I watched The Grinder, a single season comedy starring Rob Lowe and Fred Savage. The Grinder was about a narcissistic actor who quits his popular role as the titular character in a TV show, who happens to be a lawyer, to practice law with his brother at their father’s home without going to law school or taking the bar. He yearns for a normal life, but enjoys all the fruits of fame such as unearned credibility and deference from most people. He treats real life like his TV show, and for the most part, reality obliges. In contrast, his earnest family-oriented lawyer brother has no charisma or respect, and his brother dominates every aspect of his life.
The Grinder worked if you enjoyed the idea of Rob Lowe basically being a clueless, good-looking pretty boy who always landed on his feet when he should have crashed and burned. Lowe has made a career of embracing his shallow, enthusiastic, handsome persona and has largely escaped any negative backlash as a statutory video taping rapist and politically horrific person by sticking to TV and staying away from movies. If money was involved, I probably would not watch a Lowe product, but I enjoyed him on Parks and Recreations, and he sticks to his lane. Savage plays an affable straight man though sometimes the other characters’ eagerness to throw him under the bus for his brother was painful to watch. As he embraces the craziness of his brother’s approach to law, Savage gets a chance to let loose.
The Grinder comedic ensemble had excellent timing and chemistry. There were great guest stars such as Timothy Olyphant and Maya Rudolph. My favorite regulars were Natalie Morales, another Parks and Recreations alum, and Mary Elizabeth Ellis, whom I first saw on Perfect Couples and New Girl. They were varying levels of immune to The Grinder’s charms and provided an excellent counterpoint to the sycophants who were entranced by their proximity to beauty and fame.
While I enjoyed The Grinder as an enjoyable diversion, I am glad that it ended after a single season. The Grinder’s meta comedy on the ridiculousness of fame could have grown painful after awhile.