'Men of a Certain Age' review: Getting old and good

Men of a Certain Age: Comedy-drama. Second season premiere 10 p.m. Mon. on TNT.

Ernest Hemingway, who probably didn't watch a lot of TV, once advised Marlene Dietrich not to confuse movement with action. There is a big difference, but it's one that few TV series writers or creators seem to understand.

Two of the exceptions are Ray Romano and Mike Royce, the creators of TNT's sublimely captivating comedy-drama "Men of a Certain Age," which launches its anticipated second season Monday night.

The three guys who at the heart of the story are still trying to adjust to the shared reality that they are no longer young, can't do quite what they used to be able to do and have yet to achieve the things they used to think they had lots of time for.

The guys are all friends, forming a kind of unintended support group for each other, and meeting daily, a la the hormonally charged quartet in "Sex and the City," at a local diner - but with realistic conversation on a variety of topics, not just screen-written witticisms.

Romano plays Joe, the divorced father of two teenagers who runs a party supply store but has decided, perhaps quixotically, to rekindle his dreams of being a pro golfer by trying out for the senior tour.

Owen (Andre Braugher) is trying to find his own footing in life but can't get out from under the thumb of his father, who owns the Chevrolet dealership that Owen manages. And now the relative calm of the home he shares with his wife and three kids is threatened because Melissa (Lisa Gay Hamilton) wants to resume her career in magazine publishing.

Scott Bakula has perhaps the most challenging role because it's the one we're tempted to disbelieve from the get-go. He plays Terry, an aging actor, which sounds like something only Hollywood would think is relevant in a show like this. But Bakula pulls it off, thanks in large part to smart writing as much as his performance.

Yes, Terry may have the hardest time accepting the fact that he's not a kid anymore, but as he takes a job selling cars at Owen's dealership, it isn't with the predictable disappointment that he doesn't have a hit series at the moment: It's with a rather poignant determination to try to do a good job as a car salesman. He may try to squeeze in a quick romp with a convenient waitress before work, but he still plans to take his new job seriously, so much so that he leaves the waitress, um, prematurely to get to work.