Setting holds back ABC’s ‘Freddie’
“Freddie” (8:30 p.m., ABC) has all of the makings of an interesting comedy, if not a successful sitcom. Unfortunately it squanders its promise with easy gags and tired situations.
Let’s start with the interesting premise.
Freddie stars Freddie Prinze Jr. as a successful Chicago chef, albeit one who never seems to actually work. After the death of his brother and his older sister’s divorce, he allows his unstable sister-in-law Allison (Madchen Amick) and the bossy Sofia (Jacqueline Obradors) to move in and share his vast, modern apartment.
But wait – there’s more. Sofia’s precocious daughter Zoey (Chloe Suazo) is part of the package, and so is Freddie’s imperious mother (Jenny Gago). Freddie’s mother speaks only in Spanish even though she understands English quite well.
This passive-aggressive trait has its comic moments and also makes “Freddie” a rare sitcom that relies on subtitles.
Their presence puts a strain on Freddie’s bachelor behavior. And to make that obvious, his friend and full-time “player” Chris (Brian A. Green) lives next door.
The tension between Freddie and his relatives is fun to watch. And the makers of “Freddie” aren’t afraid to depict his family as genuinely warm and supportive.
But every moment Freddie spends away from them drags “Freddie” back to the contrived world of sitcom phoniness.
In scenes with Chris, a one-dimensional hound dog, Freddie actually begins to sound a lot like Joey Tribiani (Matt LeBlanc) from “Friends.”
Chris lures easy women into his palatial lair. His apartment, like Freddie’s’, has a view of the Chicago skyline.
In short, “Freddie” is a character who talks like “Joey” and lives like “Frasier.”
If this TV season is interesting for anything, it’s the success of “Everybody Hates Chris” and “My Name is Earl,” two comedies that jettisoned traditional sitcom formulas and revolve around characters far removed from posh offices and designer kitchens. With its family atmosphere and Latin flavor, “Freddie” has the potential to become something different.
Unfortunately, its creators seem reluctant to let go of the old sitcom. That’s strange, considering that most viewers stopped laughing at them years ago.
Oxford historian Bettany Hughes hosts “Helen of Troy” (8 p.m., KSPS), a search for historical evidence behind the scandal that provoked the Trojan War.
While the story of Helen took place thousands of years ago, its emotional power still resonates. After Helen’s departure, the Greeks reacted with rage. A beautiful woman had been taken away, and foreign “others” were to blame.
Was their angry xenophobia that different from that which provoked cable news’ summerlong quest for Natalie Holloway, Our Fair Maiden lost in Aruba? Have we really advanced terribly far from The Bronze Age to the Age of Greta Van Susteren?
A team of 11 adventurers hacks its way through the jungles of Central America in the four-episode series “Beyond Borders” (10 p.m., Discovery).
Must-see show
Presumably that shotgun blast knocked out the hatch-basement’s sound system, so nobody’s going to play “Make Your Own Kind of Music” anymore on “Lost” (9 p.m., ABC). The night belongs to Hurley, his number phobia and his flashbacks.
Other highlights
Major League Baseball playoffs: Los Angeles at Chicago (5 p.m., Fox).
Tyra Banks hosts “America’s Next Top Model” (8 p.m., UPN).
A San Diego sicko eludes capture on “Criminal Minds” (9 p.m., CBS).
Martha Stewart hosts “The Apprentice” (9 p.m., NBC).
A tiger mauls its rescuer on “CSI: NY” (10 p.m., CBS).
A car bomb kills a husband on the way to his wife’s hospital bed on “Law & Order” (10 p.m., NBC).
After lab animals escape, flu worries spread on “Invasion” (10 p.m., ABC).
Cult choice
A government scientist believes his child is communicating from beyond the grave in the superior 1969 made-for-TV chiller “Daughter of the Mind” (5 p.m., Fox Movie Channel). Look for Ray Milland, Gene Tierney, John Carradine among others.
Series notes
Cliques on “Still Standing” (8 p.m., CBS) … Genocide fears on “E-Ring” (8 p.m., NBC) … Paws and claws on “George Lopez” (8 p.m., ABC) … Brooke’s rules on “One Tree Hill” (8 p.m., WB) … Barbecue bravery on “Yes, Dear” (8:30 p.m., CBS)
Stepmother confidential on “Veronica Mars” (9 p.m., UPN) … Difficult adjustments on “Related” (9 p.m., WB).