Men in Trees - A Review

I loved Northern Exposure. In fact I have a thing for TV shows that are quirky - from St. Elsewhere to Dead Like Me to Twin Peaks to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Veronica Mars. I love and/or loved them all. The fact that these shows featured witty dialog and memorable characters made them must see TV for me. Unfortunately Men in Trees fails to come close to these shows in their quirkiness, witty dialog or character development. At least not in it’s premiere episode.

Let me say that I like Anne Heche. I think she is a fine actress (a little weird in her personal life - but at least not Michael Jackson weird), and it would be good to visit with her on a weekly basis. But in this setting, I just don’t know. I do know this, however, given what I have seen thus far, I do not believe I will have a chance to get used to her. I give the show about 6 episodes max before it is put on hiatus and finally canceled..

The basis plot of the initial episode is this: Anne Heche plays Marin Frist, a relationship coach and bestselling author. She has just had her second book published and a third one optioned. She is extremely confident that she knows men - what to look for, what to avoid, and what will make women happy. But on her way to a speaking engagement in a small Alaskan town, she discovers that her fiance is having an affair. Once in the town, she finds herself stuck there (shades o’ Northern Exposure of course).

Other cast members include Abraham Benrubi (ER, Without A Paddle), John Amos (I thought he was dead : ), and James Tupper (a handsome stranger who, naturally, looks to be Marin’s new love interest - They go beyond mere telegraphing here). Just one more note: lead actresses or actors doing voice overs at the beginning and ending of episodes has become passe and boring and way too common. If the series continues to air, I hope the voice overs do not.

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