Hidden In Plain View is a bi-weekly column where I help you find great shows buried in the clutter that is modern television. With more than 400 original scripted series on TV in 2015 alone, it is simply a fact that you’re missing out on something great. Last time, I filled you in on “Mr. Robot.” This time: “Review.”
Can devotion to an ideal, no matter how noble, actually be a dangerous thing? How much should – and can – one man sacrifice for a societal good? When should one’s own interests supersede everyone else’s?
These are just some of the questions that, intentionally or not, noble television reporter Forrest MacNeil tackles on Comedy Central’s “Review”.
“Review” is a fictional show-within-a-show starring Andy Daly, an improv comedian and actor, as Forrest MacNeil. As he puts it in the opening credits: “Life. It’s literally all we have. But is it any good?” He doesn’t review trivial pursuits like food, books or movies. Rather, Forrest MacNeil aims to find out whether life experiences are worth having and rates them on a scale of half-a-star to five stars.
Stealing. Having an imaginary friend. Starting a cult. Joining the Mile-High Club.
The premise in and of itself – reviewing life experiences – is a funny one, and the show probably could have sailed on those terms alone.
But what elevates “Review” from good comedy to great show is bigger and deeper than that. “Review” doesn’t just want to make jokes. “Review” and Forrest MacNeil want to make sense of life in a random, hopeless universe.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The show treats its characters and their emotions honestly and fairly.
Television shows don’t have to be either a comedy or a drama. The best dramas are often hilarious and the best comedies are in touch with the emotional lives of their characters. “Breaking Bad” was often one of the funniest shows on TV. “Parks and Recreation” is great because it can make you cry at the thought of what friendship is really about at a moment’s notice.
“Review” is the same way. It’s very funny, but it can also be one of the most emotionally affecting shows on television. I won’t spoil anything, but suffice it to say that the price of reviewing life experiences deeply affects Forrest’s life.
Which brings me to my next point…
2. The continuity between the reviews is important.
Not only do the reviews affect Forrest’s life, the effects are cumulative. One of the brilliant things about “Review” is the way that each review builds upon the next. Would you guess that an episode named “Pancakes, Divorce, Pancakes” could actually be an affecting commentary on the will of man to fight through difficult situations? The nine-episode first season ends with one of the most beautiful and emotional scenes in any show I’ve watched in a long time, let alone a comedy.
The transformation of Forrest MacNeil throughout the show’s run is also an amazing thing to behold. And, frankly, that would not be possible without Andy Daly.*
*All due credit to the “Review” writer’s room as well.
3. Forrest – and Andy Daly – are extremely committed to bringing the people this public service.
One of the defining characteristics of Forrest MacNeil is his devotion to his duty as a reviewer of life.
He’s an idealistic man who apparently did not find anything fulfilling enough during his previous life as a movie critic (“American Pie Takes The Cake” is a headline framed in his office). He truly believes that he can make the world a better place by reviewing various life experiences that people wonder about or hope to have. And there is almost nothing that can shake him from this devotion.
Much of the success of his character comes courtesy of the incredible layered and sad performance of Andy Daly. Daly is probably best known for his improv career (in which he was and is heavily involved with Comedy Bang! Bang!) as well as his role as Terrence Cutler on HBO’s “Eastbound & Down.”
The best way to know whether you will like “Review” is to watch the first three episodes. That gives you a sense of the way the reviews work, the way the continuity functions and the way the characters develop. And it gives you “Pancakes, Divorce, Pancakes”, which is probably the best overall “Review” episode.
~
Reviewing “Review” has been an experience that brings me to the core of who I really am as a writer and as a person. It was at times challenging, at times pointless and at times quite boring. But knowing that reviewing “Review” could bring joy and clarity to so many people’s lives really helped me push through. And it taught me that you can achieve anything you put your mind to.
I give reviewing “Review” three-and-a-half stars.
All episodes of “Review” (nine in Season One, ten in Season Two) are available on Comedy Central’s website with your cable subscription. Check them out, and let us know what you think.
