Few shows get more things right and wrong all at once. On the one hand, the side characters are wonderful. Louie Anderson as the mother is brilliant, but all the others are terrific too -- Martha Kelly as Martha, Sabina Scuba as the horrible French wife, Chris McLaughlin as the cowboy clown, etc. This is the heart of the show, these character- driven bits that shine.
What doesn't work is the central character, Baskets the Clown. It's not that Zach G. can't act as well as the others. It's that the show has no idea who he is. Whereas the others' actions all derive from their characters, Baskets isn't a developed personality. It seems as though every scene is simply there to show what he might or might not do in a given situation, with no continuity or forethought. The creators just haven't figure out who he is -- yes, he's horrible, self-centered, and deluded... but that's not enough. He's just a mess of a central character.
The way to save this show is to get rid of him, and give the other characters the spotlight. (And oddly, Zach G. as his twin brother is another of the great side shows).
Without a clear sense of the central character, Baskets can't work.
What doesn't work is the central character, Baskets the Clown. It's not that Zach G. can't act as well as the others. It's that the show has no idea who he is. Whereas the others' actions all derive from their characters, Baskets isn't a developed personality. It seems as though every scene is simply there to show what he might or might not do in a given situation, with no continuity or forethought. The creators just haven't figure out who he is -- yes, he's horrible, self-centered, and deluded... but that's not enough. He's just a mess of a central character.
The way to save this show is to get rid of him, and give the other characters the spotlight. (And oddly, Zach G. as his twin brother is another of the great side shows).
Without a clear sense of the central character, Baskets can't work.