Is Big Shots Worth a Shot?

How could you not love a show that starts with a quickie in a wine cellar? A better question, how could you not resist a show that stars Michael Vartan and Dylan McDermott?

Big Shots is a new drama on ABC about four strong and successful men who only weaknesses is the women in their lives. It is more than fun to hear these men talk about their individual problems with opposite sex.

The show stars Michael Vartan as James Walker, Dylan McDermott as Duncan Collinsworth, Christopher Titus as Brody Johns and Joshua Malina as Karl Mixworthy. The four has great chemistry as friends and really well off each other. They rely on each for advice about friendship, business, affairs, and past indiscretions.

We meet Duncan first as he is enjoying a pastime in the wine cellar with his ex-wife. In between thrusts, they talk about how great divorced sex is and the problems with their daughter. Duncan comes off as a guy that enjoys life, and enjoys the thrills of women even more. So is so caught up in the 'happy ending' that he can't even tell if the participate is a man or woman.

Years ago he was arrested for frolicking with a prostitute in a public bathroom. Not too bad huh? Well, it wouldn't be if the prostitute wasn't a man. Suffice to say that his past secret is threatening to show its ugly head when a reporter finds out about it. Getting advice from his buddies, he decides that finding the hooker is the key to keeping this thing under wraps.

If only his problems would stop there. His daughter completely dislikes him and shows him no respect. The daughter sees him only as a sperm donor and blackmails him to give her a job. While working at his company, of all people she is the one that runs into the transvestite hooker when he shows up. This can't be good. He finally pays off the hooker, but it doesn't seem as if this little problem is going away any time soon.

James isn't without his own drama. He was fired by his boss at a barbeque, only to be saved by the guy's sudden death by a golf cart. Before his boss's death, he saw the old guy with a diamond necklace that James assume was for his wife. He finds the jewelry box on the body and decides to give it to the wife at the funeral only to find it empty. His boss must have a mistress and had given her the necklace before his death. You can imagine James' shock when he eyes his own wife crying over the corpse with the very necklace in her hands.

James is fighting a broken heart while interviewing for the position that is now open from the death of the man who was his boss and sleeping with his wife. Nia Long gives an adorable performance as his co-worker and friend, Katie Graham. When he is informed that he got the job, she is the one that he confides in first and tries to help with his broken heart. I have a sneaky suspension that something more is going to develop between the two.

Brody is full of talk and is completely whipped by his wife. As a matter of fact, he smooth-talks a waiter to find some shrimp that would make his wife happy. It is that same waiter speeding in a golf cart, equipped the same shrimp that will make will no doubt get Brody laid later that day, that ran over James' boss. He spends the rest of the episode helping Duncan find his transvestite prostitute and using his cell phone to frantically plan the perfect birthday party for his wife.

Karl's situation is probably the most pathetic and the funniest. He struggles to please a displeased wife and a crazy fiancé. When both of them request to go to couple's counseling, this idiot takes them to the same counselor. What was he thinking? It is clear that he doesn't know how to handle an affair. It is a good thing that he is trying to end it just when his mistress is requesting that he treat her the same way he treats his wife.

Not exactly getting what she wants, the mistress shows up at his house under the pretense of being an interior designer. To his dismay, the two women in his life establish a friendship. It seems as if Marla is a mistress that won't go away quietly. If anything, it is going to be funny to watch.

Big Shots is a refreshing look into the male bonding and the things they deal with and talk about. Not like the testosterone-driven Entourage (which I love more than words), Big Shots shows men on top of their game with every aspect in their lives except with woman. I laughed out loud when Duncan said, "We are the new women". This show is definitely worth a shot.

The show is created and executive produced by Jon Harmon Feldman. It airs on Thursdays at 9pm ET on ABC.