ABC’s new comedy “Malibu Country” is the story of Reba Gallagher (Reba McEntire), a former country singer from Nashville who moves to Malibu to escape the aftermath of her husband’s messy affair. The plotline of the series, however, is a tired one and the pilot strongly resembled an episode of The CW’s “Reba,” with the only measurable differences being a new setting and some more interesting characters.
Once in Malibu, Reba decides to pick her career back up and begin an entirely new life. The show’s pilot, which premiered last Friday, depicts Reba’s struggles and triumphs as she attempts to adapt to Malibu life.
The characterization of the new series is one of its biggest flaws. In “Malibu Country,” Reba is the same down-home country mother that she was in her eponymous show and endures many of the same struggles and tribulations. Reba’s next-door neighbor, Kim (Sara Rue), is a character that’s been done before, and will remind audiences of the exasperatingly cheerful next-door neighbor from McEntire’s old show. As she comes off as painfully ditzy, tries to naïvely reel in her stepchildren and attempts desperately to become Reba’s best friend, the pilot becomes an episode that viewers will feel they have seen many times before.
McEntire’s trademark humor also reminds of “Reba.” As she reprimands her children, attempts to escape the over-friendliness of her new next-door neighbor and tells off the secretary of a pompous agent, McEntire creates a dynamic comparable to that of her previous work. The show even feels like a classic sitcom, complete with laugh track. Though McEntire acts with vivacity and boldness, she brings nothing new to the table in “Malibu Country.”
However, one bright spot in the show’s future is actress Lily Tomlin (“The West Wing”), who plays Reba’s mother Lillie Mae. Throughout the pilot, Tomlin adds some fresh, new humor to the mix and provides some much needed variation from the comedy of “Reba.” Especially funny is the scene where Lillie Mae is seen enjoying a marijuana lollipop, one of the newly attainable joys of Malibu life. Tomlin laughs and ponders in true stoner fashion, all the while maintaining a perfectly replicated southern accent. As Lillie Mae, Tomlin adds spunk and humor to the pilot, making “Malibu Country” slightly more enjoyable.
Yet the show has a long way to go before it gains viewers’ approval. The pilot provided a somewhat funny, but mostly dull rendition of Malibu Reba’s new life. And while there were sparse moments of enjoyable humor, the show simply did not entertain. As a whole, the pilot’s downfall was the overwhelming resemblance to McEntire’s previous work, a vice that will leave audiences bored and uninterested. With the same characters, the same plot and the same Reba, “Malibu Country” offers nothing new.
