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Brian Lowry
There's a wave of '80s talent back on television. It's just that many of them are playing themselves, rather depressingly, in reality TV shows.
Sure, "T.J. Hooker" is starring in a
Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna star in and produce "Harry Loves Lisa" for
Admittedly, this hardly qualifies as a new trend, following as it does in the footsteps of actors like Kirstie Alley; kid stars Danny Bonaduce and Christopher Knight; and musical acts Gene Simmons, Ozzy Osbourne, Dee Snider and Flavor Flav, who have all invited camera crews into their lives. Heck,
Still, there's something particularly meta about these vehicles, which craft series that otherwise resemble traditional sitcoms and dramas around actors who, we're supposed to believe, aren't acting.
In their show, Hamlin and Rinna spend considerable time strategizing about how to jump-start their careers. Hamlin frets about getting "back in the game" on television and his pilot-season opportunities -- ignoring that the cable show has put him on television, right now.
Danza, meanwhile, appears flustered in "Teach" -- which features the actor becoming an educator at a Philadelphia high school -- when a student asks if he's a millionaire. Beyond citing a desire to teach that preceded his acting career, he doesn't fully address the obvious implication in the kid's question -- namely, "Why the hell are you here?" Then again, the logical rationale for this detour -- "TV star tackles challenges of teachers" earned him a seven-episode commitment -- doesn't sound quite as high-minded.
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of these shows, though, is the amount of artifice that goes into them -- coupled with the audience's willingness to suspend disbelief. The premises rely upon us to overlook that these veteran performers are still performing, albeit in the equivalent of an Off-Off Broadway venue. (The level of staging inherent in unscripted TV is spoofed in the premiere of "Law and Order: Los Angeles" -- a small measure of revenge, no doubt, exacted by members of the Writers Guild.)
In a recent interview, actor Jon Hamm issued a fairly stinging if entirely justifiable indictment of the reality genre, citing a distinction between people merely interested in achieving fame (or notoriety) and those aspiring to be artists.
"If you just want to be famous ... that's not that much different than porn," the "Mad Men" star told
Hamm was specifically referring to those who garner fame via programs like "The Bachelor," not other celebrities. And as a leading man near the height of his appeal, he currently has the luxury of taking the high road. For his sake, let's hope he and actress girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt never feel compelled to pitch their own reality show, "Jon Loves Jennifer," years from now.
Still, it's hard to deny his point. Indeed, watching these latest showcases for former TV stars brought to mind a line spoken by Kim Basinger's character -- the prostitute who harbored dreams of being an actress -- in "L.A. Confidential." Thanks to her pimp, she says wistfully, "We still get to act a little."
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Television - Reality Bug Bites TV Stars of the '80s