Summer watchlist: Watch the 25 hottest new shows of the season
By Sundi Rose
DOWNWARD DOG – ABC’s “Downward Dog” stars Ned as Martin and Allison Tolman as Nan. (ABC/Craig Sjodin)
Downward Dog – May 17
Starring: Allison Tolman, Lucas Neff, Barry Rothbart, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste
Premise: Tolman plays Nan, a woman going through a recent breakup with a long time boyfriend. Nan, obviously, feels down, and her very insightful dog doesn’t know how to help her – mostly because nobody can hear her thoughts except us.
Her blues over her break up spills over into her professional life, and she begins to lose focus, until she decides to go for a big break and formulate a major presentation that could prove very lucrative for her. Of course Martin the dog destroys it, and she immediately heads to obedience school. There she learns that he’s really the only true and authentic thing in her life. And well, you get the idea.
This show is blatantly pandering to the pet lovers in the world, and it plucks those strings pretty heavily. It could prove cloying, at worst, but it looks like it might be a fun way jaunt into the minds of our beloved four-legged housemates.
The buzz: It’s mixed, for certain. The gimmick is hard to get past, but Allison Tolman is a sold actress who is worthy of carrying a vehicle all by herself.
Where to watch: ABC