"Men, Women & Dogs" (Sunday, 8:30 p.m., WB/Ch. 30) is the perfect example of how writing is of paramount importance when it comes to TV. A perfectly pleasant, appealing cast — both human and canine — can't overcome an inane, dull script.
The "Men" in this sitcom are four twentysomething guys. Jeremiah (Bill Bellamy) is a womanizing chef; Clay (Danny Pino) is a sensitive guy; Eric (former University of Utah student Niklaus Lange) is an airheaded surfer; and Royce (Mike Damus) is a nerd/cheapskate. They all have better relationships with "Dogs" than they do with "Women" — even Eric, who just moved in with his girlfriend, Michelle (Heather Stephens).
This isn't an awful show, but it never develops into much of anything — at least not in the pilot episode. And, more often than not, producers shoot their best shot in the pilot.
It's unfortunate that the cast doesn't have more to work with.
OFF CENTRE (Sunday, 9:30 p.m., WB/Ch. 30) combines bad acting with dreadful writing to create one of the worst new offerings of the season.
This comes to us from the brothers behind the raunchy movie comedy "American Pie," Chris and Paul Weitz, so it's fairly obvious this is going to be a raunchy TV comedy. But it's almost astonishingly so.
The show features two former college buddies sharing a fabulous New York loft. Euan (Sean Maguire) is a successful Brit with no morals; Mike (the somnambulant Eddie Kaye Thomas of "Pie") is a struggling American with a steady girlfriend (Lauren Stamile).
Sunday's pilot is lame but only mildly vulgar. But don't be fooled — episodes two and three are amazingly crude.
It's a bit surprising at the start of episode 2 when Euan starts talking about the fact that he has a case of, um, crabs and begins to, well, scratch his itch. But it's astonishing when the rest of the cast comes down with the same problem and starts scratching — and that's the entire premise of that installment, complete with joke after joke (and I use that term loosely) about the infestation.
As for episode three, suffice it to say that it's joke after joke (and I use that term loosely) about pornography.
Sometimes crude material can be funny. This isn't.
The funniest thing about "Off Centre" came when Chris Weitz told TV critics, "We're not actually interested in pushing the envelope. . . . We're not really intent on doing teen sex comedy anymore."
No, they're intent on doing twentysomething sex comedy — unfunny, unappealing twentysomething sex comedy at that.
E-MAIL: pierce@desnews.com