Despite a lengthy career as a stand-up comic, Larry the Cable Guy is probably best known as the lovable tow truck, Tow Mater in Pixar’s Cars. If that brings a lot of people to History for Only in America [Tuesdays, 9/8C], then I guess that’s cool. Unfortunately, there are some things that no one should have to see on TV – and Larry the Cable Guy topless is one of them.
The concept for Only In America is pretty decent – an average Joe travels the country checking out the story behind important stuff: like the importance of NASA; a Civil War re-enactment; the celebrity impersonator show Legends in Las Vegas, and the beauty of Wisconsin Dells.
The series premiere, Larry Makes Moonshine, quickly establishes the show’s concept as Larry visits NASA, where he visits the original control center; learns how to use a zero-g toilet and drives the prototype landing and exploration vehicle created for navigating the surface of the moon – and, hopefully, Mars.
When Larry gets to talk to astronauts on the International Space Station, his questions concern drinking urine and when he asks about the zero-g toilet, he talks over the answers with g-rated variations on standard lowest-common-denominator poop jokes – a running theme, as he makes similar comments throughout both the NASA segment; his visit to Wisconsin Dells, and his appearance at Las Vegas’ Legends show [where he impersonated a celebrity impersonator impersonating Larry the Cable Guy]. Frankly, after the NASA segment, I was ready to pack it in, but I hung in there in spite of Larry’s shtick.
To be fair, when Larry wasn’t talking, there was some very interesting stuff going on. In the NASA segment, we get a look at a full-size replica of the International space Station at the bottom of a very large indoor pool – where astronauts train for working on the outside of the real station and the scenery in Wisconsin Dells – before Larry heads to Noah’s Ark Water Park – is eerily beautiful. And the series is beautifully shot.
The problem lies in the way that Larry imposes himself on every segment – like a redneck Regis Philbin, he doesn’t always let his questions get answered before interrupting with some creaky gag or another. Essentially, the best parts of Only In America are when he shuts the hell up – and the less said about his exploits in water skiing and hitting the rides at Noah’s Ark, the better.
Only In America is for Larry the Cable guy fans only. Personally, I prefer Mater – his writing’s better.
Final Grade: D