| TV Review: 'Wife Swap'
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - And now for something that's really different. When was the last time a program title practically promised sleaze and titillation but, instead, delivered touching and thought-provoking entertainment?
And when was the last time this was done by an unscripted, "reality" show? Probably never, that's when. And then along comes "Wife Swap" to change all that.
The concept is fairly straightforward. Two families exchange wives/mothers for two weeks. The first week, the women try to follow each other's routines. The second week, they change the rules for all the family members, themselves included. If this sounds at all familiar, it's because Fox attempted a similar premise with "Trading Spouses" but executed it so poorly that the show was about as stimulating as an infomercial for oatmeal. Unable to capture the underlying human element, "Trading Spouses" tried to goose interest with cash awards, but even that didn't help.
That's not the case here. This show isn't about cash prizes or embarrassing manipulations. "Wife Swap" is about the reactions people make when their closely held assumptions are challenged. Beneath the reality-style breathless narration, there lies a fascinating story of what happens when four adults see themselves and their spouses in a whole new light, a process that is both joyful and tearful.
In the premiere, Jodi Spolansky, a pampered Manhattan millionairess with four nannies for her three children, leaves her workaholic husband Steven to trade places with Lynn Bradford, a rural New Jersey mother of two. Lynn cuts wood for the family business and also drives a school bus. She loves her life but wishes her husband, Brad, would be a little more appreciative of her efforts.
Over the course of two weeks, clashes are inevitable and, at times, severe. But, except for condescending and insensitive Steven, everyone ultimately experiences emotional growth from the experience. Small wonder that the British version of the show has won honors for best reality program and that the format has been sold around the globe.
Editing is first-rate and the choice of music is particularly clever. Did the producers of "Wife Swap" luck out with the Spolanskys and the Bradfords, or will future episodes be similarly enticing and transforming? One can only hope the premiere, the only episode submitted for review, is representative.
"Wife Swap" will compete for viewers against NBC's "Law & Order" and CBS' "CSI: NY." If enough viewers are looking for an alternative to crime procedurals, ABC has a hit on its hands.
Narrator: John Schwab.
Executive producers: Stephen Lambert, Jenny Crowther, Michael Davies; Co-executive producer: Wendy Roth; Producer-director: Fiona Kenneth; Creator: Stephen Lambert; Supervising editor: Mike Gamson; Executive in charge of production: Shirley Escott; Music supervisor: Ross Sellwood; Casting producer: Michael Raptis.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter | |
