Life on Mars star Jason O’Mara makes a noisy cameo as Mason and Conner’s immediate superior, who drops dead of a heart attack minutes into the episode. Executive Producers Michael Robin and Greer Shepard, veterans of cable hits Nip/Tuck and The Closer, are showrunners.
The Poop: The Mad Men comparisons are inevitable, but beyond the ad agency setting, the similarities are few and far between. The key difference is that Mad Men uses advertising as a backdrop to craft a love letter to the early 1960s as well as a device to study the social mores and turbulent change of that extraordinary decade. Trust Me is examining the ridiculous nature of corporate America (we are introduced to no less than three levels of “bosses” in about five minutes) as well as the creative partnership and friendship of the two protagonists. The death of their boss results in the more buttoned-up Mason’s promotion to Creative Director (not to be confused with the Group Creative Director, played by Dunne) over wunderkind but immature Conner, who has the most similarity to a Don Draper type in that he’s known for his brilliant ideas and genius tag lines.
This was definitely one of those pilots that suffered from an overabundance of exposition. The characters had to be introduced and win us over quickly. And the plot, about Mason and Conner having to placate a client unhappy with the campaign that had already been “sold” to them with a brand new pitch, is largely telegraphed from start to finish. There’s a fight, a moment where it looks like all might be lost, and then a so-crazy-it-just-might-work moment of “brilliance” at the big pitch meeting. On the one hand, you could say it’s all pretty predictable, on the other you can say it’s all one big jab at the advertising industry. The jury’s out on that.
There are flashes of promise in the writing. Cavanagh’s opening line, in response to McCormick complaining about being hungover, “This is why we got into advertising. To get hung over from expensive booze that someone else paid for while everyone back in Chicago thinks we’re working. We dared to dream.” And later, when Potter’s fussy copywriter Sarah tries to get her old job back and is turned down, “You’re a good writer. I think I’m gonna go hire one I don’t hate.”
The Prognosis: Ratings aren’t in yet, but things will be rocky if Trust Me can’t hold The Closer’s lead-in. Creatively, I’m all for giving the show a chance to find its groove and get a little less predictable. The leads are enjoyable enough, but Potter will have to work to not actively annoy me. I’m on board for the duration at this point.
