United States of Tara (TV Series) Pilot (2009) User Reviews

Off to a very good start!!!

[Seifer006 · 8/10 · 13 April 2009]

The other day I went looking for new TV shows to watch as most of the shows I used to watch Queer As Folk ALIAS etc. have all since finished. I watched the pilot to two new shows Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse" and this. The obvious winner was this show it was tender at times, but at the same time it was kinda funny.

Also I find that the humor is not like south park, in your face 'HAHA its funny cause this person has a mental disorder' kind of funny. The comedy was very well done I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The concept is original, we have seen people with multiple personalities before but they are usual psychopaths and are always single, but what about raising a family as one. This creates a good basis for a series to be either a serious drama or maybe something a little more light hearted. I believe that there is a good mix of the two.

As for the other personalities or "the alters" as they are called, hands down, I think my favorite would have to be Buck, the redneck. just to see Toni Colette act like a red neck getting into fights and encouraging her son to get into it by screaming 'f%&k him up'.

I think this show has great potential and I am very interested to see where it goes

Thoughts on the Pilot and Where This Might Be Going...

[DeanNYC · 7/10 · 3 February 2009]

Showtime posted a sneak preview of the pilot episode of this series, so my comments are based exclusively on that, and upcoming clips from the show's first episode.

We've seen some unique situations in a sitcom throughout television history, but this is a comedy first. Toni Collette plays Tara, a woman with DID - that's Dissociative Identity Disorder, referred in layman's terms as "multiple personalities." She lives in a large suburban town in the midwest with her otherwise perfect nuclear family: Her growing up fast daughter Kate (Brie Larson), her in touch with his feminine side son Marshall (Keir Gilchrist) and her easygoing and matter-of-fact husband Max (John Corbett). Plus her in-the-neighborhood sister Charmaine (Rosemarie De Witt) who is, apparently, normal.

Then there are all of the different versions of Tara, which manifest themselves when she is under some form of duress. "T" is a slutty teen, about the same age as Kate, who displays a whale tail among other questionable style choices. "Buck" is a dude who claims he lost his male genitalia in 'Nam, but still has testosterone aplenty. And "Alice," (who didn't appear in the pilot but will be in the first ep) the perfect homemaker, straight from a 1950s style sitcom.

Of course, Sally Field lifted her acting career to a new level when she took on the role of "Sybil," a TV movie character which was based on a true story. Here, though, DID is basically being played for laughs as the script by Diablo Cody clicks along at a snappy pace and the Middle America setting keeps everything bright and cheery.

Somehow, this family is perfectly OK with living under conditions where Tara becomes these other people, and we're told this has been happening for the entire length of Max's marriage to her, or about 17 years. Yet, there is a scene where Tara comes to Marshall's room and asks him about one of her "episodes" almost as if it were the first time it took place.

Also, the program begins with a device: Tara is recording her thoughts about life as a kind of video diary. This is where we learn she has a very well paying job as an interior designer for wealthy families, and that Kate is sexually active, and got the "morning after" pill. I suspect these vlogs will be a part of each episode, as they are a convenient way to set up exposition for that week's storyline.

On the great side is Toni Collette. She is a fantastic actress and the opportunity to play this many diverse characters could become the best TV acting job since Scott Bakula did "Quantum Leap." But all the performances are adequate (even if John Corbett is the same guy he plays in everything and the kids are as precocious as on most "clever" shows).

But criticism for the show, treating DID as an impetus for comedy, could be a source of ongoing issues for the program's story lines. How do you balance the jokes of this circumstance without offending the real people who are affected with this disorder? Steven Spielberg is the executive producer of this series, and his non-animated television work has had some issues over time. But his fingerprints are all over it: the suburban setting, the homey aspects, and the twist that raises the "mundane" to "exceptional" are all elements of quintessential Spielberg.

There are lots of character quirks that can and will make for episodes and story arcs that have been put in place: Marshall's intelligence and interest in all things domestic makes him a hybrid of Alex P. Keaton of "Family Ties" and Felix Unger of "The Odd Couple." Kate's propensity for getting into trouble will likely provide many opportunities for Tara to slip into one of her other personalities. And sister Charmaine more than hints that she wants Max, so we'll have to keep an eye on where that relationship will head and what that will create.

Overall, it's not a bad beginning, but it will rely on the scripts and performances as to whether this will skate along the razor's edge of entertainment and sensitivity, or fall into the abyss of shows that were just too offensive to continue.

Pilot

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 6 April 2021]

Created by Diablo Cody who won an Oscar for her screenplay for Juno.

This pilot episode is an acting showcase for Toni Collette who plays Tara.

She is married to Max (John Corbett) and has two kids. Older daughter Kate (Brie Larson) and son Marshall (Keir Gilchrist.)

So far the setup is very much a suburban family sitcom. This one has a twist.

Tara has a multiple personality disorder. She has had it for the 17 years she has been married to Max. Everyone is very much used to it.

In the first episode Tara becomes T who is a promiscuous wild child teenager. Later she becomes Buck, a redneck male.

It starts off as an edgy adult sitcom. The episode finds it feet literally when Buck takes on Kate's no good boyfriend and Marshall joins in with the kicking.