LRF NOW Original Series: See You at the Track! - Season 1 Episode 1

 

See You at the Track!
Genre: Comedy/Mystery/Mockumentary
Executive Producer: Eugene Levy
Writer: Mo Buck

Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
Cast:
Catherine O'Hara .... Sylvia (Regular)
Eric Stonestreet .... Buddy (Regular)
Maude Apatow .... Julie (Regular)
Randy Havens .... Timothy (Regular)
Crispin Glover .... Judge Ross (Regular)
Eugene Levy .... Donald the Narrator (voice) (Regular)
Martin Sheen .... Marty (Guest)

Plot: An off-camera voice, Donald, (Eugene Levy) asks the preppy Julie (Maude Apatow) why she chose to enter the ruthless world of greyhound racing and she says that she’s trying to break the barrier by becoming the first female champion. He then interviews Timothy (Randy Havens), who’s really nervous to be in front of the camera and asks the same question. Timothy answers that he enjoys everything about it, but mostly it’s because his dog enjoys it so much. He asks the same question to Buddy (Eric Stonestreet) who says it’s just for fun! He then interviews Sylvia (Catherine O’Hara). She takes the time to fix her hair and with a pompous attitude, says she inherited her deceased-husband greyhounds and was about to sell them until she heard about the documentary. She then asks him how many people will watch the documentary. She says she hopes it’s a lot and poses for the camera. Donald then gets nervous when introducing the champion for the last 20 years, Marty (Martin Sheen). Donald says he’s a GRL (Greyhound Racing League) superfan and he was nervous to meet him, he barely slept last night, his son even gave him some weird looking pills to calm him down, but that didn’t really work. Marty answers the question by describing with passion the love of his life that is greyhound racing. It consumed his life, he never married and never had kids. It allowed him to travel all around the country and meet all sorts of interesting characters. He says you can’t find the thrill and the excitement of a close race finish anywhere else in the world. Ever since he got busted for cocaine possession, that’s how he gets his high and he bursts out laughing. Donald says it’s a dream come true for him, his voice shaking from the emotion. Marty says it’s no big deal he’s just a 31-time GRL champion and winks at the camera. Before he takes off his microphone he tells Donald: See you at the track! Donald is overwhelmed by the emotion and knocks the camera down.

The following day, Donald welcomes us to the pre-season practice and he says there’s probably a record crowd at the track today, showing us about 50-odd people in the stands. He focuses the camera on Judge Ross (Crispin Glover) and asks him for an interview, but he rolls his eyes and declines. Timothy, Buddy and Julie are already here. Buddy’s dog is running on the track and he encourages it. The crowd cheers a little and Buddy says the crowd’s energy gives him the chills. Timothy struggles to get his dog in the starting block and he growls, which frightens him. Julie’s dog is stubborn and doesn’t listen to her at all. Amongst this chaos, Sylvia arrives in a limousine. She has a fur coat even it’s scorching hot outside and tells Donald to look at all her fans acclaiming her, but there’s no one cheering. She asks Timothy to help her with her stuff and he obliges, leaving his dog alone to start a fight with Buddy’s, who struggles to break it up. Julie comes up to Sylvia to talk to her, but Sylvia shushes her down, because she’s the only queen around here. They all do a practice run, except for Marty’s dog, who’s still waiting for his owner. They were about to do another practice start when a woman is heard screaming. Donald runs with his camera and finds Marty dead in his RV and screams at the top of his lungs to call an ambulance.

"It's these types of shows that is why you keep your subscription. in case you weren't there to talk about a binge-showing show, you gleefully enjoy it in one sitting and talk about it for days, maybe even months later after the fact. Great Cast, great direction, and great writing of characters you give a damn to watch if they're bad or not..." - Topher Maxwell, Entertainment Weekly

"Trivializing the cruel world of dog racing in a mockumentary fashion is just not a funny concept for a comedy series. It appears to have been made by people who don't understand the inhumane realities of the greyhound racing world. Even though there is some decent writing in this pilot episode, it's not strong enough to make up for its flawed premise." - Joseph Goodrich, Salt Lake Tribune

"I don't like the idea of a jokey sitcom surrounding such a cruel (and mostly illegal at this point) practice such as dog racing. That said, I'd be lying if I said there weren't any funny moments in the first episode. So I would say that so far the characters and writing is funny, but the set-up and setting are not. I hope things stick with the characters more going forward and drift away from the track because that's where it works best." - Justin Rodriguez, Detroit Free Press