The TV set is not exactly about the box in your living room but the people that put the programming on that box. They’re all a bunch of fake plastic types that never say what they really think and this movie skewers them, as they should be.
Mike (David Duchovney) is trying to get a TV show that he’s created called the Wexler Chronicles put on the Panda Network. He’s meeting with the network heads, Lenny (Sigourney Weaver) and Richard (Ioan Gruffud). Lenny runs everything by her 14-year-old daughter to gage its freshness and Richard is a former BBC executive who’s trying to bring intelligence to the airwaves (not an easy task).
They’re given support by the truth-bending aide Alice (Judy Greer). The network overrides Mike’s choice for the lead role and casts the melodramatic Zach (Fran Kranz) as well as changing many aspects of the show. Zach has a few moments of great acting (usually when the camera is off), but when he’s rejected by his costar Laural (Lindsay Sloane) he starts to sound like Travis Bikel from Taxi Driver (you have seen Taxi Driver right?).
Mike’s wife (Justine Bateman) is about six months pregnant and he starts to change things just to that he will have a job, but will he walk away from the production with his sanity?
The film is made by Jake Kasdan (son of director Lawrence Kasdan) and executive produced by Judd Apatow and they’re no stranger to the world that they skewer in this fine film. The TV industry is such an insane business and sometimes you wonder how the good stuff actually make it on the air since more than likely the shows are tinkered with by executives and idiots that it’s surprising that anything is watchable.
For example, in the Kasdan and Apatow commentary they talk about a show they were both on where the heads of production demanded that they have a recurring minority character because the NAACP was complaining about not enough minorities on television. So the order came down to “hire a minority character” and not particularly any specific minority at that. Luckily for them they found a funny actress so it was golden, but such mindless orders were the rule and not the exception. Such is the TV industry.
They all love you when you’re in front of them but they’re usually planning to stab you in the back when you turn around. Kasdan knows his subject (having tried some failed pilots himself – one for his film the Zero Effect) and hits all the right notes in this funny film. The only problem is that the film really doesn’t have a very good ending and it just stops without any resolutions for the characters.
The TV Set is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include a commentary with director Jake Kasdan, producer Aaron Ryder, David Duchovney, and Lindsay Sloane on the making of the film. A second commentary with Kasdan and executive producer Judd Apatow about the inspiration of the film and boy they’ve had the experience in the industry. The 14 minute “The Making of the TV Set” interviews Kasdan, Ryder, Duchovney, Sigourney Weaver, Ioan Gruffud, Fran Kranz, Judy Greer, Sloane, and Philip Rosenthal (who has a small role in the film, but also created Everybody Loves Raymond).
There’s a 3 minute deleted scene of “Small Talk at the Upfronts” (which is where the network execs pitch their TV shows).
It’s a wonder that there’s anything good on TV at all. It’s even more shocking when you find out how many pilots are written each year and how few actually end up on the air. Kasdan knows his stuff, and aside from the ending, he’s made a fine film.
The TV Set is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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