My thoughts on the new sitcoms

Got the chance to see a lot of the new comedies. I liked some but can’t honestly say any really knocked me out. And I was really hoping a few did. I have friends who work on some of these shows. And I love nothing more than watching a funny sitcom. It’s why I got into the business in the first place (well, that and getting fired eighteen times in radio).  I do understand that these were only the pilots and any of them could blossom over time into great shows (except DADS).

Anyway, a few first impressions:

MOM – For me the best of the bunch. Anna Faris and Allison Janey really click together. And I like the contrast between the bright cheerful multi-camera look of the show and how dark the subject matter is. Some great jokes and a promising start.

THE MICHEAL J. FOX SHOW – I like him and the show is intelligently written. But so far most of the humor has come from Parkinson’s Disease. How long can they play that card?

THE GOLDBERGS – I heard such good buzz and was really looking forward to this one. I love all the pop culture references, Jeff Garlin makes me laugh, and I guess it’s supposed to be WONDER YEARS in the ‘80s but for me it was AMOS & ANDY with Jews.

THE MILLERS – Margo Martindale is a goddess. Her work on JUSTIFIED was inspired. Her turn on THE AMERICANS was chilling. And here they have this wonderful actress doing fart jokes. Beau Bridges is doing masturbating in the shower jokes. And Will Arnett plays the same tired character he’s played in seven other shows. Will Arnett is not a draw. He’s the Ryan Reynolds of television.  Usually I love Greg Garcia comedies but this one was too low brow for me. 

DADS – Horrendous.

SUPER FUN NIGHT – The fact that ABC was afraid to show the pilot first tells you something, doesn’t it? Rebel Wilson is funny in everything she’s in… except this. This show seems incredibly impressed with itself and I know not why.

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY – Mike O’Malley, fresh from an amazing performance in JUSTIFIED, returns to sitcomland in another bland family comedy. Come on, Mike. You’re better than that. And so is Mary McCormick, who I adored in IN PLAIN SIGHT. Mild single-camera culture-clash premise that felt like a slapped together first draft before you go back and put all the jokes in it.

TROPHY WIFE – Malin Akerman as a poor man’s Jenny McCarthy. There was a scene in the pilot when she was supposed to be roaring drunk that I thought, “Wow. A real comic actress could make this scene sing.” It’s not enough to get a trophy wife, you have to get the right one.

BROOKLYN NINE-NINE – Good cast. Andy Samberg knows his way around a joke, and there are some laughs, but I’ve seen that wise-ass flippant anti-authority character is twenty other shows and it gets tiresome. I worry where the series is going. My hope is the other characters will emerge and Andy will fade into the background a little and ultimately they’ll all gel into a nice ensemble comedy.

THE CRAZY ONES – you know.

And the others I haven't seen so I can't comment.

However, I will say this – there was one show that really made me laugh. It’s a returning show. I watched their season premiere. I’ll tell you what it is tomorrow and I bet you can’t guess what it is. See you Tuesday.