Bram and Alice

What a fantastic show! I saw the pilot and laughed out-loud! And laughing out-loud for me usually takes smart writing and great delivery by the actors. This show does that and I hope to continue to watch and laugh out-loud.

I caught the pilot of "Bram and Alice" and saw potential in it, but not as a network TV show. Bram is the author of one successful book, being hounded by his publisher to produce a second. He passes his days avoiding the publisher's phone calls and spending his advance money seducing pretty young women writers who come to him seeking advice or an entrée into the writing business. Alice is a daughter Bram didn't know he had, from a years-ago indiscretion with her mother, a woman he hardly remembers. Alice wants to be a writer and journeys to meet Dad to establish herself both as his daughter and as a writer.

For anyone who remembers NBC's "Buffalo Bill" from the mid 1980s, the same principles apply here: unlikeable characters in key roles and abundant cynicism. Of course, the door is open for redemption and unexpected kindness to blossom, but the show would need to have lasted for more than a couple of episodes.

On one of the cable networks this show could possibly have survived, even thrived, because its thorny matters of plot and character could have been worked out. On network TV (in this case CBS) "Bram and Alice" withered on the vine.

I seem to recall that James Burroughs directed the premiere episode of "Bram and Alice", the only one I saw; Mr. Burroughs' guidance plus the excellent cast made it memorable. But, like the aforementioned "Buffalo Bill", "Bram and Alice" died prematurely. I can't guess where this show might have gone given a fair chance.

The first time I heard about this show was when it was canceled (which was after two episodes). I happened to look it up.

Network idiocy, all the way. This show had one of the best casts a sitcom could ever hope for.

Alfred Molina is probably Hollywood's most underrated actor. He's been in wide range of projects, good and bad, and he's always been much better than the role demanded, whether playing the effeminate Harvard professor in "Species" or the Mexican villain in "Maverick" or the nasty Greek lawyer in "Before and After". He finally, now, has been given a major role (as Diego Rivera, in "Frida") after about 25 years in Hollywood.

Traylor Howard should be ranked with Renee Zellweger and Julia Roberts for likeable talent, but she keeps getting stuck in failing projects that don't do her any justice. At least she's free, again, to go pursue something else. She should've been given a break-out role five years ago, already.

The rest of the "Bram and Alice" cast was strong, too, although because I never heard of the show, I never saw it, so I can only guess at the chemistry.

I've asked around. I don't know *anyone* -- in person or online -- who saw this show or even saw an ad for it. The network simply decided to waste its money and kill the show even before they canceled it. Sheer incompetence, and someone ought to be fired.

Before you watch it, keep in mind that just about everyone in this show is a highly underrated performer that hasn't quite found his or her clique. This show is certainly good enough to deserve at least 3 more seasons, but I predict that it will soon be cancelled.

The pitch for this show sounded boring before I ever watched the first episode. Alice is one more sweet, talented girl with low self-esteem looking to have her dreams fulfilled who goes to meet the father she never knew (and never knew she didn't know--that Bram was her father was news to her). The character is a cliche (though a fairly modern one) and a bit of a waste of Traylor Howard's talent. This is her third series in a relatively brief time, which tells us that she is appealing but they're not sure what to do with her. The character of Bram has potential as a laughgetter but I don't really think he has much potential to be sympathetic. I was more interested in his assistant, though the "same name as a famous person" gag was pretty much played out by "The Tony Randall Show" and "Busting Loose" in the Seventies. For "Bram and Alice" to work out, they're going to need to bring more meat to the casserole than they have so far.