‘Bent’ on NBC, Wednesdays at 9 p.m.

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If a network is confident in a show, it gets a big slot in the fall with tons of advertising and promotion. If the show is just OK, there’s still a midseason place for it right after the turn of the new year. But a March pilot doesn’t exactly suggest confidence.

So anyone going into the newly launched series ‘Bent’ has a right to be apprehensive. The journey may be quaint, but the destination looks pretty bland.

The show stars Amanda Peet as Alex Meyers, a newly single mom and workaholic lawyer looking to move on by making renovations on her houses. She hires attractive and lazy contractor Pete Riggins, played by David Walton. And so begins the weeks of ‘will-they-won’t-they’ sexual tension. Not to call it boring, but it certainly is well-worn territory and takes a lot of the fun out of pushing the plot.

Peet and Walton fit the ‘opposites attract’ archetype to a tee. They have chemistry and they’re entertaining to watch for 30 minutes. But their interactions in the pilot only elicited smiles and thoughts like, ‘Oh, that’s nice,’ when I wanted to laugh. She hires him. She fires him. He sabotages his replacement. She hires him again. The back and forth is pleasant, and there are definitely attempts at jokes but none of them ever really land. For example, Pete constantly references how he drinks ‘Malibu Rum,’ but it’s not hilarious. It just keeps with the sunny Southern California ideal of the show’s setting.

The few laughs come almost entirely from the supporting players. Jeffrey Tambor does a nice turn as Riggins’ father, a failed actor who has yet to give up the dream even in his old age. Members of Riggins’ construction crew, including the always-hilarious J.B. Smoove, also have some nice one-liners here and there. Finally, Meyers’ sister ‘Screwsie’ (yes, ‘Screwsie’) is about as promiscuous as her name would suggest. Still, credit needs to be given where credit is due: even she scores one or two funny moments from the irony of her name. One of the more inspired exchanges of the night occurs when she and Riggins meet, and both can’t seem to recall whether they’ve had sex or not.

Unfortunately, the center of the show is still hopelessly formulaic. To be fair, that doesn’t mean the death of the show. One of my current favorites, ‘Happy Endings,’ might be the most predictable show on TV. But the show is much more enjoyable than ‘Bent’ because ofhow much history all the characters have together. There are some likeable characters in ‘Bent,’ and maybe with time the show will develop. After all, who cares about the plot when the characters are amusing to watch even when they’re not doing much?

Based solely on this first episode, there could also be payoff with the titular ‘Bent’ theme. Throughout the pilot, Tambor mentions how as an actor he’s bent but not broken, and the saying really applies to all the characters. Riggins is a former gambling addict. Meyers is divorced. If the show picks up this theme, there could be some much-needed dynamism and real character change.

Or they could just sleep together. Yeah, they’ll probably just sleep together.

jswucher@syr.edu

Published on March 25, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Jeff: jswucher@syr.edu