Quick Take: Bunheads, "Bunheads"
ABC Family's charming new series is worth a watch.
Review: Bunheads, "Bunheads"
(S0101) This may come as a shock to some of you given my impeccable fashion sense and my flair for the dramatic, but I really don't know dick about ballet. I've never danced, I've never dated a dancer, I've never even been to a ballet. All of my ballet experience comes from Black Swan and a couple of minutes of The Nutcracker that a chick made me watch on PBS one Christmas. Needless to say, I'm hardly the target audience for ABC Family's new dramedy from the creator of Gilmore Girls, Bunheads.
Despite this (and despite the show's terrible title), I actually rather liked last night's premiere. Were there moments where I found myself thinking, "What in god's name am I watching right now?" Yeah, pretty much the whole time actually. Did those moments detract from my overall enjoyment of the show? Not in the least.
This is precisely why television is such a great medium. If the writing is sharp and the acting is halfway decent, I'll basically watch a show about anything. I couldn't care less about morticians, but that didn't stop me from watching Six Feet Under.
Here's Bunheads in a nutshell: Michelle (Sutton Foster), a veteran Vegas showgirl with classical ballet training, marries an overeager (bordering on creepy) admirer after a night of drinking and moves with him to his hometown on the coast of California. But wait, there's a twist: The admirer, Hubblle (Alan Ruck!), lives with his wacky mother, Fanny (Kelly Bishop)...who happens to own a ballet studio!
The pilot covers a shocking amount of ground in an hour. We are introduced to our hero and made to understand why she would consider marrying a dude as weird as Hubblle. Then we are whisked out Vegas and dropped into a whole new setting with a whole new group of characters to meet. Throw in a wedding (or at least a wedding party), a bunch of dance numbers, and the death of a major character and you've got yourself a jam-packed premiere episode.
If you think Bunheads isn't for you, you might be right. But do yourself a favor and at least give a chance anyway. I might not stick around for six seasons and a movie, but the pilot certainly warrants a couple more comeback visits.
