Pilot Review: Dice

Dice (Showtime)
Premiered April 10 at 9:30pm

There are so many people who get their own shows, and sometimes it makes plenty of sense. My first and only interaction with Andrew Dice Clay before this show was when he guest-starred as himself on “Entourage,” and I remember absolutely nothing other than that he was essentially like a louder, blunter version of Johnny Drama. I’m not sure who gave him his own show and decided to pair it with “House of Lies,” but here it is. To me, this is most reminiscent stylistically of “Louie,” since it features an actor and comedian playing himself living his normal life in which he constantly embarasses himself and gets himself into exaggerated situations because he just says whatever comes to his mind. Clay is considerably more offensive than C.K. and less apologetic about anything that happens, but it’s the same idea. My initial critique of “Of Kings and Prophets” was similar - who was clamoring for this show to exist? By episode’s end, Dice was looking good to his girlfriend’s brother and his new husband, but he did plenty to upset everyone along the way. And while the notion of him being furious about being charged $5 for ATM usage in the casino was a little funny, his boneheaded nature and inability to comprehend that an electronic fee cannot be waived ahead of a time for an individual user is beyond frustrating and sure to recur over and over on this show. There isn’t anything to particularly recommend this show, and it’s one of the few Showtime series that I won’t be watching again.

How will it work as a series? Dice’s ego and stubborn natures are his biggest crushes, and I’m sure that they are going to be the basis of the R-rated sitcom plotlines for this show. Dice’s bizarre view on marriage is just one of his many eccentric opinions, and maybe this show will end up being more like “Curb Your Enthusiasm” as he offends anyone who comes his way, except I have a feeling that Dice will manage to smooth things over with just about everyone he wrongs.
How long will it last? Reviews for the show haven’t been awful, but this definitely is not going to end up as one of the network’s big hits, something that I think they knew going into it. It’s hard to find much ratings data, but I suspect that this show’s chances are really mixed. Showtime has plenty of flashier fare, and I think this is going to be one of its short-lived one-season efforts.


Pilot grade: C+