3 stars
Thursdays, 8:30-9 p.m., The WB
The players: Stars Penn Badgley, Angela Goethals, Michael Milhoan, Gigi Rice, Tom Everett Scott (as the narrator). Directed by Michael Lange.
What it’s about: After accidentally getting electrocuted in 2002, 34-year-old Joel is transported back to 1981, where he realizes his 14-year-old self (Badgley) has a unique opportunity to change his own less-than-desirable destiny as well as that of his family.
What can I say: The opportunity to relive one’s youth is hardly a new idea. In fact, Do Over isn’t even the only show with that premise this year (ABC’s That Was Then, also about a 30-year-old who goes back to high school in the ’80s, premieres September 27). But it is the first time the concept is been played for laughs. And there are plenty of laughs to be had in the setting alone–suburban America in the ’80s.
You’ve got a funny soundtrack (Wham!), funny clothes (Members Only) and plenty of funny kitsch (Daisy Duke wall posters). Obviously, those elements of the show will be most enjoyable to a now-thirtysomething Generation X audience and are hardly enough to carry a series. But sharp writing should help the show transcend generations–much like Fox did with That ’70s Show–and perhaps succeed where That ’80s Show did not.
Badgley has good comic timing and an air of precociousness that is helpful when playing a 34-year-old in the body of a 14-year-old. All supporting cast round out the scenery well, especially Goethals as Joel’s future troubled sister Cheryl and his parents, the goofy Milhoan and the elegantly smart Rice.
Bottom line: While Do Over plays in part off the banal fantasy scenario “What if I’d been able to talk to the beautiful girl in school?”, it also focuses on the broader universal theme that you have to live every day to the fullest. Carpe diem, lest ye regret it later (like when you’re a 34-year-old paper salesman with thinning hair). Hopefully the show will also seize the day and
