Spring Break
'Halfway Home' Not Quite There Yet
Mary Sullivan
Issue date: 3/12/07 Section: Focus
What do you get when you put a prostitute, arsonist, wannabe terrorist, robber and drug trafficker under one roof? "Halfway Home," the latest sitcom to hit the Comedy Central airwaves.
"Halfway Home" follows the daily exploits of five ex-convicts who are almost home from prison but not quite yet as they enter into a rehabilitation house.
The show is improv, much like "Reno 911!," but, unlike its network counterpart, "Halfway House" doesn't pretend to be a reality TV show.
Like "Reno 911!" the characters are over the top in a way that makes the audience question what they are thinking with plots like breaking the pogo stick world record and trying to blow up the resident narc.
The ex-convicts of the Crenshaw House include Eulogio Pla (Oscar Nunez), a male prostitute who manipulates people with sex; Sebastian "C-Bass" Yates (Jordan Black), a rich boy caught for Internet fraud who wants to be a terrorist; Alan Shepard (Regan Burns), the arsonist and resident narc; Carly Barzac (Jessica Makinson), a drug trafficker caught up in her old habits; and Serenity Johnson (Octavia Spencer), an armed robber.
Presiding over the rehabilitation of the convicts is Kenny Carlisle (Kevin Ruf), a hypocritical corrections officer. Ruf is also one of the creators of "Halfway Home."
Because the show isn't overpowered with big named stars, the fresh comedic talent of the cast shines through, especially Nunez as a gay prostitute.
While the talented cast shows promise as improv actors, "Halfway House" itself is lacking something and is only halfway there.
This is not a show for the faint of heart because it will certainly offend many without offering the slightest apology, but it will certainly find an audience with any college student who enjoys the humor of "Reno 911!."
In the first episode, the residents of Crenshaw House are subjected to a urine test when Alan the narc reports smelling marijuana in the house. After the rehabbers scrounge around to find some clean urine, it turns out that one smoking was Kenny the corrections officer. In order to avoid being reported himself, the corrections officer drugs Alan the narc who is found high when the Bureau of Prisons comes to investigate.
In the second episode, after believing that the Bureau of Prisons has added erectile-dysfunction-causing drugs to their food, the men of Crenshaw House take horse Viagra in an attempt to counteract its effects. As expected, the Bureau of Prisons is not quite thrilled with the results when a photograph of the men ends up on the front of the newspapers.
The show also explores other stereotypes like the art of robbery, black vs. white labels and racial order.
It is uncertain how this show will be received by audiences for the last few Comedy Central show have been real duds. Remember "The Naked Trucker and T-Bone" anyone? Didn't think so.
Comedy Central will try its luck again when "Halfway House" debuts Wednesday at 10:30 p.m.
"Halfway Home" follows the daily exploits of five ex-convicts who are almost home from prison but not quite yet as they enter into a rehabilitation house.
The show is improv, much like "Reno 911!," but, unlike its network counterpart, "Halfway House" doesn't pretend to be a reality TV show.
Like "Reno 911!" the characters are over the top in a way that makes the audience question what they are thinking with plots like breaking the pogo stick world record and trying to blow up the resident narc.
The ex-convicts of the Crenshaw House include Eulogio Pla (Oscar Nunez), a male prostitute who manipulates people with sex; Sebastian "C-Bass" Yates (Jordan Black), a rich boy caught for Internet fraud who wants to be a terrorist; Alan Shepard (Regan Burns), the arsonist and resident narc; Carly Barzac (Jessica Makinson), a drug trafficker caught up in her old habits; and Serenity Johnson (Octavia Spencer), an armed robber.
Presiding over the rehabilitation of the convicts is Kenny Carlisle (Kevin Ruf), a hypocritical corrections officer. Ruf is also one of the creators of "Halfway Home."
Because the show isn't overpowered with big named stars, the fresh comedic talent of the cast shines through, especially Nunez as a gay prostitute.
While the talented cast shows promise as improv actors, "Halfway House" itself is lacking something and is only halfway there.
This is not a show for the faint of heart because it will certainly offend many without offering the slightest apology, but it will certainly find an audience with any college student who enjoys the humor of "Reno 911!."
In the first episode, the residents of Crenshaw House are subjected to a urine test when Alan the narc reports smelling marijuana in the house. After the rehabbers scrounge around to find some clean urine, it turns out that one smoking was Kenny the corrections officer. In order to avoid being reported himself, the corrections officer drugs Alan the narc who is found high when the Bureau of Prisons comes to investigate.
In the second episode, after believing that the Bureau of Prisons has added erectile-dysfunction-causing drugs to their food, the men of Crenshaw House take horse Viagra in an attempt to counteract its effects. As expected, the Bureau of Prisons is not quite thrilled with the results when a photograph of the men ends up on the front of the newspapers.
The show also explores other stereotypes like the art of robbery, black vs. white labels and racial order.
It is uncertain how this show will be received by audiences for the last few Comedy Central show have been real duds. Remember "The Naked Trucker and T-Bone" anyone? Didn't think so.
Comedy Central will try its luck again when "Halfway House" debuts Wednesday at 10:30 p.m.
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