I was a big fan of Footballers' Wives on BBC America and was disappointed that a proposed American spin-off never materialized on U.S. TV. However, M.V.P. more than fills the void left by Footballers' demise.
As of this writing, I've seen three episodes on SoapNet and find the show to be good campy, dirty fun. There is the usual backstabbing and infighting one expects from a nighttime soap, along with the product placement (the cars! the clothes! the decor!), three of the best-looking men on TV, and a number of beautiful women as well. In this sense, the show is not that different from Footballers' Wives.
What I like even more, though--and where I think this show exhibits an improvement over Footballers'--are the characters, which are more than one-dimensional and are often likable. The characters display humor and evoke pathos, along with the crass and sass.
For example, when we meet Damon Trebuchet, we can't help but think, what a jerk! But we soon learn more about him and the grief and responsibility he bears over the loss of his wife and son.
The character of Connie the Virgin runs the risk of being quite ridiculous, but the budding romance between her and Gabe the Captain is quite sweet and sympathetic, rather than unrealistic or cloying.
My favorite character, though, has to be Tabbi, Trevor's girlfriend from Loon Lake. She is played with a lot of verve and humor but, again, never veers into one dimensionality, a la the classic "trailer trash," gold-digger we see on a lot of U.S. TV. She also has her head on straight--the scene where she decides to leave her aging grandmother at the retirement home, then decides, no, Nan's coming along to the city with her, is a beautiful moment. Kudos to the actress playing the grandmother, too; her performance is very moving.
I hope, I hope, I hope, someone gets the smart idea to pick up another season of this show, perhaps as a Canada-U.S. co-production. It would be a shame to see such an almost-perfect entertainment put in the penalty box just as the game gets interesting.
As of this writing, I've seen three episodes on SoapNet and find the show to be good campy, dirty fun. There is the usual backstabbing and infighting one expects from a nighttime soap, along with the product placement (the cars! the clothes! the decor!), three of the best-looking men on TV, and a number of beautiful women as well. In this sense, the show is not that different from Footballers' Wives.
What I like even more, though--and where I think this show exhibits an improvement over Footballers'--are the characters, which are more than one-dimensional and are often likable. The characters display humor and evoke pathos, along with the crass and sass.
For example, when we meet Damon Trebuchet, we can't help but think, what a jerk! But we soon learn more about him and the grief and responsibility he bears over the loss of his wife and son.
The character of Connie the Virgin runs the risk of being quite ridiculous, but the budding romance between her and Gabe the Captain is quite sweet and sympathetic, rather than unrealistic or cloying.
My favorite character, though, has to be Tabbi, Trevor's girlfriend from Loon Lake. She is played with a lot of verve and humor but, again, never veers into one dimensionality, a la the classic "trailer trash," gold-digger we see on a lot of U.S. TV. She also has her head on straight--the scene where she decides to leave her aging grandmother at the retirement home, then decides, no, Nan's coming along to the city with her, is a beautiful moment. Kudos to the actress playing the grandmother, too; her performance is very moving.
I hope, I hope, I hope, someone gets the smart idea to pick up another season of this show, perhaps as a Canada-U.S. co-production. It would be a shame to see such an almost-perfect entertainment put in the penalty box just as the game gets interesting.