Multiple Possibilities -- Same Old Trick

I really, really wanted to like Diablo Cody's new show United States of Tara. The half-hour series about a suburban mom with Multiple Personality Disorder debuted on Showtime last week.

Here's why I expected to like it:

-- Showtime series are usually smart and edgy.

--Toni Collette is a genius. (Little Miss Sunshine, Towelhead, Sixth Sense, etc.)

--John Corbett (the guy who played Aiden on Sex and the City) is adorable.

--Juno-writer Diablo Cody created the series.

As you can see from the picture, Collette's character, Tara, has three alter egos: the 15-year-old girl (T), the white trash war-vet (Buck), and an uptight, domestic goddess (Alice). The trouble is, Collette's no Jim Carey, and her portrayal of the alters felt unusually forced and cartoonish.

Tara morphs into an alter when she's faced with a situation "she can't deal with." So, when Tara discovered her teenage daughter Kate's morning-after prescription, she turned into T, the teenager alter. As T, Tara painted her toenails black, smoked pot, and raided her daughter's closet for thongs and low-rise jeans. Though initially it was funny to see classy Collette play the ditz, the act got old. Diablo Cody had the opportunity to portray a unique teenage experience; instead, the character was rifled with [annoying] cliches.

The first episode is full of exposition. Tara's husband doesn't NEED to tell Tara's sister how long the two have been married. Diablo Cody seemed to be ramming exposition down the audience's proverbial throat -- I wish we had learned the back story in a more interesting way. The first episode also left me wondering: Why are we starting at this point, this exact point, when the family is already familiar with her alters? Where are we going? We know Tara has had the disorder since childhood, but it's hard to believe she truly functions and can raise a family. Her characters are downright irresponsible and dangerous. (For instance, Buck starts a fight with her daughter's boyfriend and grabs Kate's friend's butt.)

The match-up between Corbett and Collette wasn't right either. Maybe it's because I loved Aiden in Sex and the City (though he's let himself go since then), but you get the sense that Collette's just a little too old for Corbett, and it's hard to believe he has a 16 and 13-year-old kid.

But I'll keep watching, and here's why. There were a few moments that made me believe this show is more than a cheesy gimmick. As Buck, Tara calls her effeminate son a fag. As T, Tara tries to have sex with her husband, even though Tara doesn't want him to sleep with her alters. These two moments were chilling. How does a son respond when a form of his mother throws homophobic slurs at him? How does a husband respond when his wife's body with a 15-year-old mind seduces him? These moments forecast some potential in this series, and while I felt the first episode was 90% hokey, I'll tune in next week.