One of the TV-watching projects I’m currently slogging through is the second season of “Twin Peaks.” The show’s mix of a murder mystery with quirky character drama wears a little thin after the reveal of Laura Palmer’s killer, as the character stuff becomes clunky and forced.
Still, “Twin Peaks” was a groundbreaking show in the way it blended those two genres. One of its many successors was the outstanding but lost-to-history “Pasadena” (2001-02, Fox).
The White stuff
Created by Mike White, a veteran of “Dawson’s Creek” and “Freaks and Geeks” who went on to write “The Good Girl” (2002) and “School of Rock” (2003), the 13-episode “Pasadena” balances its two genres with seeming ease. The pilot episode introduces the mystery: A man commits suicide in the McAllister mansion, and teenage Lily (the adorable and naturalistic Alison Lohman, in her breakthrough role) is there to witness it.
“Pasadena” (2001-02)
Fox, 13 episodes
Creator: Mike White
Stars: Dana Delany, Martin Donovan, Alison Lohman
This man was committed to the nuthouse for a murder decades ago, but as Lily – along with new kid in school Henry (Alan Simpson) – investigate further, it seems Lily’s mom’s family, the Greeleys, might have been involved.
“Pasadena” (which, not coincidentally, is White’s hometown) features a loaded cast of veterans and talented newcomers. Lily is totally worth rooting for as she navigates a loaded moral question: What is more important – the truth, or loyalty to her family?
While the Lily-Henry relationship is pure “Romeo and Juliet,” lots of humor comes from Lily’s sexpot best bud Jennie (Nicole Paggi, who inexplicably didn’t become a huge star), who means well but can’t keep her mouth shut.
Darker humor comes from Lily’s uncle, Robert Greeley (Mark Valley), who treats an incorrect restaurant order and an accidental killing of an employee with equal levels of pique. Showing his range, Valley plays Robert 180 degrees removed from his role as “Once and Again’s” sweet-hearted Will Gluck.
Catherine (Dana Delany), Lily’s mom, is fascinatingly cold and manipulative, whereas Lily’s dad, Will (Martin Donovan), is warmer. Both can call Lily’s brother, Mason (Christopher Marquette, later of “Joan of Arcadia”), “annoying,” but it will only sound cruel coming from Catherine.
Lily’s uncle, Nate (Balthazar Getty), and aunt, Beth (Natasha Gregson Wagner), are there to represent more spoiled, messed-up members of the clan – drugs and wanderlust, respectively. Grandfather George (Philip Baker Hall) presides over it all with gravitas.
Fantastically fictional newspaper
The Greeleys own and operate the Los Angeles Sun, and informally own Pasadena’s judges and police as well. Although I haven’t worked at a newspaper as massive as this show’s fictional Sun, “Pasadena’s” portrayal of the daily operations of a paper is absurd.
We never see a newsroom, just Will and Robert bickering over who gets to be the publisher while wearing suits and walking through beautifully paneled hallways to their mahogany offices. Intentionally or not, they are a parody of what we rank-and-file call “the suits.”
Throughout these 13 episodes, which tell a complete story despite the cancellation after episode four (the series then got the ole “summer burnoff”), there isn’t a wasted scene, even when it seems White and the writing team are embarking on a goofy tangent. Early on, the McAllisters’ Hispanic maid gets sick, and each family member’s level of giving a crap illustrates what type of people they are.
Later, Catherine sits in the kitchen, unbothered, as the family dogs eats deadly rat poison; she uses the dog’s death to get closer to Lily. I suppose there are some scenes that are a bit lacking in a wider point – such as Mason and Will staring agape at houseguest Jennie as she sensually eats bacon – but those earn the laugh because enough of the other scenes do have a point.
Familiar names
On the guest-star front, most notable is Nathan Fillion, who for three episodes plays a reverend recently moved to Pasadena from Iowa. Despite clearly being a good-hearted guy, he has an affair with Catherine. Fillion would later star in two more one-season wonders – “Firefly” and “Drive” – and play a much less good-hearted reverend in the final season of “Buffy.”
While “Pasadena” overlapped with the final season of “The X-Files,” it features a fair number of veterans from that show. Most notable is composer Mark Snow. His work on “Pasadena” is not as all-encompassing as on “The X-Files” or “Millennium,” but his theme song and variations thereof provide just the right amount of fun and mystery.
“Pasadena” – which arguably begat the less effective but more popular “Desperate Housewives” — is one of those shows where 90 percent of the characters are out for number one, and they’ll manipulate others as needed. Yet I found every character – even the particularly evil ones – fascinating, and in some cases mildly sympathetic. Ultimately, though, I was rooting for Lily as she deals with the challenging question of what is the right thing to do.
While Lohman went on to star in “Big Fish” (2003) and “Drag Me to Hell” (2009), she seems to have taken a break from acting since then. I hope she’ll return, and I hope “Pasadena” someday gets a proper DVD release.
This blog post is part of a series about great short-lived TV shows that haven’t been released on DVD or digital or streaming services, and are rarely – if ever — shown in syndication. While some of these shows can be found somewhere on the Internet, fans of great TV want to see them get a proper release. If you’re one of those fans, your best bets are to vote for the show at TVonDVD.com or to request information from Amazon.com in the event the show gets released. This will let the copyright holder know of your interest.
Main image: Fox publicity photo