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TV Guide Community
September 27, 2007
Big Shots: Why All the Hate?
By popcrazy
SPOILERS!
I've been looking forward to Big Shots since it was announced last spring. I love the cast (Michael Vartan! Dylan McDermott! Christopher Titus! Joshua Malina! Nia Long!), the creator (Jon Harmon Feldman), and the idea of a show about four male CEO's seemed different compared to the cop/medical dramas that are so popular.
I became even more excited when ABC scheduled it to air after Grey's Anatomy; I took this as a sign that the show was good.
And then the critics' reviews started- many of them spouting intense dislike.
I don't see what the fuss was all about.
This is a good show; it's entertaining and has a good mix of drama and comedy. It's a perfect transition between the more intense Grey's Anatomy and bedtime.
Big Shots centers around four CEOs. There's James, the "Golden Boy" of Amerimart, who's informed by his boss that he's about to lose his job. Then his boss croaks. This turns out to be lucky for James for multiple reasons: it saves his job and ends his wife's affair, because his wife was sleeping with his boss.
Luckily, he has a good colleague in Nia Long, who seems to have one of the best roles for a woman that I've seen in a long time (snappy lines, supportive but also competitive- I can't wait to see more). It's ironic to see this type of role in a male-centric show.
Then there's Duncan, CEO of Reveal, who has to deal with covering up news of a hook-up with a transvestite prostitute. He also has a 19-year-old daughter, Cameron, who hates him but is now working in his company.
Next we have Brody, founder of Alpha Crisis Management, who spends the episode trying to please an extremely demanding wife by personally planning her birthday party.
Finally, we have Karl, CEO of Devotion Pharmaceuticals, who is cheating on his wife. The mistress befriends his wife, forcing Karl to live on the edge: couples' therapy with his wife and mistress while trying to maintain both relationships.
This show had a number of funny moments- Duncan's whole situation, Brody scrambling for shrimp scattered on the grass to please his wife, Karl seeing his wife and mistress together in his home.
It also has its dramatic moments- James dealing with the news that his wife, who was his college sweetheart, had betrayed him, and Duncan dealing with his angry daughter.
The writers will have to work on balancing these two aspects, but I absolutely think it can be done.
I also see glimpses of great writing. James talking about being a man who has failed, his experience of losing something important, and his determination never to let that happen again reminded me of Grey's Anatomy in the sense that he appears to be talking about one thing (his job) when he's actually talking about something much more personal (his marriage). It's that type of dialogue- rich with multiple meanings- that is the genius of Grey's.
The symbolism of the characters' jobs is another glimpse: each actually reflects the man's weakness. James is the new CEO of Amerimart (a take on Wal-Mart, the all-American family store) and his own marriage is falling apart. Duncan's success is based on catering to women in terms of providing cosmetics, yet he's a womanizer in his personal life.
Brody's company is designed to handle crises, yet his personal life is in perpetual turmoil as he tries to please his wife. And Karl's company has devotion in the title, but he's cheating on his "sweet" wife.
These subtle aspects are the seeds of fantastic TV. I remember the last time I saw it- on a quirky show that debuted in the spring for half a season called Grey's Anatomy.
Hopefully ABC will give Big Shots a chance to find its footing.
© 2007 TV Guide Online, Inc.
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