Trio’s take on midlife is no laughing matter

December 07, 2009|Matthew Gilbert, Globe Staff

‘Of a certain age’’ is a phrase generally attached to a woman, a delicate way of dodging specifics to imply she is middle-aged but well-preserved. “Certain,’’ of course, signifies “uncertain.’’ But when we refer to the age of older men, we are invited to be quite specific, even permitted to use digits. Men aren’t so obviously stamped with cultural freshness dates, after which they’re expendable.

By using “of a certain age’’ to refer to men, the promising new TNT series “Men of a Certain Age’’ defuses the phrase’s sexist history. The show, which premieres tonight at 10 after “The Closer,’’ is built on the truth that men, too, reach a vague point in midlife when their dreams and “marketability’’ fade while their humanity flourishes. Starring Ray Romano, Andre Braugher, and Scott Bakula, the show reframes “of a certain age’’ to mean a universal state of mind - a psychological zone of aging - rather than a somewhat cold euphemism for “too old.’’

“Men of a Certain Age’’ is written and executive produced by Romano and Mike Royce from “Everybody Loves Raymond,’’ so you are forgiven if you’re expecting their show to be a more punch line-driven, brashly male take on “Sex and the City.’’ While it includes some predictable guy banter, especially in tonight’s uneven pilot, “Men of a Certain Age’’ is a probing, occasionally bleak drama that evokes indie director John Cassavetes more than “Sex and the City’’ creator Darren Star. The writers and actors steadfastly avoid TV-bred coziness, as they push further into the difficult trade-offs that make getting older so liberating and so demoralizing. The actors are especially willing to forgo leading-man vanity in favor of emotional vulnerability, with Braugher and Romano looking particularly wasted at times.

Indeed, Romano goes far out on a limb to appear naturalistic, and it works. He is so identified with his character on “Everybody Loves Raymond,’’ it’s almost disconcerting to watch him play drama with such commitment, rarely breaking out of his melancholy to smile. I kept waiting for him to finish scenes with a wink or a cute hangdog look, and they never arrived. In the second episode, his character, Joe, is so pent-up that his playful punches at an inflatable Incredible Hulk toy turn into a rage-filled attack. It’s the kind of scene I never expected Romano to pull off successfully, the kind most TV comics - think Jerry Seinfeld - wouldn’t dare try. Romano also plays Joe’s gambling addiction with effective restraint.