‘Lodge 49’ is a screwy new delight

If you need an oasis from the glut of reality series, “Lodge 49” provides wacky, wondrous shelter.

The AMC comedy-drama, debuting Monday, feels like a throwback to “Northern Exposure” and other offbeat delights. Author Jim Gavin (“Middle Men”) created the series, and it’s an auspicious TV start. The showrunner is Peter Ocko, whose credits include “The Office” and “Pushing Daisies.”

“Lodge 49” focuses on two very different men. Dud (Wyatt Russell) is a beachcomber, squatter and banged-up surfer in Long Beach, Calif. He has a sunny, goofy style, even after being punched in the kisser.

Ernie (Brent Jennings) is a middle-aged plumbing salesman who has nothing to show for his life. He feels thwarted by debt and younger colleagues yet he’s up for grueling challenges.

The series brings the two together halfway through the premiere, contrasting Dud’s sense of wonder with Ernie’s desperation.

Once the series steps into Lodge 49, the show lands on blessedly screwy turf. Ernie is a member, and Dud wants in because he thinks joining will open doors for him. The lodge is populated by colorful old-timers, including a philosophical bartender who says, “Sometimes you can’t see something until you’re looking for it.”

Both stars are excellent. Russell, the son of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, comes by his easy charm naturally. He shines when Dud shares his traumatic life story and the moment that may have saved him. Jennings is touching as the put-upon Ernie.

The lodge members include Linda Emond as an old-school journalist furious with the way she’s being edited; David Pasquesi as the chatty bartender; and Eric Allan Kramer as a port harbor patrol officer who’s by the book. Sonya Cassidy plays Dud’s cynical twin sister with unexpected tenderness.

Veteran actors Brian DoyleMurray and Kenneth Welsh add sass and starch.

AMC will install “Lodge 49” after “Better Call Saul,” which starts its fourth season Monday. The new series will need the lead-in help because, like “Northern Exposure” and “Pushing Daisies,” it’s a highwire act. The early episodes demonstrate it has no trouble getting on the wire; staying up there will be the trick.