Peter Sarsgaard
Uma Thurman
Zachary Quinto
Melissa George
Thandie Newton
Thomas Sadoski
Brian Cox

Developed by:
Jon Robin Baitz
Walter F. Parkes

Miniseries
2015
Drama
NBC
TV-14

“The Slap” is being marketed as a star-studded, controversial event miniseries. Oooo, sounds good, right? But its first episode is like a soufflé that doesn’t rise: A lot of work went into it, but the result is less than stellar.

That episode introduces the cast of characters in a convoluted way. We see things from Hector’s (Peter Sarsgaard) perspective. He loves jazz music. He also loves a very young woman who works with his wife (Thandie Newton). (That young woman is much too young for him; she can’t even drink, legally.) Clichés, here we come!

As his 40th birthday draws near, he’s turned down from a promotion that he and everyone he knows expected him to receive. He doesn’t tell them the truth, though.

At his birthday party, his friends and the rest of his Greek family (they speak in Greek on occasion) show up. This includes the children. He has meddling parents (shocker!) and a cousin with a temper (Zachary Quinto). (His father is played by Brian Cox. Again, this is a star-studded cast, remember?) He also has a childhood friend (Uma Thurman) who’s a TV executive producer; she brings one of her young stars (Penn Badgely) to the party. Other party attendees include a mother and father (Melissa George and Thomas Sadoski) who overindulge their son. That son winds up on the receiving end of the titular assault. (That’s not giving anything away, by the way.) Can you guess by whom?

The longer I watched the pilot, the more I wanted the slap to just happen already. Shoot, I could’ve slapped the whole City of New York by the time they got around to it. That’s not a good thing, obviously. The buildup to the slap doesn’t work, and, as I suggested before, the moment seems long overdue by the time it happens. That kid needs some discipline anyway, slap or no slap; but the fault lies with his parents, not with him. They should’ve been slapped, instead. (Heck, slap me to save me from this mediocrity!) Oh, and I forgot to mention that the kid’s father is an alcoholic (double shocker!).

While the cast seems to be trying really hard (after all, it’s full of stars), there’s a conspicuous lack of chemistry among the actors. It looks like they need a little more time to rehearse and get used to each other or something. Plus, the writing isn’t insightful enough; it sees old-hat. That’s strange, since the concept is definitely something new-ish; it’s still a family drama, though.

In a way, “The Slap” reminds me of the film “Little Children,” if “Little Children” were set in New York City. Maybe it’s because of the narrator. But this show isn’t as sharp as that film. It’s definitely not as exciting. I know that this is network television and all, but that’s not an excuse for mediocrity.

I suspect that each episode will present the perspective of a different character, much like the book and the Australian TV miniseries on which it is based. I hope that the seven remaining episodes find some spark and rhythm, somewhere. The cast and the audience deserve better. …

The second episode doesn’t do much better. Ugh, what a waste!

Verdict: OK

About: (Source: slap)

“The Slap” is a miniseries based on the book by Christos Tsiolkas and the Australian television series (“The Slap”) produced by Matchbox Pictures.

Meet Hector (Peter Sarsgaard, “An Education,” “Blue Jasmine”), a public servant, husband, father and valued friend on the cusp of his 40th birthday. Meet Aisha (Thandie Newton, “Crash,” “Beloved”), Hector’s beautiful and intelligent wife who is planning his party filled with friends and his very boisterous Greek family. Sounds like the makings of a great day, right? Wrong.

As Hector tries to navigate family politics, awkward friendships and the young woman he is dangerously captivated by, the built-up tension explodes when Hector’s hotheaded cousin slaps another couple’s misbehaving child. Everyone is understandably stunned, and the party abruptly ends with the child’s parents vowing legal action. What the hosts and guests don’t know, however, is that this moment will ignite a chain of events that will uncover long-buried secrets within this group of friends and family… and vigorously challenge the core values of everyone involved.

“The Slap” also stars Uma Thurman (“Pulp Fiction,” “Kill Bill”), Zachary Quinto (“Star Trek,” “American Horror Story”), Melissa George (“30 Days of Night,” “In Treatment”), Thomas Sadoski (“The Newsroom”) and Brian Cox (“X-Men 2,” “Red 2”).