Maya & Marty

"Maya and Marty in Manhattan" is a well-done revival of the variety show format, with a fun blend of music and comedy. Both Maya Rudolph and Martin Short bring a surplus of comedic talent to the proceedings, bolstered by some celebrity guests.

The comic skits are similar to what you'd see on Saturday Night Live, a mixture of pop culture spoofs and political satire. Martin Short also brings back his character Jiminy Glick. The writing for these skits, at least in the first episode, is spot on.

If the pilot is any indication, the music should also be a selling point. Miley Cyrus gave a strong performance, with Maya Rudolph joining her to demonstrate a mean set of pipes as well. The inclusion of a Broadway dance performance by Savion Glover, while not as strong, offered a change of pace.

The only weak spot is that both Rudolph and Short demonstrate a tendency to stick to familiar territory. Rudolph dips into her repertoire of weird accents at least twice, while Short, as mentioned earlier, resurrects Jiminy Glick with mixed results, as he and Larry David end up just laughing at their own skit.

Even in their best moments Maya Rudolph and Martin Short can be self-indulgent and nerve-grating. When they are not reigned in they become unwatchable.

Week one gave me some hope. There were flat moments but more than a few chuckles. Most promising, the show had several guests that kept M&M coming in small, measured doses. Then came Week two... a total train wreck. There were Maya and Marty mugging and overacting in virtually every minute of the show. And it seemed to be catching, as they managed to make the rest of the cast equally terrible. Only the Glick skit evoked a few laughs.

Finally, can somebody tell me, does Maya think she can sing and dance, or is she doing a bit? She reminds of the person who tries to pull off karaoke but then acts like the whole thing is a goof when it becomes obvious that she is terrible.

I had hopes that this really was a revival of the old variety show theme. But, alas there is no variety, it ALL stinks.

Open Letter to Don Kaplan of the New York Daily News:

I am not going to write a sophisticated verbiage to counter your remarks reviewing the Maya and Marty show. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and that is really all it is, an opinion. When I saw that Maya and Marty was going to be produced by Loren Michaels, then I knew it was going to be funny. Yes, this is a variety show. I am so sick of sitcoms that are not funny. This show IS funny. I laughed out loud several times, more than twice. I remember those variety shows of yesteryear. They were funny, too. The writers for Maya and Marty are excellent and intelligent. They are not writing for 14 year old boys. I miss a good quality variety show. The musical guests are spot on and used for some of the comedy skits. The show gives a stage to showcase Maya's musical gifts and Marty's sharp whit. I highly recommend the Maya and Marty show. Please give this show a chance! One last word for Don Kaplan and all those cynical critics out there, "Kiss my Grits!"

SNL alumni Maya Rudolph and Martin Short host a prime time variety show produced by Lorne Michaels. It's hour long episodes. There are six of them. It's a summer replacement show. They have big name guests with many from SNL. The question is whether this genre can return. The short answer is no. This has a few issues. The biggest is that Maya and Marty are not really connected performers other than their stints on SNL. Quite frankly, Marty was a short term hired gun while Maya was part of a major female wave that signified an era. They don't have much in common. It's nothing like Marty and Steve Martin. Another issue is the song and dance aspect. I appreciate the old school variety but it's not that fun. The skits are hit and miss. One thing that could energize it would be to do it live although that would be SNL. It seems that live performances of musicals, and old TV shows hold more potential. Those feel like Events while this feels old.

Love AGT and now the following Maya and Marty. Not a blockbuster but a mildly funny respite from the crazy world. The clear winning segment of the show is the totally obnoxious Jiminy Glick lightly scripted impromptu back and forth with that week's guest and watching them try to hold it together with the genius of Short's arguably finest characterization.

All in all, I would have to agree the script writers fall just a little short but the state of TV with wall-to-wall reality shows and the like, M&M fills a niche when glitz and glamour or the overdone sitcom hammers the audience incessantly. Two likable artists applying their craft once a week, nice formula. If you prefer "Wives of . . ." and scripted reality, have at it.