Fat chance

I've always been weary of Showtime originals but the network is now making a dedicated effort to change its second class reputation. That determination is obvious in the new Kirstie Alley comedy Fat Actress.

I've seen the first two episodes and two things are immediately clear: Showtime is hoping Alley can give them their own Curb Your Enthusiasm and Alley is ready to declare "Yeah I'm fat, but I'm still funny." I'd say she succeeds more than the show does. But at least the flaws of Fat Actress are not the flaws of Showtime past (which had been plagued by low budgets, dull concepts and boring execution, making it the anti-HBO).

Just like Larry David in Curb, Alley plays an exaggerated version of herself and is not afraid to look bad or come off unappealing (in word and deed). However, the show has a broad comedic approach that proves very uneven: there are a couple of solid hits in each episode but just as many duds. The verbal exchanges are often sharp but some of the physical comedy, like an overly long reenactment of 9 1/2 Weeks featuring Alley and Hangin' With Mr. Cooper's Mark Curry (yes), comes off more desperate than inspired.

Alley's obvious willingness to poke fun at herself is commendable, and she still has considerable comic skill, but the show itself needs to be tighter, faster, funnier before it's worthy of what its star has to offer. Curb may be loose in execution but it's extremely tight in structure. The first two episodes of Fat Actress run 30 minutes long, and that's probably 5-7 minutes too many.

Plotwise the second episode completely loses its way as Kirstie takes a meeting with a fake McG to discuss a potential Charlie's Angels sequel. Again, some really bad physical comedy comes into play. The best moments come from Alley and regular supporting players Bryan Callen and Rachael Harris. This three person ensemble has a lot of potential and their scenes together are the best moments in the first two episodes. Harris, who played the lesbian office assistant in the fourth season premiere of Curb, is especially talented.

Unfortunately they're not the only actors in each episode. One of the wonders of Curb has been its ability to find guest stars who perfectly fit with the show's comic style. So far, Fat Actress is relying heavily on "big name" guest stars with mixed results. John Travolta and Carmen Electra (in a very brief bit) acquit themselves well, Kid Rock and NBC exec Jeff Zucker are at least not cringe worthy but Kelly Preston (the only one not playing herself) is completely off. Still, in each case it feels like stunting instead of creating genuinely comic characters for the regulars to bounce off of.

With tighter plots and better guests Fat Actress could turn into something. No one else, broadcast or cable, has offered up a half hour with this much potential this season (and unless NBC's The Office actually works, no one will). It also represents a creative step forward for Showtime and should land them a fair amount of publicity, which is any cable network's dream. But it'll take more than this to get viewers to turn away from HBO.