T. Ullman is a prodigiously talented and intelligent performer but even she can't redeem strained, one-joke sketches, reminiscent of the worst of Saturday Night Live. When she hits the mark, she is gut-bustingly funny and simultaneously moving. That is her great characteristic: compassionate and piercing insight combined with equal-opportunity-offender humor and a gift for mimicry. But in the 2010 season of her Showtime series, like the 2009 season, too many sketches fall flat. She's just so good a performer that one keeps watching, hoping the material can rise to her level. Even one or two successes out of eight or nine tries per night makes her game worth watching, but just barely. And she isn't helping by padding out the shows with extended, repetitious and uninspired musical numbers.
P.S. - Yes, I know Ullman is one of the writers. But she still needs help in that department if she wants to get laughs.
