'It's like, you know ...,' very watchable

In the year since the departure of "Seinfeld" from the airwaves - and even before it ever went off the air - several shows have tried out the "Seinfeld" format in the hopes that viewers wouldn't notice the copycat syndrome if they called the George character, say, Duncan, or set the sitcom in Anytown, USA. Each of those derivative shows has failed because they haven't understood or taken the elements that made "Seinfeld" great and made them their own.

Until now. At last there is a worthy heir to the "Seinfeld" throne without being terribly overt or unbearable, and wonder of all wonders, it's like, you know, set on the opposite side of the country, nay, the universe: La La land. "it's like, you know..." is the creation of Peter Mehlman, a former "Seinfeld" creative dude and, as told through the eyes of transplanted New Yorker Arthur (Chris Eigeman), does for L.A. what "Seinfeld" did for New York.

Arthur is a magazine writer working on a book about his hatred of Los Angeles and has moved into his best friend Robbie's residence for two months. Robbie's home is actually the guest house of a bald-headed guy named Shrug, his second best friend and "Trustafarian" - he never has and never will have to work a day in his life thanks to his trust fund. Robbie, on the other hand, has worked at least three days in his loafer's life, having made millions off a scheme he calls "pay-per-Jew" that telecasts Jewish High Holidays services for much less than the cost of a ticket to synagogue.

On the plane to L.A., self-confessed hypochondriac Arthur is seated next to a bubbly masseuse/ process server/chiropractic student named Lauren (the radiantly entertaining A.J. Langer). He and his sardonic "I hate L.A." wit fall hard for her, and he spends much of his time trying to suavely gain her affection after discovering that she is a regular part of Robbie's crew as Shrug's personal masseuse.

The wild card in all of this that allows "it's like, you know..." to avoid the "Seinfeld" gang syndrome is the addition of a slim wacky neighbor. But the term "wacky neighbor" automatically makes the show stereotypical, you protest. Not so, young grasshoppers. The wacky neighbor is none other than Jennifer Grey playing...Jennifer Grey! That's right, the very same girl who dirty danced her way to the box office and threatened Charlie Sheen's testicles if he mentioned her brother is back from oblivion. In the ultimate twist, Grey plays herself in an essentially autobiographical role as an actress unable to get work after a face-altering nose-job.

Arthur finds himself unable to fathom the levels of ennui that the natives call an active life, spending much of his time up in arms over such L.A. quirks as the entire city grinding to a halt to watch a high speed chase or expressing disbelief over the effectiveness of an "amnesiologist" that Shrug sees to forget bad memories. These plots take over entire episodes after the pilot in an engaging fashion; the opening episode itself manages to avoid mechanical introductions of character.

The cast spits out the speedball dialogue like it's second nature. The bitingly sarcastic tone that Eigeman perfected in his work in Whit Stillman's films ("Metropolitan") is a perfect contrast to the lackadaisical mentality of the Californians, while Langer's "attention surplus disorder" nonstop chatter fills scenes with a buoyancy long missing on television. The only slight distraction in the show is Grey herself - her appearance is pinch-worthy.

"it's like, you know..." is proof that just because a show is a midseason replacement doesn't mean that it's middling. It's a show that will have you laughing out loud at the absurd reality that pretends to be normal in the fake plastic world of Los Angeles. Share Arthur's indignant New Yorker disbelief, envy Shrug's shiny pate and wallet, or just boggle at Grey's attempt to reinvent and poke fun at herself. Just like, you know, watch it.

03-24-99