Blunt Talk

Set in the news department of a TV channel called UBS, this Starz-aired series serves up an obvious homage to the off-kilter broadcasting displayed in Sidney Lumet's 1976 classic Network. But whereas Lumet's film presented an intellectually jolting satire of TV news, Blunt Talk delivers incessant vulgarity and inane situations that are vaguely tied to the media business. Patrick Stewart plays Walter Blunt, an expatriate British news anchor with a penchant for outrageous behavior—during the opening episode, he is arrested for sex with a transgender prostitute and he kicks a police officer in the groin. Efforts to rein in Blunt's over-the-top antics inevitably backfire, especially since he is surrounded by sycophantic enablers who inevitably fuel his worst instincts. Also on hand are an associate producer with a foot fetish, a tacky neighbor who produces porn videos, and a manager (Jacki Weaver) with an Alzheimer's-afflicted husband who spoons with Blunt in his office to get him in the right mood for broadcasting. The show does feature some fun guest appearances, most notably Richard Lewis as a neurotic psychiatrist and Moby as an overly exuberant music teacher. But Stewart is often enervated when he should be energetic, and too often seems to be phoning in his performance—which is understandable given the dismal situations and puerile dialogue (this is executive produced by Seth MacFarland, after all). Compiling all 10 episodes from the 2015 debut season, extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes. Not recommended. (P. Hall)