For each television season, only a handful of scripts are ever given the go-ahead to be filmed and become pilots. Of those, only a scant few ever get aired on one of the major networks. For writer Mike Klein (David Duchovony, Trust the Man), his show “Wexler Chronicles” is one of those given the greenlight to be filmed. Whether it gets picked up for the season is still to be determined, but as long as everyone remains focused on crafting the best program possible he’s sure the chances of success are relatively high.

Things do not go smoothly, and Mike suddenly finds himself having to compromise his artistic vision at nearly every turn. From having to cast actor Zach Harper (Fran Kranz, The Village), whom he doesn’t like, in the lead role to being ordered to change a significant subplot about the death of one of the characters, the harder the writer works the more things seem to be spiraling out of control.

But that’s just how it goes in television sometimes. Executives Lenny (Sigourney Weaver, Alien) and energetic Brit newcomer Richard (Ioan Gruffudd, King Arthur) talk a good game about allowing their artists their creative freedom, but in the end the only thing that really matters is whether or not they can sell the thing to John Q Public. Throw in the fact stars Zach and Laurel Simon (Lindsay Sloane, The In-Laws) are at one another’s throats and that wife Natalie (Justine Bateman, a regular on Men in Trees) is on the verge of giving birth to the couple’s second child and Mike is nearly ready to go mad.

It goes without saying that writer-director Jake Kasdan (Zero Effect) knows the world of network television both inside and out. One of the minds behind the critically lauded yet criminally short-lived Freaks and Geeks, he’s had his share of boob-tube drama. With that in mind, his new independent comedy The TV Set should be far more inspired and revelatory than it actually is.

This Network-style wannabe needs to cackle with insider fury, simmer with poetic vitriol and shockingly humorous insight only someone with intimate knowledge of the real world specifics would have at their fingertips. Instead, this remarkably short (too short, actually, which is an extremely weird thing to complain about) satire just smoothly ambles along, entertaining enough as moves to its forgone conclusion just not so much so you’d actually take the time to remember anything about it afterwards.

Still, for what it’s worth there are more than a few delights to be found here, not the least of which is the cacklingly delicious exuberance and impersonal venom of Weaver. From Working Girl to Dave, Death and the Maiden to Heartbreakers, Tadpole to Holes she has always excelled at playing devilish women who use their ferocious wit and their steely resolve to get everything they feel is rightly coming to them. She’s masterful, the film coming alive with fiery tenacity every single time she’s onscreen.

As for the rest, there’s not that much to say. Duchovony is a good foil for all the madness, but his Mike isn’t exactly original. Both Franz and Sloane throw themselves completely into their madcap bickering, but both characters are so sketchily fleshed out I can’t say their dramatics meant a darn thing to me. Gruffudd has his moments, but a whole subplot revolving around his wife’s loneliness feels so forced and unfocused any dramatic potential there ends up being nothing more than an unfortunate missed opportunity.

The main problem is that this whole thing feels so slight and wispy it’s almost nonexistent. There isn’t a shock to where things are headed, and for anyone who’s ever seen Network, The Player or just about any semi-autobiographical picture from Truffaut most of this is very old hat. More so, it ends with such suddenness the effect is rather jarring, and as much as I wanted to feel for Mike and his creative injustices there just wasn’t enough depth for this to take place.

In all fairness, this film did make me laugh. Not a lot, mind you, but enough that I never felt bored sitting and watching it. More, thanks to the deliciousness of Weaver , some giddily silly support from Judy Greer (American Dreamz) and some endearing moments from Duchovony much of it even made me smile. While I can’t remotely say it’s worth a full season pickup, for all its flaws The TV Set still isn’t deserving of a quick cancellation.

Film Rating: êê1/2  (out of 4)