'Tony Rock': A Poor Sub For Chris

Tony Rock is in the same line of work as his comedic elder brother, Chris, but the similarities end there. From the looks of "The Tony Rock Project," which debuts tonight on MyNetworkTV, Chris got the funny genes -- making Tony the Dom DiMaggio or Ashlee Simpson, perhaps even the Jim Belushi, of the Rock family.

The younger Rock seems bright and likable. He just doesn't have the timing, charisma, wit or material of his more famous family member. Which makes him the Charlie Murphy, the Solange Knowles or maybe the any-of-the-Baldwin-brothers-not-named-Alec of the Rock family.

(Oh, just a couple more, please: It makes him the Billy Ripken, the Zeppo Marx of the Rock family.)

Tony Rock's TV vehicle is a half-hour hodgepodge of undistinguished sketch comedy bits, "Punk'd"-style hidden-camera pranks and so-so short scripted pieces. One of the bits -- Rock is stopped and harassed by a police officer in a driving-while-black incident -- is even two mints in one: a scripted version of a "Punk'd"-like prank. The non-punch line ("Oh, this is 'Cops,' not 'Punk'd'!" says Rock, feigning surprise) is only amusing as an inside joke, and not so much even at that. ("Tony Rock" was co-created and produced by the co-creator and producer of "Cops.")

As innocuous as the material is, the show compounds the problem by promising to be dangerous. Rock's co-host, Whitney Cummings (why Rock needs a co-host is a mystery), offers by way of introduction, "This is a show that speaks to society, and it pokes fun at all of our isms: racism, sexism, ageism." Rock himself says later, "Here at 'The Tony Rock Project,' nobody's safe."

Well, great. But a follow-up question over here: When do you intend to start?

There's little danger in Rock's man-on-the-street interviews, and even less in a piece in which he tries out would-be characters at a professional wrestling school in Florida. A hidden-camera gag involving (for some reason) an unsuspecting Gary Coleman? Nope, no danger there, either.

The best segments on "The Tony Rock Project," in fact, might be those that don't involve Tony Rock. The one genuine laugh I got came from watching men and women in an apparently real focus group (more hidden-camera stuff here) react to an absurdly sexualized fast-food commercial.

The producers also unwisely included a series of interviews with several hard-bodied characters at Venice Beach in Los Angeles. Unwise because the interviewer, the one-named Luenell (the hapless hooker in "Borat"), comes off as far more authentic than Rock.

"Nobody's safe"? From this show? Maybe that's a gag, too. As it turns out, viewers aren't just safe -- they'll be sleeping soundly.

The Tony Rock Project (30 minutes) debuts at 8 tonight on Channel 20.