I Want To Believe (That This Can Work).
The pilot for FOX's Ghosted screened at Comic-Con on Thursday, July 20th, and this is our non-spoilery review of the episode.
Ghosted, FOX's attempt to comedically springboard off the evergreen adoration of The X-Files, features a formidable comedic duo in Parks and Rec's Adam Scott and The Office's Craig Robinson. Though you might think these two would have crossed paths over the years more than they actually have (Hot Tub Time Machine 2, a little bit in Knocked Up), they haven't really collaborated all that much, which makes for an exciting pairing.
Scott turns on his nebbish charm for this one as a disgraced MIT professor, Max, who finds himself thrown into a paranormal adventure with Robinson's tough and bitter Leroy, with part of the mystery here in the pilot episode being the randomness of their team up. Why these two? Why has a highly skilled agent of the Bureau Underground -- a small and secret team that investigates spooky happenings for the government -- specifically named these two outsiders during his final transmission to home base? There's really no time to question it as Max and Leroy are thrown head first into the realm of the weird and wonderful.
The "aliens are among us" theme isn't the only thing that purposefully evokes The X-Files as within the Max/Leroy dynamic itself lies the skeptic/believer spark. Tweaking the Mulder/Scully relationship a smidge, the show gives us a man who's been shunned because he believes his wife was kidnapped by extra-terrestrials and another who, basically, wants nothing to do with anything relating to visitors from beyond. Robinson's Leroy is an ex-cop brought in because of his talents for finding missing persons and he's not about to buy in to stories of UFOs and alien abductions.
On paper, Ghosted has the makings of a hilarious hit, even with the heightened premise and rampant use of special effects (which don't always aid comedies on TV), but the jokes just quite aren't there yet. Scott and Robinson have a natural chemistry, and the supporting Bureau Underground cast -- featuring Ally Walker, Adeel Akhtar, and Amber Stevens West (who doesn't continue on with the show beyond the pilot) -- are promising as an ensemble, but the episode relies too much on our heroes screaming and shrieking at the sight of fantastical alien oddities while nailing text book pilot beats.
Because this isn't just a workplace comedy or a "hang with besties"-style sitcom, and it has a rather large set up, there isn't much room for its players to really explore the funny, or funniest, side of things. Also, because it is meant to have an X-Files-ish spine, there's a somewhat sinister mystery behind it all, blending actual thriller aspects into the stew. It's going to take a few episodes to find itself.
There is, however, some fun little '80s touches underneath it all - perhaps a nod to action-comedies of that era which Ghosted draws upon for influence - like Ghostbusters and Beverly Hills Cop. Or perhaps because it's just about everything tips its hat to the '80s these days. Either way, I'll always appreciate a good Steve Winwood song.
The Verdict
Given Ghosted's two great stars and goofy premise it has the potential to evolve into something more than what's presented here in this rather rushed-feeling set-up episode filled with more shouting than actual funny moments.
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