After being involved in independent film, and then being involved in film reviews, I have found that from time to time people will give me scripts to read. I try to get out of this whenever I can because frankly, most of these scripts suck.

Too many independent film writers have a burning desire to tell something personal about their lives. The problem is that these personal things are all the same – the writer had a crush on a girl in high school, college, the Waffle House or wherever else they spent time. The girl was oblivious to them, but they pined over her for years, hoping she’d realize that he was her true love.

All of us guys have had some girl we’ve crushed over in our youth. While we can all relate to this, few of us really want to hear someone else whine about their plight. At times, these stories can make funny films – like “Just Friends” – but more often they remain crummy indie scripts with no home.

A little bit of this whining creeps into the FOX show “The Loop.” At first glance, when I started watching the show’s first season (totally a whopping seven episodes), I braced myself for a series of shows with this girl pining going on forever.

Fortunately, this is only a small part of the show. Sam (Bret Harrison) is a young airline exec who is still trying to get some partying in his life with his friends. None of them have real jobs, though, so Sam is constantly trying to strike a balance between the young, frivolous life and an adult life with a respectable job.

His friends consist of his brother Sully (Eric Christian Olsen), the ditzy blonde Lizzy (Sarah Mason) and Piper (Amanda Loncar), whom he’s been pining over for years. Equally funny are the characters in his office. Philip Baker Hall plays his cutthroat boss Russ. Mimi Rogers plays the oversexed senior executive Meryl. There is no shortage of excitement for Sam, whether he be at home or work.

Once the shows got past the “I love Piper but she’s clueless about my undying love” stories, things really started to pick up. I don’t know if in future shows Sam will ever get into Piper’s pants, but it will have to happen soon or it will cripple the series. The showrunners for “The Loop” need to look at other shows like “Friends” which almost fell apart after Ross and Rachel did it, as well as “Scrubs” which decisively torpedoed J.D. and Eliot’s love life for the sake of the show.

“The Loop” is presented in a dramady format, using a single camera like a film rather than a multi-camera sit com. It’s strength is its lighthearted nature and jokes that come out of left field. It has a snappy feel with a pseudo documentary shooting style, but it doesn’t overdo it like “Arrested Development” and “24” tend to do.

By the time I reached the end of the seventh episode, I found myself wanting more. The characters were getting fleshed out, and they all have excellent chemistry. Lizzy and Sully work well together as the dim-witted friends. Piper is the only weak link, mainly because she does all the annoying things that guys let pretty girls get away with.

I have high hopes for “The Loop.” It has a very strong cast, with very few problems. If it can grow as a series without losing the funny nature of its quirky characters, this could be a strong show. I eagerly await season two, and I hope it has more episodes.



Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.0 Surround Sound. Widescreen (1.78:1). Spanish subtitles. English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.