What I’m Watching: The Detour (Season Premiere)

The Detour: Season 4, Episode 1 “The Search” (B-)

I had completely forgotten about this show’s existence, though it’s always nice to have a lighthearted diversion like this one, even though I’d much prefer a third season of “People of Earth,” which TBS decided to unceremoniously cancel after it had already been renewed. In any case, we’re left with this show, which is almost purposeful in its aimlessness. I was a huge fan of Laura Benanti’s character, who turned out to be something completely different from what it seemed all along, and now it’s all about the search for Delilah, who was the only member of the family who realized that she just had to get away from all this absurdity. It seemed extremely obvious to me from the start that Delilah wasn’t actually traveling to destinations all over the world but instead just posing in front of backdrops that made it look like that, and Nate’s sudden realization in the middle of New Zealand that she was in Syracuse at a mini golf place felt like one of his less clever moments. As usual, his antics were absurd, with a whole rollercoaster of tonal shifts throughout the episode, including Nate trying to resuscitate a dead man and then arguing with Robin about what to do with Jared’s sleepy excitement. It didn’t take Jared nearly as ong as I might have expected to deduce that his new girlfriend putting up ten fingers was indeed indicating that she was just ten years old, which means the same thing no matter what her place of origin. His dimwitted nature continues to be entertaining, but I’m not sure how much more road this show has to travel.