TV Review - The Big Leap (2021)

If you've seen Glee (2009) and Smash (2012), then this series is working within that same vibe. Instead of singing as the principal activity, here it's dancing. Based on a British, documentary series called Big Ballet (2014), Liz Heldens has adapted it into a fictional narrative that isn't a mockumentary but is close enough to being one. Emmy-winner Jason Winer is a producer-director on this series. His Emmy is for Modern Family (2009), which was itself a mockumentary, so one can feel those influences here. Again, this series isn't exactly a mockumentary. It's about a camera crew making a documentary or a reality show. It's a TV show about the making of a TV show, which puts it in the same category as something like Reno 911! (2003), The Comeback (2005) and Unreal (2015).

Simone Recasner stars as Gabby Lewis, a young woman from Detroit who always aspired to be a dancer but her life got sidetracked when she got pregnant and had to raise her son. She thought she would become a dancer with her high school boyfriend who was also a dancer. She broke up with her boyfriend when she unexpectedly realized that her boyfriend was actually gay. She probably would have broken up with him anyway because the same night she realized her boyfriend was gay was the same night that she realized she was pregnant by another guy, another guy whose identity is initially unknown.

Raymond Cham Jr. plays Justin Reyes, the aforementioned boyfriend of Gabby who came out as gay. Seven years out of high school, his life hasn't gone the way he wanted. He's alienated from his family, particularly his father because he came out. He's now working at a bowling alley with no prospects to pursue his dream of dancing.

All that changes when it's announced that a TV show is putting on a production of Swan Lake, the ballet, but is doing so as a reality show where camera crews follow the participants from auditions through to the actual live performance. Gabby sees this and decides to audition for it. She also finds Justin and pulls him into the competition as well. The series then follows the two of them, as well as the other participants from auditions through to the actual live performance.

Scott Foley (Scandal and Felicity) co-stars as Nick Blackburn, the producer for the reality TV show. If this were Unreal, he would be the equivalent to Constance Zimmer's character. He knows that a reality show needs drama, even if it's manufactured drama, so what Nick does is basically manipulate the participants. He pushes their buttons in order to get them to react or reveal things intended for uncomfortable or even controversial situations. He wants big emotional reactions. He schemes and he can be underhanded in order to get them.

Nick's schemes might seem over-the-top and one scene is meant to be over-the-top and highly exaggerated as to how far Nick will go, which includes putting the lives of the participants in danger. The scene is of course exaggerated for comedic effect. It's the obvious joke for a kind of character like Nick. It's just not as funny. Given that Foley came from Scandal, which is a show that was known for its over-the-top schemes and plots, it feels as though Foley doesn't have to stretch any acting muscles here. Nick feels like he could be a twin version of Foley's character from Scandal. It's endemic of how these shows can be exploitative.

Mainly, there's going to be a lot of stuff about people like Gabby having to overcome the external forces, like prejudices and judgments, as well as internal forces like her own anxieties and hang-ups. Gabby is overweight and has to overcome stigmas or roadblocks both external and internal that might hold her back from becoming a dancer. People might have a preconceived notion of what a ballet dancer should look like and that notion might not be Gabby, but she's here to prove them wrong.

There's a bevy of other characters. I'm not sure that the show does that good of a job of making me care about them. Ser'Darius Blain (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) also co-stars as Reggie Sadler, a problematic football player. His character comes close but he's not quite there at the threshold. Teri Polo (The Fosters) also co-stars as Julia Perkins. Polo is giving a good performance, which is funny and engaging, but her character hasn't quite crossed the threshold either.

Rated TV-14.

Running Time: 1 hr.

Mondays at 9 PM on FOX.