It's Like, You Know...

By Joel Stein

There isn't much left to pick over when making fun of Los Angeles, but Peter Mehlman, a former co-executive producer at Seinfeld, goes deep enough into the vapidity of the Left Coast to make the subject fresh again. A magazine writer who moved from New York City to L.A. to write for television, Mehlman has created a show about a magazine writer who moves from New York to L.A. to write a book. And, though he can check out any time he likes, he never leaves.

It's Like, You Know... (Wednesday, 8:30 p.m. E.T., ABC) digs into the quirks of L.A.: the obsession with celebrities' cars, the predominance of Harvard grads in the TV-writing business, the fascination with live police-car chases. Chris Eigeman (the cocky guy in Whit Stillman films) underplays the New Yorker perfectly, avoiding the overly neurotic. And in what may be the bravest turn ever, Jennifer Grey plays herself, with lots of jokes about her nose job, past boyfriends and desperate desire to be recognized.

Though the pacing is entirely different from Seinfeld's (and not quite right yet), It's Like, You Know... does rely on the same banter and wordplay, and it does it almost as well. Eventually, this series may resort to making earthquake jokes and doing bits about the smog, but until then, it is a very smart, knowing take on Los Angeles.

--J.S.