The TV Set

The TV Set is a tragicomedy, written and directed by Jake Kasdan, about a television pilot and the TV industry, which is universally funny, although not universally relatable. And that's the real tragedy; the reason why this little film never made it out of LA and NY.

I made it a point to see this film before it left theaters here in LA - it was only playing in one - because it was obviously, if not officially based on Judd Apatow's struggles with the networks throughout the 90s to get his vision onto the TV screen. The Times Sunday Magazine has a fantastic article about Apatow, his torturous struggles, and his current stratospheric success. For those who don't know, Judd Apatow has been a writer, comedian, producer, and director in Hollywood for over 17 years. He was an integral creative member of the Larry Sanders Show. He is responsible for the "greatest show of all time" Freaks and Geeks. (I'm quoting myself because it makes it seem more legitimate.) And another show shortly thereafter, Undeclared, which I am sadly unfamiliar with, although I'll do my best to rectify that situation shortly. In both cases, his shows were criminally dismissed by executives and network heads, moved around to different time slots, almost on a weekly basis, erratically pulled and brought back, and ultimately canceled after only one season. Freaks and Geeks won myriad awards after the network brass had already pulled the plug. You see, the thing about the entertainment industry is: they're not really in the business of entertaining. The people who control what gets sent out to the viewing public have no artistic integrity of their own. They have no concept of quality. They care only about making money and the least risky way to do so. Which is why they rely solely on precedent, why every show looks exactly like every other show, and why every movie has the same formula. It's the reason for 6 Rockys, 3 X-men, 3 Shreks, 4 Die Hards, 3 Spidermans, 3 Pirates of the Caribbean, endless Batmans and James Bonds, and every three camera studio sit com ever made. So when an original, artistic vision comes along, the "brass" do everything in their power - and they have a lot of power - to shut it down or at least manipulate in such a way that it becomes a disgusting, evil, bubbling aberration of what it used to be. One of the best lines of The TV Set comes from the wonderfully awful Sigourney Weaver who plays Nelly, a network exec in charge of Mike's (the Apatow character complete with beard, pot belly and bad back played by David Duchovny) pilot says, "I don't know if I like originality. Originality scares me."

For any artist who has ever been forced to compromise his art or, worse, himself in order to survive, this film gut wrenching and sublime. The only problem is: artists, I mean real artists who try to make money with their art, are such a minority in this country that this movie couldn't sell enough seats to get a broader distribution deal. In middle America, it'd be lucky to last longer than a week in most theaters. It's such a shame, too. Because the humor, like I said, is universal. Kasdan, who worked with Apatow on the greatest show of all time, does a superb job of letting us inside the minds and hearts of our two tragic heroes, so that we can share their pain. And every joke lands sublimely only because it hurts so much. In true Apatow fashion, the humor is in the horror. It's the same kind of comedy that makes Apatow's recent batch of movies so exciting and refreshing. Anchorman, Talladega Nights, The 40 Year Old Virgin, and Knocked Up all find their laughs in the heroes' insecurities, embarrassments, and failures. The difference is in the universality of those characters.

Still, David Duchovny's understated performance is delightful throughout. I'm perpetually surprised he's not a bigger star than he is. Not to be forgotten, Ioan Gruffudd, who plays Richard McAllister, the President of Prime Time programming, gives a heart breaking performance as a British transplant who loses his family and his standards of quality television within the spin cycle of the network morons.

Humor = tragedy + time, so, hopefully, Mr. Apatow is laughing his ass off. And he should be, considering the success he's gained. Unfortunately for someone like me, The TV Set lays out the tragedy yet to come. I walked out of the theater completely depressed. Having a network commission my script, then put the pilot into production, and, holy smokes, PICK IT UP! would be, essentially a dream come true. The tag line for The TV SET is: "A place where dreams are canceled." So if everything goes well, this is the future I have to look forward to. This is why I'm giving the movie a thumbs up at the top, and a frown at the bottom. If you get a chance, see the movie when it comes out on DVD. I promise you'll laugh. But if you fancy yourself an artist, grab a bucket of Haagen Dasz and a box of tissues. Just kidding.

No, seriously.