Fall Pilot Review – RUNNING WILDE on FOX

What? From the Emmy Award-winning creator and the star of the critically acclaimed FOX series ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT comes RUNNING WILDE, a romantic comedy about Steven Wilde, a filthy-rich, immature playboy trying desperately to win (or buy) the heart of his childhood sweetheart, Emmy Kadubic, the über-liberal humanitarian who got away – all told through the perspective of a 12-year-old girl.   Steve Wilde has never performed a selfless act. But why should he? He’s rich! The son of an oil tycoon, Steve hasn’t had to work a day in his life and has always gotten everything he’s wanted – with one exception: the love of Emmy.   The daughter of a former Wilde housekeeper, Emmy is an earnest do-gooder who has spent her adult life trying to save the world. And though Emmy is content living with an indigenous tribe in the Amazon rainforest, her 12-year-old daughter, Puddle, just wants to be a normal kid experiencing her adolescence in a normal place. And she would speak up except for the fact that she hasn’t spoken in a few months.

When Wilde Oil’s expansion in the rainforest threatens her adopted tribe, Emmy, with the encouragement of her bumbling environmentalist boyfriend, Andy Weeks, decides to attend Steve’s self-thrown “Humanitarian of the Year” award ceremony in hopes of convincing him to help her cause…and also maybe because she still has a thing for Steve. But same-old Steve is unwilling to help because fighting Wilde Oil (a/k/a Dad) means putting his meal ticket in jeopardy.  Rather than run the risk of letting Emmy slip away again, Steve pulls out all the stops to win her heart. To do so, he enlists the only other people in his life who can help: Oxford-accented neighbor and “frenemy” Fa’ad Shaoulian; Migo Salazar, Steve’s employee/sidekick/errand-boy; and Mr. Lunt, Steve’s “manny”-turned-secretary who hasn’t lost a bit of his “mother hen” instincts.  Despite having everything he ever wanted, Steve knows he can’t buy love and happiness, which falls in sharp contrast to Emmy, who has nothing but love and happiness. So with Emmy committed to doing good for nothing, and Steve being a good for nothing, will this hopelessly mismatched pair ever be able to reconcile their differences?

Who? Stars Will Arnett as Wilde, Keri Russell as Emmy, Stefania Owen as Puddle, David Cross as Andy, Peter Serafinowicz as Fa’ad, Mel Rodriguez as Migo, and Robert Michael Morris as Mr Lunt.  RUNNING WILDE is produced by Tantamount Studios, Five Hole Pictures and Principato-Young Management in association with Lionsgate Television. The series is written and created by Mitch Hurwitz, Jim Vallely and Will Arnett. Hurwitz, Vallely, Arnett, Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, Peter Principato and Paul Young serve as executive producers. Anthony Russo and Joe Russo directed and served as executive producers on the pilot episode.

Where/When? FOX, 9:30/8:30c Tuesdays, after RAISING HOPE.

Why (Why Not)? I wanted to love this show, I really did.  I love Will Arnett.  I love Keri Russell.  David Cross and Peter Serafinowicz are really funny people.  But this show was one big disappointment after another.  I think that Arnett and Russell have plenty of chemistry but they’re not doing much with it.  I continue to want to love this show, and I will give it a few episodes, but it’s definitely on notice.

How? DVR it and give it a few episodes before you decide!