The most-hyped product of the Winter games, “The Marriage Ref” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14) debuts in its regular spot after a post-Olympics sneak peak last Sunday.
I had rather low expectations for “Ref,” a show where celebrities offer quips and observations about the private peculiarities of perfect strangers. It’s funnier than I anticipated.
On Sunday’s helping, producer/creator Jerry Seinfeld joined actor Alec Baldwin, morning host Kelly Ripa and “Ref” host Tom Papa to evaluate grievances between a husband who wanted to live with a stuffed dead dog and a wife who did not. The trio of experts also evaluated a marital tiff over the introduction of a stripper pole into the master bedroom.
The odd squabbles made for some quick one-liners and amusing patter between the talent. But “Ref” eventually boils down to a combination of “Husbands Do the Darndest Things” and “The Newlywed Game.”
The oddest aspect of “Ref” is its position in prime-time and its one-hour length. The show has all the hallmarks of a successful half-hour syndicated series, something to air between “Wheel of Fortune” and “Access Hollywood.” It might also work as a recurring bit on a late night talkshow. Graham Norton’s BBC America show often features interactive bits similar to “Ref,” inspiring banter every bit as quick as the NBC show. But no one would ever dream of turning Norton’s silly fillers and spontaneity into 60 minutes of weekly programming. But this is NBC, not BBC.