By Dan Jewel

   We should all feel grateful, given the slate of TV programming threatening our collective sanity over the next few months, that “Keen Eddie” does not feature a woman choosing from 100 desperate suitors, or vice-versa. 
   Nobody wears masks. No one is promised a million dollars. Nobody takes part in a singing contest of any sort and, at least in the first four episodes I viewed, no one uses the word “dawg.”
   Impossible though it may seem, “Keen Eddie,” premiering tonight at 9 p.m. on Fox, is not a reality show.
   It is, instead, a bizarre but likable hybrid of “Ally McBeal” and “Fastlane.” The pilot, in particular, is fresh and engaging, and frequently very funny.
   Eddie Arlette (Mark Valley) is a suave, debonair, handsome New York cop. He also proves a patsy, easily manipulated by an attractive woman into blowing a massive drug bust. Sent to London to track her down, he immediately irritates his hosts at Scotland Yard. Referring to the receptionist as “Moneypenny” is faux pas number one.
   The actual case he pursues is not terribly involving. The charm of the show comes from the motley crew of characters around him. His British partner, with the unfortunate name of Monty Pippin (Julian Rhind-Tutt), takes him out for a drink after work — to what turns out to be a sex club for married swingers. Pippin isn’t married, but he pretends to be for the partner-swapping.
   And, of course, there’s a love interest for Eddie. For reasons too convoluted to get into, he’s stuck sharing a flat with the aptly named Fiona Bickerton (Sienna Miller), who’s aggressively hostile, endlessly insulting, and, of course, incredibly gorgeous.
   Also deserving of a co-starring credit is Eddie’s dog, Pete, usually seen gnawing on a remote control or cell phone. Pete also has an unfortunate tendency, as Fiona puts it, to use her cat “as a shag-toy.”
   Though it’s only a matter of time before Eddie and Fiona wind up together, there are a few obstacles. Fiona’s got a well-meaning if effete boyfriend (Eddie refers to them in a later episode as a same-sex couple). And Eddie is overcome with an incapacitating lust every time he sees Moneypenny.
   Like “Ally McBeal,” there’s a certain strained wackiness to the proceedings, but so far it hasn’t gone overboard.
   It helps that the cast is so winning. Mark Valley, who was memorable in brief roles on “ER” and “Once and Again,” is a strong leading man, managing to be simultaneously boorish and dashing. As Fiona, relative newcomer Sienna Miller takes what could be a shrill, migraine-inducing character and somehow makes her likable. And Julian Rhind-Tutt is a perfect comic sidekick.
   Like “Fastlane,” the show has a flashy style but never takes itself too seriously. The pilot, directed by Simon West, who directed “Con Air” and “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” has great visual flair, blaring music, jump cuts, and leaps back and forth in chronology.
   But, alas, “Keen Eddie” also suffers from “Fastlane” syndrome: The more episodes you watch, the less involved you become. Once the novelty of the style wears off, the lack of any genuine character development starts to show. It’s always amusing, but there never seems to be anything real at stake.
   And for whatever reason, Eddie’s inept side vanishes after the premiere. In the first episode, he’s something of a klutz, nearly setting his apartment on fire, escaping from some thugs who then have to rescue him from nearly being hit by a bus, and so on. 
   But in the next few episodes, he’s become the savior of Scotland Yard. All his hunches turn out right, he never makes a fool of himself, and the only person who calls him an idiot is his flat mate.
   When the show’s sense of humor cools down, it leaves a more conventional cop-out-of-water show in its stead. This isn’t always a bad thing; a future episode involving a stalker is effectively creepy and frightening.
   But the best moments in tonight’s premiere are comic. If the show can return to the level of its pilot, it should have a keen future. Otherwise, as they say in the U.K., things might get a bit dodgy.

June 3, 2003© 2003 Media Life

-Dan Jewel is a senior editor at Biography Magazine in New York and a frequent contributor to Media Life.

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