Will Arnett, billionaire, seeks love

LOS ANGELES -- There's an unwritten rule in celebrity journalism that you can trash a star all you want in print, but if you meet them in person, you have to play nice. So when Will Arnett asked me what I thought of his new project, "Running Wilde," I was supposed to reply with some vague praise, then quickly switch the discussion to the incredible hotness of his wife, Amy Poehler.

Instead, I told him the show sucked.

I'm not sure what prompted this honest, but rude response. Perhaps it was because we were chatting at a cocktail party, the clock was approaching midnight and I had consumed my allowance of piña coladas. It probably had more to do with the fact that I had super-duper expectations for "Wilde."

The sitcom, about a conceited billionaire who can have everything on Earth except the admiration of his childhood crush, was co-created by Arnett and his old bosses from "Arrested Development." Keri Russell, one of the sunniest entities in the galaxy, plays the tree-hugging love interest. Toss in the occasional visit from David Cross, another "AD" veteran, and you have a formula for success.

But math has no place in Hollywood. The fast-paced pilot, which finds Russell's character relocating from the jungle with her 12-year-old daughter, hinges entirely on the concept that an extreme environmentalist and an extreme dirtbag would have the hots for each other. It also lacks the outrageous, inventive humor of its companion piece, "Raising Hope," or of "Arrested Development," which showcased bits that people still talk about in the same way they talk about their trip to the Taj Mahal.

Cult status, and after

Arnett understands there's a downside to previously starring in such a cult favorite, which explains why he didn't sic a pack of publicists on me. He also understands that a lot of sitcoms don't immediately trigger laughing fits.

To their credit, Arnett and company went back and reshot at least half the pilot, recasting some characters, moving the location from Beverly Hills to Westchester, fine-tuning some dialogue. (For the record: The reshoots were the result of Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly's critique, not mine.) The result: a slightly more focused episode that still lacks punch.

That doesn't mean "Wilde" is doomed. Lots of classics, from "Happy Days" to "Everybody Loves Raymond," started off with flat pilots. It can take weeks -- sometimes an entire season -- before a show finds its rhythm and its heart. While dramas rely heavily on plot, sitcoms depend mostly on chemistry, and it can take a lot of tests before mixing the right formula.

Co-creator Mitch Hurwitz said the launch of "Wilde" was hampered by obstacles, including short windows for both shooting and editing. He's also trying to write in a slightly less snarky and sinister tone, his trademark throughout his lauded career. "It is kind of easier sometimes to write dislikable characters because they do funnier things," said Hurwitz, who won three Emmys while he was running "Arrested Development." "The next step for me is to try and go past that a little bit and have some courage about stepping into a new area."

Hurwitz and Arnett just hope they're given enough time to complete the journey -- and there are lots of reasons to cheer them on. A clip from an upcoming episode that Arnett showed on "The Late Show With David Letterman," featuring a cameo from Paul Shaffer, was hilarious.

"We're kind of out of our comfort zone," Arnett said. "We're trying to figure out what works as we go along."