Patrick Stewart is widely associated with Star Trek, the X-Men films and Shakespearean roles. But in the two-season comedy Blunt Talk, he played a very different character: Walter Blunt, a dissolute cable news anchor whose antics made the series a raunchy counterpoint to the actor’s best-known work.
Created by Jonathan Ames, Blunt Talk followed Walter’s personal and professional misadventures as he tried to revive his career and reclaim his place in the media world. The show satirized celebrity, news culture and grandiose public figures, while giving Stewart room to explore a broad comic style. Starz ordered 20 episodes across two seasons, but the series struggled to find an audience; its finale drew 134,000 viewers.
The premiere established the show’s deliberately outrageous tone. After driving under the influence and being arrested while with Gisele, a transgender sex worker played by Trace Lysette, Walter delivers a Shakespearean speech from atop his car. The episode’s frank approach to their encounter also gives it a gentler dimension: Walter treats Gisele with warmth and later remains concerned about her well-being. Lysette later recalled feeling safe working with Stewart.
Walter’s closest companion is Harry, his alcoholic manservant and former comrade, whom Walter saved during the Falklands War. Harry serves as his driver, cook and butler, and sometimes attacks him with wooden swords to keep his skills sharp. Their dysfunctional but affectionate relationship provides one of the show’s more tender threads.
The supporting cast adds to the series’ appeal, with performers including Brent Spiner, Richard Lewis, Jason Schwartzman and Stewart’s son Daniel. The newsroom ensemble also includes Jim, a producer with a secret hoarding habit, and Rosalie, Walter’s longtime producer. Characters who initially seem like caricatures gradually gain more depth, while the first season’s episodic stories give way to a more serialized second season.
Stewart took the role after Seth MacFarlane suggested he lead a half-hour comedy. He had previously worked with the American Dad team as Avery Bullock, a role he said had opened up new opportunities. Blunt Talk’s short run limited its audience, but its irreverent satire and unexpectedly human moments showcased a side of Stewart rarely seen in live-action comedy.
Sources: Comic Book Resources.