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TBL,' B is for boring CW's drama about the lives of fashion models Sep 16, 2009
On the other hand, the cast members are attractive, and they frequently undress on camera. (No real nudity, of course: This is still broadcast TV.) It’s odd that the series’ premiere episode, airing on the CW tonight, Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 9 p.m., seems so clueless, since two of the creators, Ashton Kutcher and Adam Giaudrone, started out as models themselves. But little of the fashion-world detail in the script will be news to viewers in the era of “America’s Next Top Model” and “Project Runway.” Most people know that models have short careers and are often targeted by unscrupulous types in the business. The writers strain for authenticity by relentlessly dropping names, both of brands and of people. One well-known designer, Zac Posen, appears briefly as himself; why TV producers think this sort of cameo is a good thing remains a mystery. Other minor characters with real-life affiliations, such as a GQ editor and a photographer working for Versace, seem to be fictional, but the direction and script don’t make that clear soon enough. The show’s most high-profile cast member, Mischa Barton, plays Sonia, a top model who is returning to work after mysteriously disappearing for six months. She now has to prove she isn’t over the hill. Since Barton herself has been the subject of unflattering reports about her personal life and appearance, the scenes addressing her character’s similar issues are uncomfortable to watch. Barton does look great both in and out of her high-fashion outfits, but her odd preppy-Valley Girl accent and flat line readings are just as off-putting as they were when she starred on “The O.C.” The model and occasional actress Elle Macpherson plays Claudia, who runs the agency where most of the main characters work. Macpherson reveals no acting ability in her scenes, so most viewers will probably find themselves concentrating on how well she’s aged. The chief focus of the premiere is on two younger models. Raina (Sara Paxton) is an up-and-comer who’s about to be tested in her first runway show. She befriends Chris (Ben Hollingsworth), who was discovered in a restaurant while his family was visiting New York from Iowa. The two “meet cute” in the tritest possible fashion: He bumps into her, and they make eye contact while stooping down to pick up her portfolio photos. Though Chris and Raina would definitely have beautiful children, they don’t otherwise inspire rooting interest in their romance. Another to-be-expected plot element, the casting couch, gets a real workout in the pilot: No fewer than four characters are offered some form of professional advancement in exchange for sex. Often an ensemble show like this can succeed with the emergence of a good hissable villain. The chief candidates for this role in the premiere are two models who, unfortunately, seem to have been written using a fill-in-the-blanks character generator. The sophisticated Cole (Nico Tortorella) is clearly meant to balance the naïve Chris, and the envious, ambitious brunette Marissa (Ashley Madekwe) provides the expected foil to the virtuous blonde Raina. But neither of the actors reveals enough charisma in the premiere to grab and hold viewers’ interest. What is intriguing is that title: “The Beautiful Life: TBL.” Is it meant to encourage soap fans to abbreviate it, the way they do with, say, “The Young and the Restless” (“Y&R”). Or does “TBL” stand or something else, like “Terribly Boring and Lame”? Either way, shouldn’t it be “TBL: The Beautiful Life,” like “E.T.: The Extraterrestrial”? If people are thinking about your title long after they’ve forgotten about your plot and characters, then you’re in trouble.
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