing Brenda’s boss.
TONY TIME
Theater lovers, take note: The 60th Annual Tony Awards will hit CBS at 8pm Sunday. The most interesting nominees this year seem to be in the Best Musical category, where Oprah’s “The Color Purple” is up against “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Jersey Boys” and New Line Cinema’s “The Wedding Singer.” Is it just me, or are both the film and theater world lacking in original concepts? “The Wedding Singer” on Broadway? What’s next? “The Water Boy?”
Greg Archer is an entertainment writer based on the Central Coast. He writes about the TV, film and being human. E-mail him at ga*****@**********rs.com or visit www.greg-archer.com.
