Mr. Ed

It's rather hard to imagine anyone trying to revive the series "Mr. Ed". After all, the show was likable BUT kind of dopey (such as the time Ed the horse tried out for the LA Dodgers) and the concept was very, very limited. I mean...how much can you do with a show about a talking horse?! Yet, despite this and the original show being the butt of jokes, someone thought reviving the show with this 2004 pilot was a good idea. Fortunately, the networks DIDN'T think this was a great idea and the series was never made.

The show begins with Wilbur Pope* moving his family out to the country. On the farm he buys, there is a horse..Mr. Ed...and, Ed can talk...and only Wilbur seems to hear him. Ed, by the way, is voiced by veteran TV star Sherman Hemsley. In this pilot, the main problem Wilbur and Ed deal with is the horrid boyfriend Wilbur's daughter has picked up...and Ed is determined to get rid of him.

While the 1960s "Mr. Ed" was silly, the new attempt to revive the series is a bit different in style. The new one is filled with one-liners...like Mr. Pope is a frustrated stand-up comic. And, as a result, the laugh track is more obvious and invasive. It wasn't horrid...but it also wasn't very good.

*In the 1950s-60s show, the man was named Wilbur Post. However, he WAS Wilbur Pope in the original pilot episode from 1958...and the new proposed series chose this original name and not the more familiar one.

The premise is similar to the original. Wilbur Post (well, Pope in this version actually) gets a horse to come live with him and his wife. But it's not just any kind of horse: It can talk! As you expect, Ed gets him into all sorts of trouble with Wilbur trying to straighten out the mess.

They add a teenage daughter this time though, probably to appeal more to a younger audience. Does she add anything to the show? Zilch. It's pretty much the most generic teen character you can possibly imagine.

Just remembered they have a son too, but he's so utterly forgettable I almost forgot to mention him in this review at all.

And instead of the hilarious neighbors Roger and Kay Addison, whose bickering was a joy to behold, we have an annoying stupid creep who unashamedly harrasses and makes passes at Wilbur's wife.

The production is very odd to say the least, mixing in music which sounds like something from Disney Channel with very adult jokes. I don't have anything against adult humor, but juxtaposed with the corny and intrusive soundtrack it just comes off as out-of-place more than anything.

The acting is very bad. David Alan Basche COMPLETELY lacks charm as Wilbur. Alan Young was friendly and endearing in the role, Basche's portrayal is so over-the-top he makes him look like an obnoxious manchild instead.

Sara Paxton as the daughter Amanda is awful as well, reading every line in the exact same exaggerated manner. She was probably complaining to her parents the whole time how much longer she'd have to spend time on this set.

Sherman Hemsley does try to have some fun as Mister Ed, and to be fair he provides the few amusing lines that are there. But his voice still doesn't fit somehow. You can't really picture that voice coming out of that horse's mouth.

Sherilyn Fenn sadly comes off as directionless. I know when she's given a great script she can be amazing, but you can tell that she didn't believe the material she was given.

Overall, I'm glad this didn't take off. Mister Ed is a classic sitcom which always makes me laugh and smile when I watch it. With this however, I chuckled out of disbelief at best, other times rolled my eyes and groaned.