Running Wilde 101 Pilot Review

Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz's new comedy has the goofiness of his previous show, but none of the heart. While Arrested Development made you laugh with an endless onslaught of ridiculous behavior, it also drilled home the importance of family, at least for Michael and George-Michael Bluth.

Here, in Running Wilde, Will Arnett plays the son of an oil tycoon who has never had to work for anything. Keri Russell plays a woman who has spent her whole life trying to feel superior to him by doing humanitarian work. It was shocking to me how Russell comes off as the truly selfish character in this episode. She doesn't listen to her daughter, looks down at Arnett, and just generally insults anyone who doesn't share her view of the importance of constant humanitarian work. Arnett is just selfish by habit, but it's clear he has a good heart, as he helps Russell's daughter be heard and tries to win over his teenage love. Frankly, he can do better than Russell.

Even with Arnett helping out, this show was short on emotion and laughs. He can't do everything. Russell carries no weight, and this is a result of poor writing. We should have felt a sense of inevitability behind Russell and Arnett's relationship. We should have felt that Russell loved her daughter and wanted what was best for her regardless of her own personal goals. We should have felt that this show was something more than just the occasional joke that required five minutes of setup.

I still have faith in Arnett and Russell's abilities, and I'm looking forward to more appearances from David Cross. I'm hopeful that this show can find better writing and a more heartfelt approach. In the meantime though, steer clear. This one is already on life support. 2 out of 4 stars.