Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Dulled Edge (Television Review: Kathy, Thursdays On Bravo)





I loved Kathy Griffin's talk show last season. It started out shaky - she had the idea that she would only have regular people as guests, but towards the end of the season, she started bringing out her celebrity friends and it got a lot more interesting. You could sense that she knew these people, and they were along for the ride. I know people either love or hate her, and you can firmly put me on the "love" camp. When her show got renewed, they made a decision to put her on live, and that possibility of danger perhaps added more edge. But something is off this year, and I can't put my finger on it. Maybe because she is now on live, she is more cautious? The initial episode, with guests Jane Lynch and Lisa Kudrow, was funny enough but there's a missing spark. The second episode, featuring T.I. (God - am I so old that I really do not know who he is?) again, on paper, sounds hilarious, but it was much too safe, or trying too hard to be edgy, I can't figure out. I just finished watching the third episode, with Chris Noth and Chelsea Handler as guests, and again it wasn't as funny. Kathy Griffin made her mark in the comedy world skewing celebrities, and I think maybe she has become too close to them now, with her comedy now focused on reality television "stars."  These people are easy targets, and somehow this has dulled her edge.

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