'Too Close to Home' Review: Is Tyler Perry's New Drama Worth Watching?

TLC today premiered a new drama called Too Close to Home about a woman who becomes romantically involved with a famous politician.

It's an interesting departure for a network mostly known for reality shows about pregnant women, little people, religious fanatics, or some combination of those...

But is Too Close to Home worth a watch?

What is Too Close to Home?

Too Close to Home follows Anna, a poor young woman who has managed to build up a life as an intern in the fast paced world of Washington, D.C. She has convinced everyone that she is the daughter of a rich, worldly family that has it all. But she isn't.

The show switches locations between D.C. and Anna's hometown in Alabama, where her sister is trying to make ends meet and take care of familial responsibilities without her.

We quickly come to the realization that Anna is having an affair with the president. The president's wife comes to that realization as well when things go awry and the president has a heart attack.

Anna's friends desert her and she's left to deal with the first lady, who threatens to have her face federal charges for the "attempted assassination of the president." The first lady then gives Anna an abortion pill, takes all of her possessions, and says she's going to out Anna and the president.

After having all of her stuff taken, Anna is left alone in the city with nothing, and nowhere to go.

Meanwhile, "Too Close to Home" in Alabama, Anna's family is a mess, and nothing is getting better.

One of Anna's sisters is on heroin and steals a truck, the other is broke, and everyone seems to be hooking up with everyone else.

Anna ends up meeting a guy at a bar and going home with him; she sleeps on his couch, and in the morning he sees her picture on TV and rats her out to reporters.

Is Too Close to Home Worth a Watch?

We started out with pretty low expectations of Too Close to Home. And things didn't get much better as we watched.

We did like the parts that took place in the White House, and the confrontation between the Anna and the first lady, played by Heather Locklear, was a high point in the show.

Other than that, however, we found Too Close to Home to be rather boring and derivative. The entire backwoods Alabama story seemed done to death, and none of the characters were particularly engaging or interesting.

Toward the end, it felt like the writers took every single "trailer trash" cliche, threw them into a blender, and made the result into a script.

From the previews, it appears that Too Close to Home will continue to have a D.C. storyline in the show, but it's unclear how much of the show will focus on D.C. and how much will focus on Anna's Alabama home.

We're going to give Too Close to Home one more episode and hope it grows on us, but as of now, we think Tyler Perry may be better off sticking to Madea sequels.

Logo courtesy: TLC

Wanna read more on this? Check these out: 'Too Close To Home' Finale Leaves Major Questions; What Will Season 3 Reveal? (more); 'Too Close To Home' Season 2 Episode 8: A Shocking Finale Leaves Serious Questions (more); TLC 'Too Close To Home' Season Finale: What To Expect...

(more); 'Too Close To Home' TLC Season 2 Episode 7 Recap: Mercury (more).

And here are some more related articles: 'Too Close To Home' Season 2 Episode 6 Recap: A Game of Chess (more); 'Too Close To Home' Season 2 Episode 5: What Did Valerie Do With The President? (more); 'Too Close To Home' Season 2 Episode 2 Recap: A Family Affair (more).

A few more: 'Too Close To Home' Season 2 Episode 1: The Mysterious Man (more); 'Too Close To Home' Season 2 Spoilers: What Happens This Season? (more).