"Show

Of The Week"

People Weekly

October 9, 2000

Ed Stevens, the proud new owner of Stuckey Bowl in the rustic Stuckeyville, has a question for his three motley employees: "How do we turn a bad bowling alley into a good bowling alley?" Pipes up a slacker named Phil: "Fill the place with whores... I'm talking about nice, friendly, singing kinda whores like in the Dolly Parton movie." Behind that raffish riff one can slmost detect the Cheshire-cat grin of David Letterman, who's one the executive producers of this amiable send-up of small-town life. Thomas Cavanagh (Providence's dog-obsessed Doug Boyce) is by turns wry and soulful as Ed, a Manhattan lawyer who got fired the same day he found his wife in bed with their mailman. Back in his hometown, Ed gamely risks rejection again by courting Carol Vessey (Julie Bowen), the head cheerleader who barely knew he existed at Stuckeyville High and who now teacher English there. In the Oct. 8 opener, Ed lurches into her classroom clad in a suit of armor and bearing a bouquet.

Their blossoming romance is smartly played, but there are goofier diversions in town - like the bowling alley, where Ed decides to hang his shingle. This gives him midwestern exposure to a fount of flaky clients, including (in the Oct. 15 episode) Stuckeyville Stan (Eddie Bracken), a children's party magician who can make a frozen turkey dance and household items disappear ("Goodbye, Mr. Spatula!"). Here's hoping Mr. Ed and his friends enjoy a long time in prime time. -M.L. Bottom Line: Letterman-perfect delivery