John from Cincinnati

What’s the Story?

Set in Southern California's Imperial Beach, this comedic drama follows three generations of the Yost surfing family. The eldest Yost, Mitch (Bruce Greenwood), runs a surf shop with his tense, bitter wife, Cissy (Rebecca DeMornay). His son, Butchie (Brian Van Holt), is a former surf star turned foul-mouthed junkie living out of a motel room. And the youngest Yost, Shaun (Grayson Fletcher), is an innocent surfing prodigy with a mystical gift trying to enjoy the waves without getting dragged down by family drama. Enter the titular John (Austin Nichols), a possible alien -- the E.T. kind, though, in a clever play on words, a character mistakes him for an illegal immigrant -- who's essentially a blank page. He arrives with two phrases: "The end is near" and "some things I know and some things I don't." John's arrival also marks the beginning of some mystical, magical occurrences -- like the random moments of levitation that Mitch experiences.

Is It Any Good?

JOHN FROM CINCINATTI feels like a disjointed downer with way too much profanity and drug use for even most teenagers. Perhaps John's growing vocabulary ("I'm gonna roll myself a fattie!") will eventually develop into something more meaningful than comic; his relationship with Shaun also has some potential for depth. Meanwhile, the stellar, quirky supporting cast (including Luis Guzman, Ed O'Neill, and Willie Garson) poises the show for greatness ... but with mostly awkward, bitter characters.