click here for ad

Entertainment Weekly September 10, 1999 Fall TV Preview CONCEPT Two roommating pals (including Stephen Dunham, pictured) take in a third who's just left his marriage because he realized he's gay. Group mascot: a dog named Mom whose barks are interpreted with subtitles (e.g., at the sight of a human couple coupling, Dog: "Woof!" Subtitle: "Get a room!"). THE SCOOP Creator Alan Ball claims this premise is autobiographical, right down to the dog named Mom (but without the subtitles). "This always seemed funny when I was living it," he says. "A lot of shows about men get on the air [with] the subtext 'Aren't men a--holes?' And that's not what the subtext of our show is at all. It's 'Aren't men funny and sweet and a little lost?'" BOTTOM LINE Suggested alternate title: Oh Shut Up. --David Wild