Review: 'Tracey Ullman's State of the Union'

Monsters & Critics

By April MacIntyre Mar 29, 2008, 18:52 GMT

Tracey Ullman's new series on Showtime is a stage for what the new U.S. citizen does best: Lampoon and satirize the bloated egos of the percolating celebrity and “persons of interest” world.

She sticks it to them in the funniest way.

"Tracey Ullman's State of the Union," debuts Sunday on Showtime, a show that skewers ordinary everyday people to the likes of Arianna Huffington, Tony Sirico (as Sopranos’ Paulie) Laurie David, Renee Zellweger and even David Beckham.

Even local LA news anchor Linda Alvarez gets a poke for her famous Castilian “Ahhhbarresss” name boomerang she wings at us nightly.

Some of the more amusing everyday types included an Indian pharmacist in the middle of Tennessee who busts out a vivid Bollywood number for any customer needing possible side-effect clarifications.

Another fine moment was TSA screener “Chanel”, who on the sly passes people though the baggage x-ray machine and diagnoses potential medical problems, helping the uninsured out.

"State of the Union" is not a variety show like her last effort. The series is one blended timelined narration of daily regional doings in the US of A. At times her show seemed adrift in its own cuteness.

The best moments work when she isn’t being too heavy handed with the social messages and lets loose on her perfectly spoofed segments of the rich and famous who blog, raise famous starlets or act. Her best moments came as Arianna, Dina and Laurie.

Ullman is the closest thing this generation has to the great television goddess, Carol Burnett. Tracey’s show had funny, enjoyable moments but I feel her best work is still to come for the faithful who adore her comedic sensibilities and elastic talent to absorb personas.

Not for children, language.

Grade B