Lithgow returns to TV
Minutes into NBC’s new comedy Trial & Error, a New York lawyer walks into a small-town firm to work on a case.
The lawyer: “Do I have an office?”
The local investigator: “Right past the albino muskrat.”
That, in 10 words, is the sensibility behind Trial & Error, starring John Lithgow as Larry Henderson, an offbeat poetry professor accused of murdering his wife.
Did he do it? Fresh-faced lawyer Josh (Nicholas D’Agosto) — and viewers — can’t be sure.
But it sure is a lot of fun watching Lithgow drop hints either way — the actor has more range than most cellphone plans.
He’s played a displaced alien for six seasons on the comedy 3rd Rock from the Sun, a serial killer in Showtime’s dark drama Dexter, Winston Churchill in Netflix’s The Crown, plus a host of other film and TV roles in his nearly 50-year career.
Here, he has an able cast to play off. Former Glee star Jayma Mays is ambitious assistant district attorney Carol Anne Keane, the kind of woman who asks for bail to be set at $93 million so she’ll be taken seriously.
Steven Boyer is inept local investigator Dwayne, and Krysta Rodriguez is Larry’s adopted daughter Summer.
Another scene-stealer is Sherri Shepherd as secretary Anne Flatch, who in the first episode reveals she has facial amnesia, dyslexia and involuntary emotional expression disorder (cue the hysterical laughter when we see bloody roller-skate tracks at the crime scene).
Like Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock and The Office, Trial & Error is the kind of quirky ensemble comedy that NBC does so well, but that takes a while to build an audience.
With plans to focus on a new crime every season, in theory there’s plenty of material to draw on.
Trouble is, the fish-outof-water setup frequently puts small-town folks at the butt of the jokes. And some plot points are predictable, like Josh deciding to stay and work the case despite the odds, and Summer’s initial disdain for Josh turning into rosy-eyed hope.
Still, those things can be ironed out in subsequent episodes. The performances, characters and distinct point of view are there — now all it needs is a fair trial. (NBC/CTV)
THIS IS US
The season finale of the breakout NBC hit airs the episode Moonshadow tonight. Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) travels to Cleveland to make amends with Rebecca (Mandy Moore) on the night of her first big gig with the band.
Meanwhile, Randall (Sterling K. Brown), Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Kevin (Justin Hartley) make big decisions about their futures. (NBC/CTV)