TNT, which has an onslaught of female-based dramatic series, looks to expand its demographic with “Men of a Certain Age.” Created by and starring Ray Romano, the television show follows three friends facing the challenges and changes of mid-life. Fans of “Everybody Loves Raymond” will not inherently take to Romano’s new endeavor, which is far more serious and relies on a much smaller cast to provide the audience with occasional comedy.
The three focal characters of the 60-minute show are Joe (Romano), Owen (Andre Braugher), and Terry (Scott Bakula). The group of college buddies, who have managed to keep their relationship going long after they’ve graduated, are now in their late 40s and experiencing every “I’m-getting-older” cliché imaginable. Joe remarks that he doesn’t recognize himself in the mirror anymore, Owen wakes up to a ventilator next to his bed, and Terry can’t seem to get an acting gig to save his life; although he has no problem attracting attention from females 20 years his junior.
This brings the audience to the next batch of clichés, the vice of each character. Whereas Terry’s vice is women, Owen’s is food, which explains his elevated weight and eventual hospital visit. Joe’s painfully obvious gambling addiction is pushed on the audience with shots of online gambling Web sites and a scene depicting Joe, outside of the party supplies store he owns, meeting a bookie.
One of the first scenes of “Men of a Certain Age” introduces the audience to the painfully slow movement of the show, as Joe and Owen wait for Terry. While sitting in Joe’s vehicle the two barely manage to have a conversation and Owen shoots insulin into his stomach, while Joe snacks on a healthier version of the normally sugar-injected gelatin that is gummi bears. The indicators of age never cease.
Juxtaposed against the geezers are their children, who are portrayed in a horrible light. Joe’s early teenage son is seen playing a video game, completely oblivious to the world unfolding around him, with earplugs tuning out his father. Owen’s two elementary age sons are depicted as annoyances, often placing stickers on their father and shooting him with a Nerf gun.
The saving grace of “Men of a Certain Age” is the soundtrack, which spices up the show and acts as a much needed fourth character. “Ventura Highway” by America and “Reflections of My Life” by Marmalade are not only welcome songs, they do a far better job dating the characters in a subtle, rather than overt way.
However, the unfortunate inaccuracy of the music must be noted. The characters are approaching 50, making the aforementioned songs hit singles closer to the time the men were born, not at the time they would have actually been listening to music. The show should stick to tunes from the late 1970s or the early 1980s, such as the commercial for “Men of a Certain Age,” which uses Queen and David Bowie’s 1981 collaboration “Under Pressure.”
If the show can move past the introductory phase generally offered by pilot episodes and focus on more pressing issues, such as Joe’s pending divorce and Owen’s attempt to earn his father’s respect, it may have a fighting chance to stay on the air.
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