TVSquad

Trust Me is one of those shows that will probably not make it -- the ratings have been careening -- but I'm still watching it. I'm not sure why. It's not a great show, but I do like Tom Cavanagh and Eric McCormack. They're good together, even though the show around them seems to lurch from story to story without much cohesion.

I think the problem is that unlike a legal, medical or cop show, it's hard to dramatize the creative process. How do you show two ad men, an art director (now creative director) and a copywriter, come up with amazing commercials, billboards, ads, etc.?

Mad Men has been pretty good at finding ways to link Don's thoughts with his creative output. The old Dick Van Dyke Show cleverly depicted the writers in brainstorming sessions in which Rob would act out the sketch for Alan Brady.

So far on Trust Me, the creation part hasn't really worked. The Arc Mobile commercial that was supposed to be hilarious...wasn't. However, last night's show finally succeeded. Ironically, the product they were selling was a real one and the pretend commercial -- actually a radio spot -- was for Bertolli. You know, those frozen lasagna dinners that make any home cook look like a chef?

Conner wrote the radio spot and then proceeded to read it with a broad Italian accent for Mason, thus showing him how deftly he handled the assignment. In doing so, Cavanagh presented the best Bertolli commercial of the night; better than the actual commercial that aired later in the show. It was the high point of the series to date, I think.

That qualifies as product placement to me, and perhaps the best I've seen in a while. And Bertolli cashed in by getting a double dose of promotion.