Desperate viewers?
ABC pre-empts its popular housewives for another week to debut John Stamos' sitcom. Meanwhile, Kelsey Grammer goes for laughs on Fox. Want something weightier? Try CBS.
By CHASE SQUIRES
Published March 12, 2005
A busy month of television continues Sunday with a pair of new comedy offerings on Fox and ABC (nope, no Desperate Housewives this week, either) and a tear-jerking made-for-TV movie on CBS.
ABC jumps in the Desperate Housewives slot temporarily with back-to-back episodes of its new sitcom Jake in Progress, starring John Stamos ("cool" uncle Jesse from Full House). Jake is the story of a celebrity publicist juggling the professional demands of weird clients while overcoming his playboy tendencies to find a mate.
It's light, it's trite, it's not bad. With enough quirky supporting characters, it has a chance to make it into the rotation this fall.
The show moves into its regular spot Thursday with an episode at 8 p.m., followed by another at 8:30.
Fox counters with the hyperactive comedy Kelsey Grammer Presents: The Sketch Show, a fast-paced, half-hour blitz. Think Saturday Night Live, but without the awkward skits that start promisingly, then limp along without an ending. Most Grammer sketches last only a few seconds, although some that stretch into the two- and three-minute range seem to drag.
The jokes are a mix of sophomoric sight gags, puns and stuff rehashed from grade school. But there are some cheap laughs. Grammer is virtually invisible throughout; he probably tapes his parts well after or before the rest of the skits. When he does appear, Grammer can't resist the urge to sing. Deal with it; it's what he does. The show's definitely spring filler, but it's worth a look if you're bored and have the attention span of an Irish setter.
For something serious, CBS waddles in with a very heavy movie of the week, Saving Milly, based on the book by journalist Morton Kondracke about his life with activist wife Milly and her battle with Parkinson's disease.
The decidedly low-budget production is saved by actor Bruce Greenwood (I, Robot and The Core) as Kondracke and Madeleine Stowe (The Two Jakes) as his wife. Both give believable, strong performances.
It's tough to forgive such gaffes as the ocean being visible from the front porch of what's supposed to be Kondracke's home in landlocked Chevy Chase, Md., and a badly dubbed scene, but the story is powerful.
Saving Milly is touching. It is a true story. It is awfully sad. And the epilogue by Parkinson's sufferer Michael J. Fox offers hope and demands attention. If Saving Milly raises awareness and resolve to defeat a dreadful disease, then it can't be wrong.
On Sunday, the sitcom Jake in Progress premieres with back-to-back episodes at 9 and 9:30 p.m. on WFTS-Ch. 28; Kelsey Grammer Presents: The Sketch Show premieres at 9:30 p.m. on WTVT-Ch. 13; the TV movie Saving Milly airs at 9 p.m. on WTSP-Ch. 10.