Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 15, 1992 TAG: 9202150390
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAMES ENDRST
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
BOCHCO'S BOTCHES
CAN Steven Bochco be losing his touch?Or is he just out of touch?
"L.A. Law" is on the ropes. "Civil Wars" isn't making much of a case for itself with viewers. Last season's "Cop Rock" was a bomb of thunderous proportions.
And now, the Emmy-winning producer responsible for some of television's greatest moments ("Hill Street Blues" and "L.A. Law") has brought "Capitol Critters," a prime-time cartoon about rodents living in the White House, to ABC (at 8 p.m. Saturdays on WSET-Channel 13 in the Roanoke viewing area).
Neil Patrick Harris, the star of Bochco's unlikely hit "Doogie Howser, M.D." heads the "Capitol Critters" cast as the voice of Max, a young field mouse from Nebraska.
In typical Bochco fashion, the series opened with high drama when Max's family was wiped out by exterminators. As a result Max went to Washington to live with his cousin Berkeley (Jennifer Darling), a '60s throwback with high ideals and an extensive political agenda.
Other critters roaming the halls of power are Jammet, the streetwise city rat (Charlie Adler); his mother, Trixie (Patti Deutsch); Muggle (Bobcat Goldthwait), an over-stimulated laboratory rat; and Moze, the ghetto roach (Dorian Harewood).
Critics aren't exactly rushing to be the first in line to support this show, and with ample reason. As it stands, the show isn't sure what it wants to be or where it wants to go. Some scenes in the opener, for example, were considered too violent and were toned down, and the show in general waffles, sometimes uncomfortably, between grownup and kiddie humor.
In fact, Bochco-related talk at the January press tour in Los Angeles (where reviewers preview and programmers publicize upcoming shows) was anything but upbeat.
Many critics were disappointed to find, for example, that "Capitol Critters" makes little use of opportunities for political humor, leaning instead on "Tom and Jerry" dynamics.
"We have a real big problem when it comes to doing political satire on this show," explained co-creator and executive producer Nat Mauldin (Bochco is executive consultant and co-creator of the series.)
"We can't do anything topical," he said, noting that the scripts are written far in advance, and Gorbachev jokes were being replaced just days ago.
"You can always do stories about drugs, you can always do stories about political corruption, you can always do stories about the environment because you know those will be around. But I'm afraid in other areas, it's just something we can't do. I wish we could."
"Capitol Critters" is the fourth series in a multimillion-dollar, 10-show deal Bochco has with ABC. Bochco has been talking about this one for a couple of years, though he says the success of "The Simpsons" on Fox certainly contributed to "Capitol Critters" getting on the air. But even with the interest in prime-time animation (CBS has a cartoon on the way called "Fish Police" and has been promising a show from Tim Burton of "Batman" fame called "Family Dog" for a year) the future of "Capitol Critters" doesn't look promising.
Bochco isn't worried though.
A couple of years ago, when "Doogie Howser" was being launched to lukewarm press reaction, the producer said if the program didn't fly, "I'll just be one show closer to fulfilling my contract with ABC."
"Doogie," as it turned out, made the grade.
The house of Bochco is looking a little shaky these days, although ABC Entertainment President Robert Iger told members of the Television Critics Association that he, for one, had no regrets about the network's long-term deal with the producer. If such an arrangement were negotiated now, however, it would be for less money, he added.
"We really don't look at the deals per se," Iger said. "We look at the individual shows. And have there been some disappointments? Yes. But that doesn't mean the future isn't bright. I'm pleased with `Capitol Critters,' and I stand behind `Civil Wars' - a show we ordered five more episodes of, believing that it still has a chance to succeed on our air."
Some of the people who have come to do Bochco's work since, Littlefield said, just "didn't cut it" - which is why Bochco and Kelley were recruited to come in and write some highly promoted, recent shows.
Is Bochco feeling the heat, maybe even feeling the desperate effects of what is widely considered the toughest environment in television history?
"YES!" said Bochco in a mock shriek. "I don't know. I think there's some frustration. I don't know about desperation. But it's a frustrating time. I think all of us are feeling that frustration. There was a time when you felt that if you were really doing a good show, that was 85 percent of the job, and clearly it isn't today.
"We'll figure it out," he said, "or you'll get some other bozos up here next year."