TV

Online Series Home at Last Mixes Homelessness and Hospitality

William Russ plays a homeless man calling upon an alleged long lost son in this debacuherous online comedy

By Will Harris /

You can find Home at Last at www.homeatlastshow.com

A trio of roommates shack up with a transient in the politically incorrect web comedy Home at Last

In a world where lesser TV stars of the 1980s and ’90s are increasingly forced to turn to reality television to pull a steady paycheque, it’s nice to see that some actors are still trying to stick with the craft that originally brought them fame.

You may not be able to produce William Russ’s name on demand, but if you came of age in the ’90s, there’s a good chance that his first appearance on the web series Home at Last will cause you to shout, “Holy crap, that’s Cory’s dad!”

That’s right: Russ played father to Ben Savage on the long-running ABC sitcom Boy Meets World. It is therefore likely not a coincidence that Home at Last finds him playing a father once again . . . or does it?

Russ plays Bob, a disheveled gentleman in the midst of residential and occupational deprivation (it’s still politically incorrect to call someone a homeless bum, right?) who turns up on Mike’s doorstep, claiming to be his long-lost father.

Mike (Mike Bash), being a naïve but lovable sort, takes Bob at his word and invites him to live there, a development that doesn’t exactly enthuse Mike’s roommate, Kim (Lira Kellerman). Their buddy Pete (Eric Rubin), on the other hand, is thrilled, as it provides him with the opportunity to tease Mike mercilessly about having a hobo for a dad.

As concepts go, Home at Last is a pretty silly one (“Sure, he’s a bum . . . but he’s my dad!”), but Russ has a ball, variously playing Bob as depressed, lecherous and downright psychotic. In addition to trying to build a relationship with Mike, Bob also tries to develop one with Kim (wink, wink), which proves creepily hilarious, and the six-episode season ends with Bob’s parentage being brought into question.

A bum who lies to get free food and shelter? Inconceivable!

Originally published in TVW. For daily programming updates and on-screen Entertainment news, subscribe to the free TVW e-newsletters, or purchase a subscription to the weekly magazine.