Starring Bradley Cooper, Nicholas Brendon, Owain Yeoman, Bonnie Somerville, Jaime King, John Francis Daley, John Cho
Written By: David Hemingson
Directed By:
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Television
Buy on Amazon.com link

Dear Fox,

I think you got this network television thing all wrong. You, more than any other network have the tendency to axe shows before they even have a chance to pick up steam. Moreover, most of the shows that get cancelled are genuinely good, and meanwhile The War At Home manages to last 2 full seasons. It’s probably not worth mentioning all of the shows cancelled before a full season could play out, but off the top of my head, Undeclared, Wonderfalls, Greg The Bunny, Firefly, Andy Richter Controls The Universe, Point Pleasant….

But here’s the thing, Fox. Maybe you don’t need full seasons. I suggest you look across the pond to the British television model, in which short, but concise series are doled out one at a time and are only brought back if popular. If the show does not do well, generally its six episode series is still played out, as many are written with a specific are that has a beginning, middle and end. If you set that up with some of your shows, Fox, you could gain the type of critical success that might eventually lead to loads of money. Although American Idol is all you really need.

So anyways, Fox, the reason I bring this is up is because Kitchen Confidential is a very good show, and at 13 episodes, I felt like it was complete, and not because it was canned so as to not allow any more shows to be produced. You see, with such a confined environment as a restaurant, storylines would begin to get dull and repetitive (see Scrubs, although it’s still better than just about every other comedy). Within these 13 episodes (inlcuding only 4(!) that were originally shown on Fox), there are small story arcs that more or less finish with the final episode, and there is very little left unanswered, though I could imagine certain directions the rest of the season would take. For Kitchen Confidential, I think it’s best to take what we have here – 13 solid episodes of an above average television show – and enjoy them for what they are, rather than what they could have been.

The show itself has a pretty simple premise, and something that I think works better with limited episodes – for a British comparison that is almost too obvious, see Chef. A well-cast Bradley Cooper plays Jack Bourdain, a character based on actual chef Anthony Bourdain, author of the eponymous book. After years of partying and being a difficult employee for any high-class restaurant, Bourdain gets a sobered-up second chance at Manhattan hotspot Nolita. He assembles his rag-tag kitchen staff that features some excellent television and movie actors like Nicholas Brendon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Owain Yeoman, John Cho (from the little-known Off Centre – a personal favourite – and of course Harold and Kumar), John Francis Daley (Sam from Freaks and Geeks all grown up), Jaime King (Blow, Slackers), and Bonnie Somerville (The O.C., Friends), and antics ensue. Much of the comedic success comes from such a wonderful cast, although Somerville is rather weak and inconsistent in her role. Daley, on the other hand, shines as an innocent small-town college grad in the big city for the first time. I certainly hope to see him do more work on television.

What I like about the show is that it uses the single-camera, non-laugh track approach that made its time-slot buddy Arrested Development so critically popular. It was well reviewed when it came out, but essentially, it died along with Arrested’s third season. It’s unfortunate, too, because they work quite well together, although the aesthetics are a bit too similar. However, Kitchen is far more linear and narrative-driven.

Overall, the show is by no means brilliant, but very enjoyable, and a quick one-afternoon viewing. Fox, you should take notice of how this show managed to do in 13 episodes what most of your new ‘comedies’ liek ‘Til Death and The War At Home have yet to do: be funny. Perhaps you’ll revert to a system with shorter shows that can at least be played out in full. And I’m still hoping you’ll someday create a show as funny as Arrested Development. But alas, I’m a dreamer.

Sincerely,

Daniel Field
Assistant Junior Copy Editor, ReadJunk Canada

Features:
Interviews
A Recipe For Comedy Featurette
Tour of the Nolita Restaurant Featurette
Commentary on 2 Episodes
Kitchen Confidential Trailer

Audio:
English 5.1 Surround
French 2.0
Spanish 2.0

Video:
Widescreen, 1.85:1

Subtitles:
English, French, Spanish

Favorite Scenes: Dinner Date With Death, French Fight, Teddy Takes Off, Let’s Do Brunch
Rating: NR
Running Time: 325 minutes
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating: