Man’s best friend could very well have some explaining to do if the new FX comedy “Wilfred,” which debuts Thursday night at 10 p.m., wants to accurately capture the mindset and motivations of our four-legged “pal.”
Considering all that humankind has done for the dog, it is frightening to see the lengths in which our pets will go to bite us back.
Originally making his presence known to Australian audiences back in 2002 through a short film barring the same name, “Wilfred” went on to air in two seasons on the SBS network in Australia, starting in 2007. The FX rendition of “Wilfred” looks to introduce US audiences too much of the same awkwardness and hilarity that garnered so much acclaim among Australian audiences.
In what can only be described as a black comedy, “Wilfred” is the story about Ryan (Elijah Wood), a troubled young man trying to make sense of everything, who, upon developing an adorable little crush on his next door neighbor Jenna (Fiona Gubelmann) meets the mangy mutt she loves more than anything – and anyone, Wilfred (Jason Gann).
Given Ryan’s delicate mental and emotional state however, where others see only a dog, Ryan sees a full-grown man in a dog’s costume – cussing, drinking and smoking anything he can get his “paws” on. In an interesting departure from most “Púca” themed storylines, Wilfred seems less preoccupied with helping Ryan, as opposed to creating more trouble for him.
In 1950, the film “Harvey” has a 6’3’’ invisible rabbit help Jimmy Stewart get through his droll day-to-day life. Even the “Púca” appearing in the 2001 film “Donnie Darko” helped the young and troubled teen (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) get through life – sort of.
Where these have all been rabbit manifestations of the “Púca,” the dog is one of its many forms too. Regardless of the inspiration for “Wilfred,” apparently arising out of an inside joke between Gann and Elijah Woods’ predecessor (and fellow co-creator) Adam Zwar, the similarities to this character from Celtic folklore seem almost direct – though arguably by accident.
The show itself is a nice departure from most. Relying less on conventional story lines and conventional solutions, Wilfred insists on teaching Ryan to “let go” of everything and to just “play ball” with him instead. All the while, mind you, Wilfred is busy framing Ryan for a burglary, as well as thwarting Ryan’s every attempt to woo Jenna.
As the cliché of scenarios runs out on a human interacting with a man-dog in a society that only sees “a dog,” it will be interesting to see where the show goes as a result. At the end of the pilot episode, Ryan asks Wilfred just that, “What’s going to happen next?” To wit the pooch responds, “I don’t know.”
Reach the reporter at jbfortne@asu.edu
