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Patrons watch at Donovan's Pub on Vernor in Detroit. (Photo by Danny Fenster)
Is the essence of Detroit too tough to capture in a national TV series?
When I watch one set in Chicago or New York, I feel the flavor of those cities. When it comes to Detroit shows, while they capture scenes of the city, they often feel as if they could be filmed in Anytown, USA. I seldom get the flavor of the D.
I felt that way with AMC’s cop show, "Low Winter Sun," which lasted one season. And I felt a little bit of that on Tuesday night with Comedy Central’s debut of “Detroiters” -- even though there were plenty of identifiable scenes like the Temple Bar on Cass Avenue, the Spirit of Detroit at city hall, the Ambassador Bridge in southwest Detroit and Comerica Park downtown.
That being said, the first show brought some smiles and has potential. Sam Richardson and Tim Robinson, natives of Metro Detroit, play Sam and Tim, two goofy admen of limited talent who specialize in grade-C, furniture and hot tub TV commercials.
In the first episode they try to up their game by trying to land the Chrysler ad account from an executive played by Jason Sudeikis. The small-time ad guys not only fail, but almost accidentally kill Sudeikis in the process.
Sam Richardson, left, and Tim Robinson.
(Comedy Central photo)
Perhaps the funniest scene is when the two are brainstorming in the office and realize a partition window is unbreakable. So they throw objects against it, including a stapler, scissors and a coffeepot, until it finally cracks. It's a goofy scene and a bit sophomoric, but somehow comes off as amusing.
Meanwhile, the debut stimulated business in Detroit and Hamtramck. Comedy Central offered to pay for a cold brew for customers at 24 local bars from 10 p.m. until 11 p.m. The show aired at 10:30 p.m.
“I made significantly more cash because of the show,” said bartender Dan Jones at Donovan's Pub at 3003 Vernor Highway in Detroit where the crowd laughed at times and clapped at different points, according to Deadline Detroit contributor Danny Fenster.
Detroiters love to see national shows with scenes of their city.
Let’s hope the series can capture more of the flavor of Detroit while keeping folks laughing.
► Watch the first episode here.
