"Fat Actress" (2005) TV series

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Creators:

Kirstie Alley
Brenda Hampton

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

6 March 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

An actress (Alley, playing a version of herself) struggles to lose weight and revive her Hollywood career.

Plot Keywords:

Actress | Satire | Celebrity Guests | Obesity | Sitcom

Cast

Kirstie Alley	...	Kirstie Alley (7 episodes, 2005)
Bryan Callen	...	Eddie Falcone (7 episodes, 2005)
Rachael Harris	...	Kevyn Shecket (7 episodes, 2005)
Kelly Preston	...	Quinn Taylor Scott (4 episodes, 2005)

Runtime:

Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Certification:

Australia:MA (DVD) | Argentina:Atp | USA:TV-14 (two episodes) | USA:TV-MA | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Production Partners

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Will & Grace: Whatever Happened to Baby Gin? (#8.22)" (2006)

Fat Actress, Slim Entertainment

First of all, I think Kirstie Alley is charismatic, talented, and funny. I also love the premise, especially given Hollywood's hyper-shallowness and the unbelievable, dehumanizing scrutiny put upon high-profile people in America. That said, however, this show is probably doomed -- and if it hasn't already been canceled, I fear it will be soon.

Let's face it : how long can she really milk this idea? That's the first and fundamental problem I see. The second -- and equally important -- is the writing, which is uneven and hackneyed, at best. There have been a few great moments : Kirstie on the 'casting couch' with the handsome black network exec, who whacks her on the butt and croons hilariously about the "groceries" in her "trunk"; the jail scene where the lesbian guard wants to play slap and tickle with Kirstie, whose ex-boyfriend turns out to be gay; the whole Kid Rock thing was mildly amusing, as well. But when everything started slipping into midgets and toilet humor, I saw big FAT trouble looming on the horizon!

Lastly, Kirstie's accomplices, Bryan Callen and -- sorry, I can't remember the blonde's name -- seem like attractive, telegenic, capable performers but they're so befuddled in the bad writing that they end up looking very sad and superfluous. They're weak, annoying characters who add little to the overall entertainment value, and that's a shame because they could be such an asset if they had been granted a bit of depth, quirky individuality, and genuine humor.