It’s a good bet that when Nickelodeon sends out a cloying press release describing its new sitcom as “hysterical” — and proclaiming its star’s “infectious style of wacky comedy” — the show in question is in big trouble.
But there’s always an exception to the rule.
While “Wendell & Vinnie” isn’t a tour-de-force comic masterpiece, it does boast a likable star in “iCarly” vet Jerry Trainor and a solid supporting cast, headed by Nicole Sullivan (“Mad TV,” “The King of Queens”).
Trainor, in fact, doesn’t stray too far from his role in “iCarly,” where he played Spencer Shay, the man-child older brother and legal guardian to Carly (series star Miranda Cosgrove).
In “Wendell & Vinnie,” he’s Vinnie Bassett, the man-child/legal guardian of his tween-age nephew, Wendell, orphaned after his parents were killed in a car crash (a fact we don’t learn until about halfway through the episode).
There’s something appealingly Will Ferrell-ish in Trainor’s oblivious demeanor — and we know, in a show like this, that there’s a sensitive old-man’s soul lurking beneath his perpetually adolescent facade.
We also know, in a show like this, that if 30-year-old Vinnie is the eternal adolescent — obsessed with loud video games, “Star Wars” memorabilia and the comely new neighbor across-the-hall (Haley Strode) — his young, strangely named nephew, Wendell (Buddy Handleson), has to be a buttoned-up, wise-beyond-his-years nerdy type who keeps Uncle Vinnie in line.
He is, and he does.
(But, really, when’s the last time you met a kid named Wendell?)
Like most of the Nickelodeon shows I’ve seen over the years, “Wendell & Vinnie” is underscored by a hyperactive laugh track, lots of gesticulating and shouting and plenty of pratfalls — all suitable for its target teen audience.
Sullivan turns in her usual solid performance as Vinnie’s snarky-with-a-heart-of-gold older sister, Wilma, and Dan Castellaneta — better known as the voice of Homer Simpson — turns up for a quick hit as Vinnie’s landlord with the smirky surname (Lipshitz).
It’s all very predictable, with a few genuinely funny moments — meaning “Wendell & Vinnie” will probably be a solid for Nickelodeon, which could use some juice in its post-“iCarly” incarnation.
And with Nick rival Disney Channel winning the ratings game at present, “Wendell & Vinnie” has a lot at stake.
But no pressure, guys.