No, you're not dreaming, and yes, the rumors are true. Uncle Jesse is back on the small screen, and his signature coif is slicker than ever.
Just when the children of the '80s feared that the last they'd hear of John Stamos would be regarding his unfortunate split with Rebecca Romijn, the Elvis throwback graces our presence once again in the corny but comic new ABC sitcom, "Jake in Progress."
Now, glorious as this comeback may seem, all is not completely right in the world of ABC primetime television once again. That is not to say, of course, that "Jake in Progress" is completely unsalvageable; there are simply some very incongruent elements that really need fixing if "Jake" hopes to ever rival the popularity of "Full House."
In the first place, "Jake in Progress" is supposed to be your average American sitcom - nothing more, nothing less. The adoring public already knows what to expect when they tune into such a show: neatly executed thirty-minute plots, cookie cutter characters, a little dash of romance and plenty of comedy.
You can add all the window dressing and quirky spins you want, but the basic premise is always the same, and that's perfectly okay with viewers; it's why '80s and early '90s shows like "Family Matters," "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," "The Cosby Show," and, yes, even "Full House," were so successful despite their overwhelming repetitiveness.
Every once in awhile, a terribly clever producer can get away with a break from the norm, but success stories of this type are few and far between. Sadly, "Jake" is not one of the exceptions to this rule. Apparently, creator Austin Winsberg (the same man who breathed new life into the family sitcom with 2002's underappreciated "Still Standing") fails to recognize that.
Winsberg, along with a team of executive producers that includes Stamos himself, tries to elevate "Jake" to an unnatural status, and the result is almost as awkward as watching the ugly stepsister trying to stuff her fat foot into the dainty glass slipper. Winsberg simply went too far in trying to convey the fast-paced, high-glamour, yuppie-rific world of Jake Phillips, celebrity publicist. Celebrity publicist - that says it all.
Rather than the typical two- or three-camera crew that films normal sitcoms, "Jake" is shot in a completely inappropriate mock indie-film style that comes off looking snobbishly false. From the confusing quick-cut sequences to the failed attempts to show three- and four-way cell phone conversations with cutesy split-screen formatting, "Jake" looks like a wolf in completely unnecessary sheep's clothing.
The humor is similarly pretentious in its attempt to be as witty, as hip, and as disgustingly cosmopolitan as possible. One supposedly comedic plotline revolves around a show that Jake promotes entitled "Gaymigos," a tawdry spoof of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." Another laughtrack-inducing gag - though the track's the only one laughing - involves Jake's first-episode love interest being stalked by a crazy ex who goes on a hunger strike in a plastic box suspended outside of her bedroom window.
The classic sitcom pokes fun at everyday, universal human experiences, which grant it that golden status during prime time and eventually syndication. "Jake in Progress" always goes for the over-the-top, stylishly obscure, ridiculously 'in vogue' jokes, which would appeal more to a Starbucks-sipping, social climbing 20-something crowd than the typical sitcom audience.
In spite of all this, the acting is surprisingly not terrible, given the script the actors have to work with. Stamos proves that, despite being a former co-star of the Olsen twins, he can actually transition smoothly from one role to another without the baggage of his first and most famous character weighing him down (although he does answer his ubiquitous cell phone with the trademark Uncle Jesse "Talk to me!").
As for the rest of the cast, Jake's best friend and co-worker, Adrian (Ian Gomez) honestly has potential to be the pathetic sidekick, as long as he stops laying on his woe-is-me act too thickly. Jake's boss, Naomi (Wendie Malick), has the potential to take the bitter single mom schtick to new depths of cynical sarcasm, as long as she can sidestep the trap of one-dimensionality. And what of the David Blaine-esque stalker guy who looks as if he will become a regular on the show? Well, there's really no telling how that will go.
And that is why all has not been entirely lost. Who knows, maybe after the first two episodes, Winsberg realized that elitist comedy wasn't the way to go, and from there on, stuck to variations on traditional sitcom themes. If the show drops all of its artsy gimmicks, it might just have enough raw humor to keep it on air long enough to mature into something worthwhile.
Until then, "Jake's" producers will just have to hope that viewers still have enough nostalgia for good old Uncle Jesse that they'll 'have mer-cy' on this fledgling project.
