What do "The Office," "Life On Mars," "American Idol" and NBC's newest sitcom "Kath and Kim" have in common? Surely not networks, and definitely not genres. Rather, these four programs are all adaptations of foreign television hits. "Kath and Kim," the remake of a popular Australian series, is merely the latest in a long-standing tradition of importing shows that hope to hit the ratings jackpot. While it certainly entertains, with a few good laughs and a few great performances, it also has the potential to easily go downhill, thanks to a few cloying performances and a wishy-washy, hit-or-miss script.
"Kath and Kim" stars Molly Shannon and Selma Blair, respectively, as the titular dysfunctional mother-and-daughter duo. Kath is a recently divorced 40-something-year-old who is back on the hunt for love. Kim, her daughter, is having issues with her husband and has moved back home with her mom while they sort things out.
Of course, crazy antics ensue, characters bicker and argue, the situation escalates, and most problems are solved in 30 minutes. The characters are all well-intentioned buffoons who unfortunately often fall prey to comedy convention.
Predictability isn't necessarily a bad thing, though, since NBC's other comedies tend to feature the same formulas, albeit in different ways. Therefore, the show tries to differentiate itself through the characters' interactions with each other. Kath, never having put her foot down hard enough when raising Kim, now has to deal with her daughter's spoiled behavior, which is affecting her own relationship with her new boyfriend, Phil (played by John Michael Higgins).
Kath and Kim's witty back-and-forth is a central part of the show. Kim assumes the role of the entitled daughter who still sulks around like a teenager, while Kath possesses a lot of positive energy due to her budding new relationship. They haven't the rapport of, say, "Gilmore Girls"' Lorelei and Rory, and indeed, their discussions throughout the pilot mostly center on the conflicts at hand, hindering character development through dialogue. Aside from broad character types, there doesn't seem to be much substance to them, though that could certainly change in the future.
The men also suffer from a lack of character development. Phil is the owner of a sandwich shop in the mall, and Craig (Mikey Day), Kim's husband, works at an electronics store. The pilot reveals nothing about their interests, ambitions, or even traits, other than their obvious affection for their love interests, and as a result the characters appear generic.
Luckily, Shannon and Higgins, though they don't play their characters with much depth, bring much-needed enthusiasm to their roles, and are responsible for most of the show's big laughs. Shannon is effervescent, doing everything over the top, throwing out silly metaphors that betray her relative ignorance. Higgins plays his role as an average Joe to great effect, keeping positive in the face of insults and obstacles, and ends up being very Ned Flanders-esque. He excels at comedic timing, and his facial expressions are often priceless.
Although they have their moments, Blair and Day tend to drag the production down. It's not that they are necessarily bad actors, but their performances are simply one-note. Whereas Kath and Phil are just simple people with good intentions, Kim and Craig come across as just plain dumb, while neither the actors nor the script do anything to endear the characters to the audience. For every funny, deadpan sequence of silly words one utters ("I'll have the 'Wham Bam Thank You Ham.'"), the other spews a groan-worthy sentence ("It's over! O-V-U-R!").
The pilot of "Kath and Kim" doesn't give a clear glimpse of what the future has in store for the series, as its problems could be easily fixed yet just as easily exacerbated. It does, however, manage to entertain and provide a few good laughs, and sometimes a little light-hearted buffoonery just hits the spot.
