The TV Set

The TV Set is a funny, cynical look at the soul-sucking TV industry starring Sigourney Weaver, David Duchovny, Justine Bateman, and Philip Baker Hall. Sporting a beard and playing the Everyman, Duchovny, as Mike, is trying to get his pilot made-and hopefully picked up to become a hit primetime show called “The Wexler Chronicles.” He's up against the formidable Lenny, the flame-haired network president played by Weaver, and all her sycophantic yes men. For intelligence and sanity, he turns to his wife, Natalie, played by Bateman. Mike doesn't like the scenery-chewing lead actor, and resents having his story ripped to shreds. But compromise is the way to go, even if the result is something silly created by committee. Written and directed by Jake Kasdan, one of the masterminds behind TV's “Freaks and Geeks,” TV SET's script is full of insider jokes and subplots meant to underline the point. But beneath the jokes is a heartfelt message about our cultural output, and why we tolerate it. –A.S.