FOX”s “Running Wilde” Marks Big Disappointment for Will Arnett; Review

There are few comedic actors for whom the entertainment community more greatly wishes success than Will Arnett. The “Arrested Development” actor consistently makes for a hilariously brilliant supporting character, and rarely will a critic not give him all available opportunities to prove the worth of his starring vehicles.

Unfortunately, like his flop of a film in “The Brothers Solomon,” his new FOX comedy “Running Wilde” is simply a dud. It represents yet another stumble for the talented comedy actor, and though its lifespan on the network might be extended due to its scheduling in a “Glee”-fueled comedy block, it is highly unlikely to emerge as a major comedy hit.

So devastating about the series, a reuniting of Arnett and “Arrested Development” creator Mitch Hurwitz, is the fact that the show so notably lacks any sort of bite. In being so blatantly non-offensive, “Running Wilde” also manages to be completely humorless, so much so that it almost comes across like Hurwitz deliberately developed an unfunny mainstream series to “riff” on those masses who opted not to enjoy the infinitely quirky and clever “Development.”

As a spoiled, overgrown baby in Steven Wilde, the son of Wilde Oil’s head honcho, Arnett technically should be at home. After all, the immature adult character is nothing new for Arnett, and the idea of Arnett playing an insanely wealthy, pampered individual with limited self-awareness is undoubtedly appealing on paper.

But that is not enough in practice. Arnett’s best roles have always also required the inclusion of a sassy, arrogant, “jerk” dimension. This character, however, has no discernable personality traits, and Arnett’s success disappointingly comes down simply to the strength of the script. There is no room for Will Arnett to truly “be Will Arnett,” and the result is a complete detachment between the viewer and the various issues that impact the main character.

The non-committal nature of the character tears at the entire foundation of the series, resulting in an unprecedentedly ineffective dynamic between Arnett and the other characters. Neither he nor next door neighbor and friendly rival Fa’ad (Peter Serafinowicz) attempt to define their relationship as anything more than goofy tolerance, and every exchange between the two comes off as flat and inorganic. Whether comparing “horse sizes” or scheming to convince a key character of a medical diagnosis, they present no definitive relationship dynamic or chemistry, and it becomes essentially imposssible to locate any humor. Suffice it to say, this is not the Jerry Seinfeld-Newman dynamic that, by all it counts, it should be striving to be.

More importantly, the wishy-washy definition of Steven Wilde character completely clashes with Keri Russell’s Emmy. While Wilde is too naive, silly and socially-starved to come across as an internally greedy man who needs saving, Emmy is too self-obsessed and stubborn to come across as his angel. The character is an activist who defends a village against a greedy oil company, and she is played by the infinitely adorable Keri Russell. Yet in execution, there is simply nothing likable about Emmy, and one cannot help but wonder why she should be the one fixing Wilde.

The fact that their past as childhood sweethearts is confirmed via flashbacks further clashes with the level of chemistry they actually display in the premiere. There is no convincing attraction here; even when going as far as to fly the tribe she protects into his hotel, Wilde is as non-chalant as he was in casually ending his romance with Emmy in their teen years. We are told he wants to win her over–and he goes so far as to hatch a “fake doctor” scheme to convince her to stay in America–but we do not necessarily believe he does. We certainly do not know why other than for nostalgia and her beauty.

The same goes for Emmy. Though there does appear to be some “attraction out of repulsion” for Wilde, it is not as if he seems to mean all that much to her. In fact, he is not even really the most compelling case for her to choose staying with Wilde over going back to her village; another character plays a far bigger role in her contemplation. To sell their chemistry, we need to get the sense that their position as “rivals” (the super-wealthy corporate suit and the activist angry about his company’s policies) and prior heartbreak is standing in the way of a burning lust being realized. Instead, Emmy comes off like a girl at a bar who, while charmed by Wilde’s advances, would require a few drinks to overcome her lack of attraction in choosing to go home with him.

Does that sound like the sexual chemistry and tension needed to sell this sort of series?

In the middle of everything is Emmy’s daughter Puddle (Stefania Owen). Puddle inexplicably serves as the narrator for the premiere, but she makes little actual impact on the show. She is not funny (even by child actor standards), and her only real contribution is underscoring the negligent, irresponsible parenting of Emmy (yet another strike against this supposed “golden girl”). Maybe she mproves going forward, but in act one, there is simply no value generated by having this awkward child character in the mix.

One might be fair in assuming the series will improve going forward; there just has to be a reason why Arnett and Hurwitz agreed to undertake this collaboration. But even if the humor gets sharper, the flaws in the characters and their chemistry might prove to be crippling setbacks. Even with better jokes and more hilarious slapstick scenes, by restricting Arnett to a role so limiting and locking Russell into a role so scarcely appealing, there is just nothing to make this more than a decent sitcom.

“Running Wilde” does not offensively misuse its cast like Comedy Central’s “Big Lake,” but by being plain unoffensive, it still fails to capture what comedy fans to get out of a Will Arnett vehicle.

“Running Wilde” premieres Tuesday on FOX following “Glee” and “Raising Hope.”