Jeffrey Tambor in "Welcome To the Captain"
courtesy of CBS
"Welcome To the Captain" (CBS)

With the writers' strike still in progress (but rumors give us hope of a settlement), it is a fortunate thing indeed to discover a new scripted series. "Welcome To the Captain" which debuted this week is not a reality show and it is not a repeat. It is a new comedy, well at least it is new. That comedy label is still up for grabs.

"WTTC" airs Monday nights at 8:30 on CBS. That means it is sandwiched between "How I Met Your Mother" and "Two and A Half Men" and that time slot should buy it a few viewers. It isn't really on the level of those shows yet but not having to change the channel means a lot to some people. So if you are a "How I Met Your Mother" fan and are lazy then you are going to see this show.

The premise is that a guy named Josh (Fran Kranz) is planning to leave LA and move to New York. His college roommate Marty (Chris Klein) convinces him to stay and move into the "El Captain," a stately hotel in which reside a real cast of characters. The most notable resident is a former writer for "Three's Company" named "Uncle Saul (Jeffrey Tambor).

Another character is named Jesus (Al Madrigal) and he is the Bell Captain. He pronounces his name Jee-suss, not hay soos. He's funny that way. Not funny that way but sexy in a million ways is Charlene (Raquel Welch). She takes an instant lust to Josh and acts upon it. It is "The Graduate" time at the Captain.

Popping up as an acupuncturist student is Joanna Garcia as Hope. Garcia played Reba's daughter on "Reba" and I hope she gets residuals from those shows. Valerie Azlynn is the other young female on the show and she plays an aspiring actress named Astrid.

Maybe the show will get funnier in the future but for now it is just a mild laugh getter here and there. On the plus side Welch looks great and Garcia is appealing, but that is countered by Fran being blah and Klein being bland. As for Tambor and Madrigal well we just won't go there.

Still this is a new show, something you have not seen before in any form. Okay maybe you have seen similar shows but not this specific one. And it is not a reality show. It definitely is not a reality show because there is nothing realistic about this setting or cast.

The show airs every Monday on CBS at 8:30PM. If you have nothing better to do you might want to visit. That way you can watch "Two and A Half Men" without having to change the channel.
 

 

 

 

 

©2008 Jackie K. Cooper

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