TV Reviews : Not Many Chuckles From ‘Herman’s Head’

Fox’s fall season continues to unfold in advance of the other networks’, with a comedy titled “Herman’s Head” joining “Roc” on the Sunday schedule. It arrives at 9:30 p.m. on Channels 11 and 6, one of those series that looks much better on paper than on the screen.

It appears that even a lobotomy couldn’t salvage “Herman’s Head.” Interesting idea, bad execution. The hapless protagonist (William Ragsdale) is an aspiring writer whose mind is a battleground where the various sides of his personality continually clash while maneuvering him through his misadventures.

There’s Angel (Molly Hagan), his sensitive side; Genius (Peter Mackenzie), his intellect; Wimp (Rick Lawless), his timid, anxious side, and coarse, hedonistic Animal (Ken Hudson Campbell), representing his lust (“Condoms, don’t forget the condoms!”).

Herman’s problems revolve around women in the first two episodes, his romantic woes being exacerbated by his self-centered best friend Jay (Hank Azania). Meanwhile, he’s hounded by his boss (Jason Bernard) and a ruthless colleague (Jane Sibbett). And if you’ve ever wondered about the face that goes with the voice of Lisa on “The Simpsons,” you can see Yeardley Smith here as the wisecracking receptionist in the office where Herman works.

There are plenty of characters in “Herman’s Head,” far fewer laughs, with the few amusing moments getting clobbered by overbearing comedy that almost always reaches too far, inevitably relies on awkward, illogical plot devices and telegraphs far too many of its gags. Such as they are.