When you pair actresses of the calibre and versatility of Selma Blair and Molly Shannon, the star power alone should be enough to pique some buzz.
Unfortunately, the concept of their new show Kath & Kim is what’s gotten under most critics’ bonnets — they find the stars strange as a mother and daughter duo, considering in real life Shannon is only eight years Blair’s senior.
But if one looks to the original Australian series of the same name, on which Kath & Kim was based, those actresses are only a year apart in age.
“Actresses play different people all the time,” says Blair. “It's this thing called acting.”
Fortunately, once you get past that tiny little detail, you’re in for a world of bright backdrops, colourful costumes and scene-stealing moments — from both actresses.
Kath & Kim shares the same premise and many of the storylines as the original. When the selfish and stubborn Kim (Blair) marries and moves out, Kath (Shannon) is finally able to piece her life back together. She’s landed a new man, committed to a firm bottom with the help of a mini-stepper and treadmills, and can finally focus on her own life, rather than spending every waking moment spoiling her grown daughter.
That is, until Kim’s new husband (Mikey Day) asks his wife if she wouldn’t mind nuking dinner once in a while and Kim decides the marriage is over and moves back home, much to her mother’s dismay.
Naturally, this is the exact moment Kath’s boyfriend proposes, and all hell breaks loose.
Shannon, who’s known for impeccable comedic timing, plays Kath as almost a mix of two of her recurring Saturday Night Live roles: Teri Rialto, the bland radio co-host on Delicious Dish, and Sally O'Malley, the 50-year-old dancer who constantly pumped up her age.
In short, Kath is wholesome and proper, has a wild mid-life sex drive and stands up for herself — sometimes. Mind you, Shannon doesn’t want us to think of Kath as any of her previous characters – at least, she thinks Kath’s different. “The way I look at Kath is she's ultra-feminine,” Shannon says. “She loves being a lady. She likes wearing belts and perfume and cream and high heels.”
Conversely, Blair’s role as Kim is unlike her previous roles, and it looks as though she’s having the time of her life. Onscreen, the Hellboy star gets to stuff her face with Doritos, throw public temper-tantrums and rely on her mother to fix all her problems. “I really wanted to play someone that was different than me,” Blair says. “Now, I find that she's not that different from me, so that's weird.”
“People didn't think Selma Blair could do this role because they don't think of her as particularly funny,” admits executive producer Michelle Nader (King of Queens, Dharma and Greg). “But then she talked about Kim being like Britney Spears – like an American girl, this sort of narcissistic juvenile girl. That is exactly who she is — stunted, but in a lovable way. That's Blair, and she does it.”
But while the mother-daughter duo fight and throw offhand remarks at one another with a remarkable chemistry, one of the best quirks to the show is the “hiccups” in between: when the characters pause for some serious side banter, a little note that has nothing to do with the conversation before they resume the argument midstream.
Although sassy, it’s not the smartest show. But it’s fun and easy to watch – two major components to enjoying any comedy. And two that most shows seem to have forgotten.
Kath & Kim airs Thursdays, 9:30 p.m. ET, NBC/E!
Thoughts? amber@tvguide.ca
