The TV Set

You've heard of "must-see TV," but here's must-see movie, especially if you wonder how anything decent ever sees the light of day in the ratings-obsessed, lowest-common-denominator-loving television industry. The TV Set is the story of a veteran producer (David Duchovny) making his dream pilot for a dramatic series dealing with the after affects of a suicide. Duchovny must fight against Sigourney Weaver as a populist network president who has a talent for turning the most serious projects into junk food for a needy time slot. Watching Weaver swing for his balls on everything from casting to story line would be hilarious if it didn't seem so painfully real. Clearly writer/director Jake Kasdan, who created NBC's critically acclaimed but quickly cancelled Freaks and Geeks, knows the territory. So it's sad to watch the beleaguered, beaten-up Duchovny character taken down by a woman who seems to think Lucy Lawless could be the next queen of TV comedy. The TV Set, a smart, scathingly funny and satiric look at an industry that likes to devour its artists, gets high ratings itself for razor-sharp writing and direction, as well as a wonderful ensemble cast delivering terrific performances. Weaver is absolutely hysterical as the self-absorbed but cunning network chief, and Duchovny as her latest prey is perfect. Ioan Gruffudd also scores strongly as a successful British TV exec now hired to program an American network. Yes, it is definitely an insider's look at the boob tube, but the people these actors are playing would be recognizable in just about any industry where crafty ingenuity and over-sized egos threaten to trump true talent seven days a week.