WHAT ABOUT BRIAN: THE COMPLETE SERIES
(TV-14)
MOVIE: ** (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5)
STARRING
Barry Watson as BRIAN DAVIS
Matthew Davis as ADAM HILLMAN
Rosanna Arquette as NICOLE VARZI
Rick Gomez as DAVE GRECO
Amanda Detmer as DEENA GRECO
Sarah Lancaster as MARJORIE SEAVER
Created by: Jeff Davis
Studio: Touchstone Television
BY KEVIN CARR
Having been married for more than ten years, I should be in the right experience range to have loved the show “What About Brian.” However, while I related to some of what happened with the characters, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was nothing more than “Felicity” with people in their thirties.
“What About Brian” follows a group of friends who are all married… except for Brian. It’s an attempt to analyze the modern structure of marriage from the outside looking in. Produced by J.J. Abrams, this show employs a lot of the techniques (e.g., taboo sex, musical montages and whiney interpersonal relationships) we’ve seen in his other shows. Unfortunately, there’s no CIA agents kicking ass or crashed planes on desert islands to make things interesting.
At first, I found myself sympathizing with Brian, who could never commit yet falls in love with impossible women, but I soon lost it. Like Ross on “Friends,” Brian ended scoring with so many gorgeous women that my fraternity sympathy bled away. I just couldn’t feel sorry for a guy who’s nailing women like Amy Jo Johnson, Stacey Kiebler and Bre Blair. Wah boo hoo. If only we all had such problems.
With a short five-episode first season, “What About Brian” is presented on DVD with the complete two-season series. For the “Felicity” crowd that grew out of the college scene, it’ll be a hit. For everyone else, you might want to pass.
The DVD comes with commentary on selected episodes, a lost episode from the end of season one, a behind-the-scenes featurette and some cast and crew suggestions on what might have happened if the series lived to see a season three.