Calgary Herald from Calgary, Alberta, Canada • 100

Sack iim time fV'. There's not much that is laugh-out-loud funny in That '80s Show I And the winner is: Star-watcher Brian Linehan has been tapped to host CBC's broadcast of the Genie Awards for the second year in a row. The 22nd annual ceremony, which honours the Canadian movie industry, will air from the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Feb. 7. j.

i.i JUJii- JJU niJiiiuiJ.JMiLU i jil W.I "WIUUI Wl III lU-i. UJ mML- 1 'ffl HI 1' 1 I.I! .1 I I I II I rT LJ I ui- I The doctor is in: Ted Danson and his Becker co-stars can count on getting a steady paycheque for a while. The show's production studio. Para mount Television, has already earmarked the series 1 .1 Li A i Danson Howerton at the centre of the 'kids' of That '80s Show (above); Fox with Family Ties siblings (right): been there, done that for the syndicated-rerun market. Daily telecasts are slated to begin in the fall of 2003.

iming is a crucial part of TV comedy. That's true for both i the script and the perfor mances or tne actors on If I A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away: Biography plans to turn its spotlight on Star Wars emperor George Lucas in a special two-hour edition of the show set for Jan. 27. Lucas I Heilo-o-o, Angels: Cable or satellite subscribers who have signed up for the new digital channels may get a kick out of this. Showcase Diva has snagged the Canadian TV rights to the old Charlie's Angels TV series.

That '80s Show is about a group of twentysomethings in 1980s San Diego. At the heart is Corey (Glenn Howerton), a guy who works at a record store and lives with his sister (Tinsley Grimes), and their divorced dad (Geoff Pierson), a middle-aged dude with clothes like the ones that Don Johnson made famous on Miami Vice. The cast of That '80s Show doesn't have the appeal, or the comedic timing, of the one on That '70s Show. But this new sitcom suffers not so much from the timing of the actors as it does from the timing of the whole idea. It's as if not quite enough years have passed to make the '80s seem endearing enough to be nostalgic.

There's a lot to poke fun at in the 1980s. The decade was bolstered by the rise of MTV and VCRs, the emergence of personal computers and home technology and the arrival of portable telephones that were the size of small suitcases. But it was also a time that saw North America's social and political pendulum swing far to the right. It was the Dallas Dynasty era of corporate arrogance and personal greed, of flashy watches and flashier cars. It was an age of wealth and extravagance, with little time for a social conscience.

screen. But it can also be true for the subject matter of an entire show itself. That '80s Show is a case of bad timing and an example of Hollywood taking a clever concept just a little too far. The series comes from the same creative team that brought us the play-that-funky -music nostalgia of That '70s Show. And it's easy to see how the new idea may have hatched.

You've got a popular retro-comedy about the 1970s, right? So, why not try the same thing with the '80s? And, to show how clever you are, why not use basically the same title? Hmmm. And somebody probably got paid a big pile of money to come up with that. Track records show that about 20 years need to go by before you can poke fun at a period of history and turn it into a hit show. Hogan's Heroes and McHale's Navy were 1960s hits that were set in the 1940s. Happy Days was a 1970s hit about the 1950s.

And That '70s Show was a product of the 1990s. Is TV ready for a show about the '80s? Maybe not just yet. Or maybe just not this one. That '80s Show displays some of the styles and superficial trappings of the era, but there's not much that is actually laugh-out-loud funny. A couple of seasons ago, a shortlived series called Freaks Geeks did a better job of satirizing the decade.

And back in the real 1980s, Family Ties poked fun at all of this, as it was happening, via a TV character named Alex P. Keaton (played by Michael J. Fox). If you're in the mood for an '80s show with some bite, surf around for a Family Ties rerun. Otherwise, for now, maybe the 1980s are just better off being forgotten.

The channel plans to launch its daily telecasts with, get this, a Charlie's Angels Hair-a-thon that will feature co-stars Kate Jackson. Farrah -JLi Fawcett, Jaclyn Fawcett Smith (and, in later episodes, Cheryl Ladd, Shelley Hack and Tanya Roberts) in a two-day extravaganza of the show's episodes. The Hair-a-thon will hit TV screens Jan. 26 and 27. THAT '80s SHOW Wednesdays; Fox, CTV TV Times 5.