Newest 'Witless' Mob Reality Show, 'In the Big House'

By Ed Scarpo



The New York Times reports:

 “The latest addition to the Mafia gabfest is In the Big House, a witless reality show that has its premiere tonight on Logo. It involves a family whose patriarch is Lou Verdi, who the show’s publicity material says ‘was involved in organized crime as part of the Bruno crime family’ in Philadelphia. He ran a bar that was a front for assorted illegal activities, we’re told, and has logged time in prison.

“On this show, though, he is logging time with his family: his former wife, Dotsie; their daughter, Michel, a hard-nosed businesswoman; and their gay son, Louis Jr. The gimmick, besides that everyone in the family tries to be comically unpleasant but fails, is that Big Lou is going to help Michel and her husband, Jay, run a gay bar.

“Between his gay son and the gay bar, the old mobster has a lot of gayness to process, which isn’t nearly as amusing as it’s supposed to be. The senior Mr. Verdi’s attempts at witty remarks about sexuality, his son and such aren’t very witty, and no one else in the family is any more adept at snappy repartee.

“But at least Big Lou isn’t holding forth about his crimes (in the premiere anyway).”

Read full article here: The New York Times 

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