Critic Reviews

The latest iteration of the genre of celebrity re-introduction--and one of its more amusing--is CBS' new show Same Name.

The "real" Hasselhoff tries to fit in with his namesake's family without alluding to his TV shows or his big-in-Germany-ness every two minutes. (Spoiler: He fails.) Even cynically minded wisenheimers such as myself can recognize the show's heart when both Hasselhoffs learn lessons about what's really important in life (and the winner is..."family").

It all comes out pretty well in the wash. Same Name gets fairly close to sealing the deal on the idea that celebs can learn something from just plain folks.

In the long run, our interest in the show will directly correspond to our interest in whatever celebrity is featured from week to week.

Same Name is a show made for people who live and breathe E! and TMZ.com. Cynics need not tune in.

Same Name prefers the usual bunk of the genre, smoothing over significant matters of a class chasm that is an everyday reality for all Americans with dreamy ideas of how we're all not really so different from one another.

Some celebrities will surely offer better material to edit than Hasselhoff, famous and not. Future episodes promise encounters with Reggie Bush, Kathy Griffin, and Mike Tyson. Tyson in particular may bring just enough crazy to the table to tip the genre scales back to train wreck.

In short, Same Name is too respectful to both halves of its equation to be fully engaging by reality-TV standards.

It should be evident that Same Name is as warm and mindless as an idyllic Sunday in idlest July.

When you start doodling on the Internet instead of watching the show you are supposed to review, then either you, or the show, has a problem. I'm going with the latter.