As we know, David Schwimmer is currently playing Robert Kardashian on FX’s The People v. O.J. Simpson. Ray Romano plays Zak Yankovich on HBO’s Vinyl, the head of promotions at a fictional record label in the early 1970s.
Each week while the shows overlap, we’ll compare (and maybe even contrast) each of these former sitcom titans’ performances so we can decide just who did a better job of making us forget about Ross Geller and Ray Barone. Let’s break down week 2:
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Schwimmer’s best line this week as Robert Kardashian:
“Faye has it all wrong: That’s not true, that’s not true… okay, that’s true.”
Runner up:
“Juice, this is your life.”
Romano’s best line this week as Zak Yankovich:
“It’s me, Daltrey, Keith Moon, and the manager. Townshend, he’s already at the arena doing the sound check. We get in the car and start heading out and Moon says, ‘Hey stop, stop. I forgot something.’ He runs back in the hotel. Five seconds later, a TV set comes crashing down to the pavement. He jumps back in the car. He says, ‘Well, Jesus, that was close. It nearly slipped my mind.’”
Winner: Schwimmer
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Schwimmer’s best moment this week as Robert Kardashian:
Reading through Faye Resnick’s tell-all book about Nicole Brown Simpson, picking out the parts that aren’t true and the parts that are true.
Romano’s best moment as Zak Yankovich:
Being karate chopped in the face by Bobby Cannavale’s Richie Finestra. The look of utter despair at the price-tag of his daughter’s bat mitzvah, shortly after loosing out on a deal that would have made him millions, comes in a close second.
Winner: Romano
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Best screenshot of David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian this week is the look of anger on his face as John Travolta’s Robert Shapiro suggests they take a plea deal:
Best screenshot of Ray Romano as Zak Yankovich this week is the moment Zak is karate chopped in the face by Bobby Cannavale’s Richie Finestra:
Winner: Romano
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Who won the week:
Poor Zak Yankovich, being karate chopped in the face and all. Romano had some better lines last week, but it was a lower than normal week for Schwimmer using the name “Juice” in a funny way. So this week Romano takes it, tying the season series at one week a piece.
Mike Ryan lives in New York City and has written for The Huffington Post, Wired, Vanity Fair and New York magazine. He is senior entertainment writer at Uproxx. You can contact him directly on Twitter.
