Season One Shows: The Crazy Ones

Welcome back readers to Day 5 of Season One Shows. Yeah I am going to make it a priority if a day in the week is skipped we get the full 5 days. Betcha weren't expecting that level of dedication, were ya? Aside from a few lapsed weeks it is clearly time to buckle down with the write ups and give you the info and humor in one delightful package. This next show I speak of I enjoyed immensely due to the pairing of its lead actors the late Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar as a father daughter dynamic as well as business partners. This is The Crazy Ones.

Three bean burrito has its revenge!

Created and produced by writer/producer David E. Kelley (L.A. Law, Doogie Howser, M.D., Picket Fences, Lake Placid, Snoops, Chicago Hope,Ally McBeal and The Practice) comes an advertisement agency in Chicago actually shot in Chicago, ran by Simon Roberts (Robin Williams of Mork & Mindy, Moscow on the Hudson, The Fisher King, Hook, Aladdin, The Birdcage, Good Will Hunting, Happy Feet, Night at the Museum and The Big Wedding), a child with ADD in a man's body with his bizarre outlook on life brings the goods to the clients every time in spite of his unorthodox methods and unpredictable behavior would have gotten him fired ten times over. I am talking blacklisted from the gig, thank God he is the boss.

Where are his pants? Laura, stop looking.

His polar opposite, partner, VP and daughter Syndey (Sarah Michelle Gellar of Swans Crossing, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scream 2, Simply Irresistible, The Grudge, Call of the Dead video game, All My Children, Ringer and Robot Chicken) is diligent,ambitious and focused as she has put her name and credibility on each and every client trying to appease them and at the same time hold on to her dignity. When she is not parenting her father, she is in awe of his genius. Along with our twosome is the talented and charismatic copywriter Zach Cropper (James Wolk of Front of the Class, Solving Charlie, You Again, Lone Star, Always Woodstock, Mad Men and You Must Be Joking), wisecracking and in the same mindset as his insane boss with rapid fire riffs that everyday is fun coming to work.

Well-spoken,smart but lacking full confidence in himself, art director Andrew Keanelly (Hamish Linklater of Gideon's Crossing, American Dreams, Fantastic Four, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Battleship, 42, The Newsroom and Magic in the Moonlight) who aches for Simon's approval and crushes adorably for Sydney so that you hope he just mans up and actively pursues her. Lovely and deviously brilliant assistant Lauren Slotsky (Amanda Setton of What Happens in Vegas, One Life to Live, Gossip Girl, The Mindy Project, Black Dog, Red Dog and Hawaii Five-0) navigating through the insanity that is her office pool but manages to have a rapier wit and the tongue to skewer with.

Unfortunately not every scintillating idea is in the budget, enter Accounts manager and business partner Gordon Lewis (Brad Garrett of Hercules, Mad Jack the Pirate, Superman: The Animated Series, Everyone Loves Raymond, 'Til Death and Ratatouille) a shaved Sasquatch of a man whose size is easily matched by his volume but his husband loves him so.

A few comments now on the series that could have been.

Taking it back to an old school approach of one camera shooting to that of the Dick Van Dyke Show or Mary Tyler Moore breathes a hint of nostalgia and wonder into a show. So why did this show go belly up? Eyes bigger than the stomach with the budget? This was Sarah Michelle Gellar's fourth TV series and Williams hadn't been on the small screen in almost 31 years as a lead character. This show delivered the goods combining drama and comedy. The cast blended so well but especially Williams and Gellar. You'd swear she called his daughter for pointers to get better insight. This had the same vibes as Newsroom and definitely deserved more airtime and love. Granted I could not see how it would continue with Robin. 22 episodes of delight, debauchery and devilishly clever writing. Give it a binge watch folks. You won't be disappointed.

It's a trick.  Get an ax.