Noah Liberman

Imagine a Greek tragedy in which the Chorus didn’t function as commentary and illumination of the narrative but as the main character itself, with the protagonists reduced to functionaries, responsible for exposition and narrative mechanics. That’s the uncomfortable flaw of Schmgadoon. The two talented leads recite lines dutifully to set up hyperactive musical numbers that fall flat because they don’t relate to narrative action or to characters we actually care about. Key and Strong aren’t allowed to be quirky and humorous; they strenuously recite lines that serve only to reinforce the two-dimensionality of their characters, while the chorus burns calories gyrating through numbers that, as a result, feel lifted off a phonograph record, not set against the two humans they’re supposed to be teasing, teaching, illuminating. You get the feeling the numbers were created first and Key and Strong were inserted afterwards as playbill bling but given no space or time to develop their own voices or their own chemistry.

I’ve watched three seasons, love it. I noticed that in season 3, Walt gets a bit more talkative — two sentences instead of one. I feel he’s less effective this way, but it’s a small quibble and the plots seem better knit as a consolation. All the characters are very effective — and sometimes the guests are brilliant at their roles. So far, everyone but Ruby and Ferg have narrowly escaped death. And the murder rate in Absaroka County is through the roof. I suspect Ferg and Ruby are secretly shacking up and trying to do away with their superiors. ;-)