Alyson Hannigan

Previewing the 2005-06 Season, Part 23: CBS’s ’Everything I Know About Men’ & CBS’s ’How I Met Your Mother’

Please note: As a courtesy, please do not reproduce these comments to newsgroups, forums or other online places. Links only please.

With the official start of the 2005-06 season less than two months away, the drumbeats have begun by the networks to tout their new comedies and dramas. What should you keep your eye out for? What should you avoid at all costs? While it’s still a little early for full reviews (some recasting and reshooting will be done on a good chunk of them), we thought we’d spend the next month previewing what’s in store for the upcoming season. Each day we’ll look at two of the 47 new series set to premiere this season and go over our initial impressions after viewing the pilot.

There’s no particular order here, just whatever’s next on the stack of tapes. So without further ado, here’s today’s entries:

Looking for other previews? Check out the Rant archives by clicking here.

EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT MEN (CBS) (TBA at midseason)

The network’s description: "EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT MEN stars Jenna Elfman ("Dharma & Greg") in a comedy about Bex Atwell (Elfman), an attractive secretary with simple goals: find true love, have an exciting career and a normal relationship with her father. But in a world where men behave like, well...men, she realizes that she may be overly ambitious. Now, Bex is determined to figure out what men are all about while wondering why women even bother to try to understand them in the first place. Brady Smith ("Just Pray"), Hugh Bonneville ("Doctor Zhivago"), Rhea Seehorn ("Romy and Michele: In the Beginning"), Lauren Tom ("Friends") and Dabney Coleman ("Nine to Five") also star."

What did they leave out: "Men" is actually the U.S. version of the BBC comedy "According to Bex" with creator Fred Barron being the mind behind both versions. That and the show’s "gimmick" is that it randomly cuts to "man on the street" interviews in which strangers comment on the action.

The plot in a nutshell: The men in Bex Atwell’s (Jenna Elfman) life suck - her boyfriend Rob (Brady Smith), an unemployed artist, isn’t phased by her decision that they should see other people; her womanizing dad (Dabney Coleman) only drops by when he needs a place to stay; and her boss (Hugh Bonneville) gives her all his work so he can focus on feuding with his ex-wife. Her only solace is her two friends at the advertising agency she works at - man-eater Christine (Rhea Seehorn) and cynical Jan (Lauren Tom). The pilot introduces us to Bex’s relationship with each, which includes everything from finding fake dog testicles for her boss’s dog to going speed dating with Christine so she can find a sperm donor to having Rob mistakenly think Bex’s dad is her new boyfriend.

What works: Like fellow midseason entry "Old Christine," "Men" is a relatively harmless way to spend a half hour as it coasts by without much fanfare. The "man on the street" interviews add some much needed flair but unfortunately they don’t blend seamlessly into the action. Overall, there’s a few modest laughs but nothing consistent.

What doesn’t: Sadly what is consistent is an unfunny joke about her boss wanting to find fake dog testicles for his recently neutered dog. There’s literally a half-dozen references to it as it works its way through nearly every plotline. Dog testicles, really? One hopes that’s not the gold standard for future episodes. In any case, I’d take "Men" (or even a swift kick to the shins) any day over fellow CBS newcomer "Out of Practice."

The challenges ahead: Is there a comedy spark to be found anywhere in here? On a network known for relatively bland humor no less? We’ll find out some time next year on CBS.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (CBS) (Mondays at 8:30/7:30c this fall)

The network’s description: "HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (Monday, 8:30 PM) is a comedy about Ted (Josh Radnor) and how he fell in love. It all started when Ted’s best friend, Marshall (Jason Segel, "Freaks and Geeks"), drops the bombshell that he’s going to propose to his long-time girlfriend, Lily (Alyson Hannigan, "American Pie"), a kindergarten teacher. At that moment, Ted realizes that he had better get a move on if he hopes to find true love, too. Helping him in his quest is Barney (Neil Patrick Harris, "Doogie Howser, M.D."), a friend with endless, sometimes outrageous, opinions, a penchant for suits and a fool-proof way to meet women. When Ted meets Robin (Cobie Smulders, "Veritas: The Quest"), he’s sure it’s love at first sight, but destiny may have something else in store. With voice-over by Bob Saget ("Full House"), the show is told through flashbacks from the future."

What did they leave out: Neil Patrick Harris without a doubt steals the show as the oddball Barney, who frequently proclaims "suit up" and his love for Lebanese women.

The plot in a nutshell: The show opens in 2030, as Ted (an off-camera Bob Saget) is telling his children - you guessed it - how he met their mother. Cut to 2005 where the present-day Ted (Josh Radnor) learns his best friend Marshall (Jason Segel) is going to ask his long-time girlfriend (Alyson Hannigan, channeling her character from the "American Pie" movies) to marry him. Disgruntled by his current romantic prospects, Ted wonders when he’ll meet his future wife. And with that Robin (a delightful Cobie Smulders) enters his life during his latest foray into the bar scene with his very single friend Barney (Neil Patrick Harris). Sure enough, he scores a date with her, convinced this is the girl he’s going to marry one day. But like all sitcom relationships, Ted manages to quickly torpedo his chances - in this case, by accidentally blurting "I love you" right before their first kiss. But a few rolls of the romantic comedy mainstay dice later, he finds himself back in her good graces and well on his way to making her his bride. Or is he? The future Ted reveals a pseudo-"Jack & Bobby" twist at the end that will throw you for a loop as, well... it would be unfair for me to spoil any more.

What works: To its credit, "Mother" somehow manages to make warn-out romantic comedy conventions - including the always reliable behaving like an insane person to prove your love - work within the context of the show. While I didn’t find myself laughing until the second act (during the "Smurf penis" incident - that’s right, Smurf penis is funny, fake dog testicles aren’t - it’s all about the context, and of course, not beating a joke to death), I couldn’t help but be entertained through the drier spots. Likewise, Radnor and Smulders have a fun chemistry that makes you forget the show’s more unbelievable aspects. The big winner though is Harris, who fully embraces his character’s insanity without bordering on annoying.

What doesn’t: At the same time, there’s quite a few cheeseball aspects that even the best actors would have a hard time overcoming - including a cutesy story about olives and Marshall’s fear of champagne bottles. Nevertheless, one can’t deny "Mother’s" pilot is a strong enough beachhead in the always-hard-to-break romantic comedy genre. (Really when’s the last time a multi-camera show pulled something like this off?) Here’s hoping plenty of entertainment lays ahead.

The challenges ahead: Can "Mother" sustain the audience of its popular lead-ins/lead-outs "The King of Queens" and "Two and a Half Men?" And more importantly, will viewers accept the "out of nowhere" twist at the end? We’ll find out this fall on CBS.

COMING SOON: Previews of FOX’s "Free Birds" and NBC’s recent pickups "Book of Daniel" and "Windfall" as soon as we can track down copies of their respective pilots.

COMING MONDAY: A "preview" bonus - looks at some of the pilots not picked up, beginning with ABC’s "The Catch" and "Pros & Cons."