Too Close to Home

I tuned into show simply because I'm a fan of Heather Locklear but I have to wonder about her agent. This show is, to put it mildly, horrible. I'm glad Heather only had a few scenes and was able to escape this dreck. I hope she picked up a fat paycheck. The writing is so bad it's laughable. People keep repeating the same lines over and over until you want to scream at them to shut up. The plot is nonsense, the acting is worse than a high school play and there is NO direction. Why do some people in Alabama have accents and some don't? Why do those accents cone and go at random? Why is it set in a trailer park? Is that really how Mr Perry imagines Alabama- one big trailer park full of whores and drug addicts? The wardrobe, makeup and hair people must have hated Locklear because they did their best to make her look like a 70 year old haggard alcoholic. It's embarrassing how inept this whole thing is and how cheap it all looks. The characters are paper thin and the main character, Anna, does nothing but say how sorry she is to everyone. Repeatedly. This is TV at its worst. Tyler Perry claims a producing, writing and directing credit. He fails spectacularly at all 3 positions. This show is garbage and you'd be a fool to waste your time watching it. Once Locklear's scenes were through, so was I. TLC must be desperate to program this crap. It's amateur, it's cheap and it's insulting to anyone with half a brain.

I scanned some of the other reviews. I do not agree. I enjoy it. I've enjoyed Tyler Perry's other shows--The Haves and the Have Nots and If Loving You Is Wrong. I can no longer watch them as I don't have the channel anymore. Some of the acting could be better, but I still plan on watching it if it continues. I like the fact that I knew one of the actors--the one that plays Bonnie. I like seeing her do this kind of role. I may not know all the other actors but I like them. All of the characters and the struggles of them are relevant to what goes on in small towns. I like the fact there is a gay story line as well as the story line about a parent leaving their child with family while they try to improve their lives.

I really wanted to like this show. An Intern Gone Wrong premise, a comely cast with a Southern setting, the return of Heather Locklear...what's not to like? Well a lot, unfortunately.

Lets --- start ---with--- the--- excruciatingly---long ---pauses ---between ---words. Why oh why is that, do the writers get paid by the word? Then there is the cartoon-like, stereotypical characters. The overly solicitous waitress, the scrawny, screechy coke whore, the beefcake with the heart of gold, the twangy sheriff etc. The story line limps along at a snails pace with an episode's worth of "action" painstakingly dragged out for three episodes (writers paid by the idea?!?)

The only shallow reason why I give this a 2 instead of 1 is because of above mentioned beefcake Brody. His biceps are the breakout stars of the show. If you want to record these shows and then just fast forward to the Brody sections you won't be disappointed. If you want to watch the sections in between, don't say you weren't warned.

I love Tyler Perry, and was excited to hear about the show. The concept sounded intriguing and the trailers looked exciting. Not often do we see a "rise above your raising" show that focuses on poor whites. However, the show has several problems.

The dialogue is ridiculous. The characters just say the same thing over, and over, and over again. It's evident that even the actors know they are delivering poorly written lines.

The story moves at a snail's pace, which would be fine if the show aired as a soap opera - more than once a week.

The guy who plays Brody seems to have only one emotion, and it is difficult to say what that emotion might be. He is flat - one dimensional. Either he needs acting lessons or better direction.

I see that the show has been renewed for a second season. After 6 episodes, the only way I'd watch it again is if Perry hires some new writers who have knowledge of the South and experience in the soap opera genre.

Wow. I am wondering how these actors got their gig w/ Perry. I mean, I cannot tell whose acting is worse...actually yes I can: that Fabio looking guy. it's like he doesn't know what to do with himself while reciting the same lines over and over and over again. He also reminds me of someone who has either worked in porn or would be more suitable to work in porn. And how is it possible that almost every main guy character is SUPER ripped? I mean, come on! Anna has no backbone and keeps saying "sorry" over and over and over again. Heather Locklear's makeup was AWFUL. She looked terrible! Whoever did her makeup ought to be fired. I don't know what happened, but I don't see this show lasting too long.