Despite its Star, ‘The T.O. Show’ Is More For the Ladies

By Germain Lussier on July 21st, 2009

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For those who don’t know, Terrell Owens is one of the biggest names in professional sports. He’s a charismatic NFL wide receiver with Hall of Fame numbers and a legendary big mouth who inspires controversy everywhere he goes. He’s now also the star of “The T.O. Show” which premiered Monday night on VH1.

The promise of an insider look at the personal life of a legitimate NFL superstar is sure to pique the curiosity of legions of men in TV land, and, of course, that is why VH1 is airing the show. Plus, Owens provides much needed creditability. All of the other Celebreality shows currently airing on that station feature has been music personalities and never were rejects from previous shows. Owens, on the other hand, is not only still popular, but someone men will watch.

Unfortunately for them, the show is squarely aimed at making T.O. (Owens’ nickname for his over the top football persona) look kind of girlie.

The pilot episode begins with Owens losing his spot on the Dallas Cowboys. Immediately he calls in the other stars of the show, his publicity team Mo and Kita, to help right the ship. “The plan is working on the man, and that’s Terrell, not T.O” they say. So they suggest he move to Los Angeles, where they live, so they can keep an eye on him. He does.

And when he gets to Los Angeles what’s the first thing he does (after flirting with the real estate agent?) Spend $137,000 on diamond earrings. We also see him getting a pedicure, trying on shoes and more.

To be fair we see Owens talk a fair amount of football and hit on a ton of really beautiful women. So it’s not all girlie girl stuff. Plus it’s totally fun, in an “Entourage” type of way, to watch this millionaire drive around L.A. in a convertible Bentley and throw his money around. That’s just part of the show though. Most of this first episode was Owens being yelled at by his two friends.

Plus the show is not licensed by the NFL and is obviously just a huge publicity stunt, masterminded by show co-stars Mo and Kita, to make Owens into an even bigger superstar than he is. And you know what? It probably will. But at what cost?

Towards the end of the pilot episode, we see Owens squirm when he reunites with his ex-fiance Felisha. Granted, she might be – literally – one of the most beautiful woman in the world so we can’t blame T.O., but seeing this man, who so many of us respect on the gridiron, bare his emotional side is somewhat disconcerting. He’s playing with the respect he’s garnered from NFL fans in exchange for female fans who didn’t previously know Owens from Albert Pujols (a star baseball player). I sincerely doubt those new fans will turn on Buffalo Bills games come Fall because Owens’ publicists won’t be in the huddle. Though you can be sure he will be hearing about them from his opponents.

For now, in the doldrums of summer and with my football itch beginning to flare up, I’ll be watching either way. I just hope T.O. knows what’s in store.

(Photo By: Tammy Ferrufino)