Pet Lovers in Need of Dramedy Should 'Get a Clue'

The soft-boiled crime dramedy Get A Clue (Two Detectives. No Clue) features the moody and anger-management-challenged Jack Stone (Peter Berube), along with his pastel-colored, chipper, goody-two-shoes sidekick Lindy Langley (Jill Slattery), who together are out to solve their first case: the disappearance of ‘doggie superstar’ Captain Sparkles.

The puny pooch is beloved and favored by his owner, Mrs. Sparkles, at the expense of her son, Jeremiah, who feels forgotten.

Other characters dot the landscape of this whodunit, odd couple series – the gardener, the dog’s manager – to flummox our mystery-solving path.

The introduction of two pet detectives (animals that are actually law enforcement officials, not Jim Carrey types), rabbits Fluffkins and Cottontail of the LAPD Detective Unit, amps up the pet-centric novelty of the series, and begins to separate out more crime drama-leaning viewers in favor of the fanatical Buns and Chou Chou talking-pet set. The furry little guys don’t account for a substantial amount of the plot, but when they come onscreen in episode 3, it’s enough to rapidly drop a critic’s Hope Meter.

There is some intrigue in this project: Slattery’s Lindy is impressive as a wide-eyed, girl-next-door type. She also shows potential to offer a deeper character study if the series evolves past its 10 episode first season. There’s an impressively long camera shot (Lindy taking in the awkwardness of the situation at Mrs. Sparkles’ place) that for a sub-three minute episode is bold on the part of the filmmakers at Spontaneous Productions

Slattery and Berube are both credited as writers and executive producers on the series and are wise to take advantage of a YouTube world by putting together their own project while they do the audition circuit. But since they’re (presumably) calling the shots, there’s no reason they can’t lose the campy pet-quotient and really amp up the drama the next time around.

Check out the first season at GetAClue.tv.