There are two kinds of
celebrities: Those who are famous for a reason, whether it’s
acting ability or political prowess, and those who are famous for no
reason.
Unfortunately, most faux celebrities seem unclear which
category they fall into. “Bachelor” Bob Guiney thinks he’s an
honest-to-goodness heartthrob. Paris Hilton believes she’s got
talent.
That’s why Pamela Anderson is so refreshing. She
knows she owes her celebrity to her ability to fill out a bathing
suit and not her ability to act in one. She’s the rare star who
doesn’t take herself too seriously, who jokes about her much-ogled
body and freely admits during her late-night talk show appearances
that she can’t act.
Unfortunately, much as we may like Pam, the writers
make it very hard to like her new show, Fox’s Wednesday sitcom “Stacked.”
They apparently figure that the sheer absurdity of putting
Pam to work in a bookstore will elicit enough guffaws to carry the
show. Actually, a plot, better jokes and more dimensional characters
are really what are necessary.
Anderson plays Skyler Dayton, a rock star groupie who
wanders into The Stacks bookstore depressed about her latest loser
boyfriend. Any resemblance to Anderson’s personal life, in
which she’s been involved with rockers Tommy Lee and Kid Rock, is
quite intentional.
At Stacks, run by geeky brothers Gavin (Elon Gold) and
Stuart (Brian Scolaro), Skyler finds just the sort of homey
atmosphere she’s been looking for to turn her life around.
There’s apparently going to be some sexual friction
between Skyler and Gavin. In the pilot, Skyler pretends to be Gavin’s
new girlfriend to annoy the frustrated would-be author’s ex-wife.
“Are you my dad’s midlife crisis?” asks Gavin’s
daughter. His son, meanwhile, can’t stop staring at Skyler’s
breasts.
If you groaned when you heard the not-so-subtle title,
these jokes won’t draw you in. Anderson is likable enough while
essentially playing herself, but there’s no substance to the show.
There’s no conflict driving the plot other than, tee-hee, a big-chested
beauty working in a bookstore. Cuz, you know, hot girls are dumb.
Fox did not make “Stacked” available for advance
review because Gavin, originally played by Tom Everett Scott, was
recast shortly before last week’s premiere.
He must have been really bad, because replacement Gold
doesn’t have any chemistry with Anderson.
It may not ultimately matter how good this show is.
With CBS close behind Fox for the season lead among adults 18-49,
Fox will probably start super-sizing 9 p.m.’s “American Idol”
to 60 or even 90 minutes quite consistently on Wednesdays, meaning
“Stacked” could be preempted through sweeps.
Quality of show (on a scale of 10): 5
It’s not offensively bad, such as Wednesday night
companion “Life on a Stick,” but it’s not good, either. Part
of that is because the writers figured that with Pam Anderson on
your show, you don’t really need to waste time with plot.
There’s way too much time devoted in the pilot to
Gavin’s breakup with his dour wife. That will presumably drive the
future episodes. Snore.
And if you’re going to hire supporting actors the caliber
of Christopher Lloyd (“Taxi”) and Marissa Jaret Winokur
(Broadway’s “Hairspray”), you should give them more to do.
Lloyd serves as the show’s Greek chorus, a nutty former professor
who sits all day at the coffee bar making random comments. As the
bookstore barista, Jaret Winokur throws herself at Anderson’s
skanky rocker boyfriend.
Luckily, since the show probably won’t last, they should be
able to find better employment next season.
Positioning (on a scale of 10): 6
With the 8:30 p.m. Wednesday slot, “Stacked” faces
only one strong competing show, but it’s a biggie: ABC’s “Lost.”
The series premiere last week faced only a “Lost” repeat and
managed just a 3.8 adults 18-49 rating.
Granted, that was 31 percent better than its “Simple
Life” lead-in. But Fox should be able to do better in the very desirable slot
leading into the “Idol” results show.
Cachet, or the “Arrested Development”
factor (on a scale of 10): 3
Anderson has had better luck as a supporting player (“Baywatch,”
“Home Improvement”) than as the lead ("VIP," “Barbed Wire”).
Since the show was not sent out before its premiere,
not a lot of critics even bothered to review the show. Those who did
were not kind.
Overall (on a scale of 30): 14
We love Pam Anderson as a guest on “The Tonight
Show” and on the cover of Us. Soon she’ll be back where she
belongs.
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The
Media Life Meter
Rating this year’s new shows |
| |
“Stacked” (Fox) |
Avg. for all 2004-’05 shows |
|
Quality of show (on a scale of 10)
– Grading the writing, acting, premise and creativity of the
show. Is it any good? |
5 |
5.7 |
|
Positioning (on a scale of 10)
– Does the show have a tough time slot or a compatible
lead-in? Is the subject matter appropriate to the network on
which it airs? |
6 |
4.8 |
|
Cachet, or the “Arrested Development” factor (on a
scale of 10) –
Examining the reviews, the star power and the prestige the
network gets for the project. “Arrested,” for example, has
high cachet for being well reviewed and intelligent, even
though its ratings aren’t great. |
3 |
4.8 |
|
TOTAL |
14 |
15.3 |
|
Probability of Survival |
|
|
30-27 |
Odds are this show will make it to next
season. |
|
26-22 |
Odds are this show will make it through this
season. |
|
21-15 |
Show may not survive the season. |
|
15-9 |
Show will be canceled sometime this season. |
|
8 or lower |
Catch it while you can – this show may not
make it to four episodes. |
|
Source: Media Life |
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