The Good Guys: It's Not Rocket Science, But Damn It, It's Funny

Seems to us that FOX's The Good Guys made a fundamental error in marketing right at the very beginning: they didn't make it clear in the promos that this as your basic funny-ha-ha character comedy. The implication was that it was a cop show with a playful edge (which you could say about NCIS or its sad, hobbled cousin NCIS Los Angeles or even Hawaii Five-0, for that matter). In fact, it's closer to Castle than it is to The Closer. And as luck or lack of craft would have it, the pilot was probably the least funny episode of the series so far, so it really kind of tripped coming out of the starting gate.

And now ... well, it looks like it's too late. Nothing official from FOX as yet, but the ratings for the show have been abysmal and getting worse. It just can't gain any traction and we have a pool going on at What's Cool International HQ about when The Axe will finally Fall (e.g., before or after The Human Target finally comes back).

Still: tip o' the mustache to Brad Whitford, who has crafted a memorable character in Dan Stark in spite of it all -- and despite his previous button-down West Wing image, and to Jenny Wade, who we've been watching since Feast (and Feast II, and Feast III). She makes cute/smart/sexy an art form.

There are still a couple episodes in the can, and many are available at Fox.com or on Hulu, so enjoy it while you can. There really isn't that much else in this odd sub-genre worth watching ... not until December, at least, when Leverage comes back...