The United States of Tara: Weirdest TV Concept This Year?

Posted on June 5, 2008

Toni Collette will star in Tara, a Stephen Speilberg produced show for the fall. The premise is pretty odd.

Showtime has ordered 12 episodes of The United States of Tara, an original series dreamed up by the Tinseltown titan about a wife and mother who struggles to find stability while suffering from dissociative identity disorder, more commonly referred to as multiple personality disorder. Juno's Oscar-winning scribe, Diablo Cody, is executive producing the half-hour single-camera comedy with tube vet Alexa Junge, who's also serving as show runner.
Tara stars Toni Collette in the title role, with Sex and the City's John Corbett as her husband, Max. They and their two teenage kids must deal with her numerous and volatile identities that may appear on any given day. "Showtime is known as the home of several shows featuring flawed main characters, and we welcome Tara-and all her alternate personalities-to the fold," Showtime's entertainment president Bob Greenblatt said in announcing the pickup.
"What a pleasure to watch Diablo Cody and Toni Collette work together, a combination of inspired writing and acting that raises this show from just a curiosity to a compelling examination of a modern family."

Severe mental illness: what could be funnier? Oh, wait. It's not funny at all. And even if it's not played for comedy, the promo photo seems to indicate they're going for laughs. Why didn't they make her just pretend to have all these personalities. That could be funny. And not so offensive. Perhaps the finished product won't be as awful as the pitch sounds.