September 29, 2005

TV: Sex, Love, and Secrets

The social and romantic interactions of seven attractive 20somethings (well, six attractive 20somethings and Eric Balfour, an actor who always seems to be desperately in need of a shower) in the oh-so-trendy Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles.

How do I know Silver Lake is trendy? Why, it was in all of LA's most prestigious newspapers and magazines, my dear. And that couldn't have been more than 18 months ago (which means, of course, that Silver Lake's moment of actual trendiness was probably about three years ago), so UPN is right on top of things in setting a show there.

The show is, not to mince words, dreadful. It's ineptly acted, badly written, and captures nothing of the neighborhood in which it's ostensibly set. (Note to the producers: If you're going to tell a story of seven young people living in Silver Lake, at least two of them are going to be gay. And I mean out-of-the-closet gay, not just the sort of creepily androgynous "is he or isn't he" maybe-gay that we get in the character Milo.)

The sole redeeming quality of the show, and the reason it doesn't quite take the "Worst New Series of the Year" title away from Killer Instinct, is that it's inoffensive. Boring as hell, but inoffensive. Sex, Love, and Secrets is not campy enough to be Melrose Place, not witty enough to be The O.C., and not interesting enough to be bothered with.

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