Running Wilde

"Can't hear very well under that tree house".... and last night's scene where the butler is looking out at the guys "washing the car" and the butler says "Don't you do a bleeping thing". Hilarious!! I have watched every show and find myself chuckling the next day while I think about a funny line or 2. Give the offbeat humor a chance and don't take it too serious. Great show!!

The butler and the driver are great characters who I hope to see more of. And Fa'ad is priceless. His very presence and accent makes you laugh.

I had never been a huge Will Arnett fan until now. He and Keri Russell have a very unexpected bit of chemistry that really seems to work.

If you are interested in a show that's quirky, offbeat, and will make you laugh the next day, check this one out!

This show comes very close to pure gold in terms of its premise and casting. Unfortunately it is lacking in fulfilling its own promise. The characters are interesting and well-acted.

The most conspicuously absent part of the show is an anchoring "straight man" a la Jack Lemon or Dean Martin. The zany characters are no good without an accomplished and mature actor capable of acting as a stand-in for the audience. My guess is that the writers intended for this to be Puddle, and while Stefania LaVie Owen is a good child actress, she has not yet developed the nuance and complexity of facial expression and voice intonation to make her more than the show's cute kid.

Another problem that will eventually become evident is that the show can only do so many episodes before its audience loses interest in whether or not Emmy and Steve sack out together. There is only so far that this show can go, and I'm not certain that it will get there.

I love Will Arnett, and really want him to have a stellar show, and maybe if there is room for a sympathetic character along the lines of Michael Bluth in Arrested Development, then these lovable (though not likable) characters will shine and the audience will gain an appreciation for their quirks and a sense of familiarity that is currently lacking. In the meantime, though, I feel like some writers and producers just tried to cram a bunch of far out characters into one show without any hope of development or perspective.

I love Will Arnett who is fabulous as the wealthy guy whose love of his life is played by Keri Russell. Arnett is fabulous as the wealthy but lonely billionaire who lives well-off on a fabulous estate. Emmy is the love of his life played by Keri Russell who lives in the jungle and tries to improve the world with her daughter, Puddle, what a name. Her daughter does a very good job as somebody who wants to escape the jungle and live in civilization. So Emmy reluctantly accepts an invitation where Arnett's character is throwing a party for himself as humanitarian of the year by his own company. Anyway, there are moments when Arnett has what it takes to be a big television star in his own right. Keri Russell is fine as Emmy and the supporting cast does a fine job which includes a neighboring Arab billionaire who has must time and money on his hands as Arnett's character and his assistant and chauffeur as well.

Steven Wilde (Will Arnett) would seem to have every advantage in this world. Very wealthy, he lives in a posh mansion, has a friendly servant at his beck and call at all times, drives a knockout car and does very little work. A figurehead, mostly, at his father's oil company, Stevie is out drinking and partying a good deal of the time. But, ho, ho! Back into his life comes Emmy (Keri Russell), a childhood pal. She grew up in the mansion, being the daughter of the live-in housekeeper, before going to college and never looking back. Now, Emmy is an ecologist, with a young daughter nicknamed Puddle and a scientist beau. She has returned to try to persuade Steve's firm NOT to drill for petroleum in the habitat of the native South American tribe she has been aiding. Secretly, these two, Steve and Emmy, were once in young love, making this return a head-turning event for both of them. Steve asks for time and cajoles Emmy into working at the firm, where they can untangle the problems together. Against her better judgment, Emmy accepts. She and Puddle even move into the elaborate treehouse on the property. But, all too soon, Emmy's left-behind-guy shows up, wanting the score, along with other various issues. Can the egocentric playboy and the pretty ecologist rekindle a love fire and help save the world? Maybe! This viewer wanted to see this series when it was broadcast but work conflicts put a damper on it. Now, its on one disk, joy of joys, to entertain its target audience, women. No, its storyline and scripts aren't the greatest but Arnett and Russell are pure joys in their roles and the supporting cast is quite nice. Also, the sets and costumes are wonderful while the passionate tug-of-war between Steve and Emmy are just what the love doctor ordered for those yearning for on-screen romantic comedy. Why not run wild tonight, females, and buy this DVD, with sides of pizza and popcorn?

If you like 30 Rock, you'll like Running Wilde - simple! Will Arnett is superb in his niche role of wealthy fop, delivering some laugh-out-loud lines; Keri Russell is a Cutey McFeisty™ providing banter between the two main characters. Peter Serafinowicz is absolutely hilarious too, and every one of the cast is very funny in their own way. The only gripe is that the story lines follow very similar paths week-to-week, being Emmy and Steve trying to out-bluff each other - but hey, it works for House, right? This is the type of show that is perhaps too subtle for the masses to enjoy and thus gets cancelled - so in a time when clever comedies are few and far between, I would urge you to watch it! Highly recommended.