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It's a dog's world
By ERIC DEGGANS, Times TV Critic
© St. Petersburg Times Watching Steve Burns preside over Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues, it's hard to imagine anyone else who could handle the job. Facing the camera with sincere good humor, Burns walks his young fans through a magical world where dogs talk on the telephone and paw prints come alive to help solve puzzles. With most of the show's characters and set animated on a computer "blue screen," Burns must react as if the show's namesake Blue -- an animated, polka-dotted puppy who eats cereal with a spoon and colors with crayons -- really is jumping in front of him. He's open and energetic without getting out of control, and he talks simply to children without talking down to them (he even sneaks in a little sign language, briefly signing "thanks" once in a while). So imagine how 23-year-old actor Donovan Patton feels replacing him. Patton, whose experience until now has been limited to stage work, was chosen from 1,500 actors to play Steve's brother, Joe, who takes over the show during a 90-minute special dubbed "Meet Joe." After Monday's special, new episodes featuring Joe will air at 10 a.m. weekdays during Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. programming block, while reruns starring Steve will be broadcast at 12:30 p.m. weekdays. "I like to think of it as, I'm the Patrick Stewart to (Burns') William Shatner," said Patton, who learned the hosting ropes from Burns in rehearsals the same way his character learns the Blue's Clues game during the show. "At first, I was a little daunted by it. I wasn't quite sure how it was going to work," Patton said of acting against the blue screen. "(But) I got to practice and kind of dip my toe into the water at first and then fully go in and swim." One reason producers may be skittish about the change: persistent rumors years ago that Burns had died, which the actor countered by appearing on The Rosie O'Donnell Show and the Today show in 1998. To help the show's preschool fans make the transition to Patton, Monday's special will be divided into three episodes: first, Steve introduces his brother, Joe; next, Steve teaches Joe how to play Blue's Clues; finally, Steve announces plans to go to college, and Joe enlists viewers' help to plan his farewell party. Producers are confident viewers will like Patton. That's because they've already asked them. In line with Nickelodeon's legendary penchant for testing, Blue's Clues producers circulated Patton's screen test among focus groups of preschoolers. "You'd assume it would be easy: striped shirt, blue screen, blue dog . . . (but) many (actors) just didn't have a clue, so to speak," joked Brown Johnson, executive vice president of Nick Jr., who in January showed TV critics a facetious video of stars Billy Bob Thornton and Phyllis Diller, among others, trying out for the role. Burns' departure (reportedly, he wanted to try other things after five years in the green striped rugby shirt and khaki pants) also provided an opportunity for other changes. Joe will bring a new theme song and new characters (including another animated dog, Polka Dots). And to reflect his love of colors, Joe will wear different-colored rugby shirts each day, to the relief of some fans' parents. "We got a lot of feedback from mothers that said, "My child will not change his shirt,' " Johnson said, laughing. And how does a 23-year-old gear up for a half-hour with 2- to 5-year-olds? "Essentially, you just think of one 3-year-old," Patton said. "(And) I have a little sister, who is now 5, so I have that experience . . . interacting with her to be responsive and playful without, you know, pandering." AT A GLANCE: The three "Meet Joe" episodes of Blue's Clues air as a 90-minute special at 7 p.m. Monday and 12:30 p.m. Tuesday on Nickelodeon. It also will air at 7 a.m. Saturday on WTSP-Ch. 10 as part of CBS' Nick Jr. programming block. Grade: A.
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