What happens when a cute, young couple from the Midwestern suburbs moves to a neighborhood with a slightly higher per capita income and a laissez faire attitude about sex and monogamy? Things become very complicated.
At its worst, “Swingtown” is a hodgepodge of cartoonish style and innuendo; at its best, it offers multiple perspectives on the morality and ramifications of abandoning the conventions of marriage. Also, there’s a four-way in the season opener.
Who's that? There are plenty of familiar men in "Swingtown" (Jack Davenport, Josh Hopkins and Grant Show), but the female take on fidelity makes the women of much greater interest. Susan Miller (Molly Parker) is the disputable focus of the series, and the virginal Janet (Miriam Shor) and the seductive Trina (Lana Parrilla) are the angel and a devil on either of her shoulders.
Buzzed about: Straight-laced CBS, the network of such supremely vanilla fair as "Touched by an Angel" and "Everybody Loves Raymond," is about the last network you'd expect to air a summer series about block party orgies set to a disco soundtrack. But we’ll take it.
The "ooh" factor: "Swingtown" aims to do for the '70s what "Mad Men" did for the '60s, and it accomplishes that, albeit with a little less panache. Still, it has all of the shag carpet, bell-bottoms and Captain and Tennille you can stand, and shines an unforgiving light on a time and lifestyle that's wholly unfamiliar to most.
The "eh" factor: There’s a lot going on in the first episode, and some of the younger characters tend to blur together. But nobody is watching this show for the children (the parents are the ones seeing all the action), so a few of their storylines would be better off on the cutting room floor.
The verdict: What "Swingtown" lacks in tight storytelling, it makes up for in slick production, a strong cast and a subtle portrayal of brazen sexuality. It's a satisfying exercise in nostalgia, and if that's the best we can do this summer, things could be a lot worse.
"Swingtown" premieres Thursday, June 5 at 10pm ET/PT on CBS.
'Swingtown' review
‘The Ice Storm’ meets ‘Boogie Nights’ on… CBS?!
By Michael O'Connell
Special to MetromixJune 3, 2008
- Critic's Rating:
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