Three new comedy shows, none of them very good, but one of them is almost good, so that’s something…[Also, what’s up with longer names for comedy series? Who wants to say “Sean Saves the World” every time they’re talking about a show they just watched?]
Sean Saves the World…A gay man has to raise a daughter on his own, hyuk yuk yuk. It’s telling just exactly how quick Hollywood can burn through a cutting edge idea. What seemed fairly fresh on Modern Family now feels played out after The New Normal, and seems exhausted now that a painfully old-fashioned family comedy (complete with laugh track) is using it. Sean Hayes is a talented performer, but I wish he’d picked a better vehicle for his return to TV. Grade: D+ [And I really don’t see it getting any better.]
We’re the Millers…Another would-be edgy show that gets buried under stale jokes and a tired set-up (once again, a laugh track). What makes it even worse is that wastes such an excellent cast. Will Arnett is forced to sand down his quirky narcissism to play it broad for the mainstream (didn’t work on Up All Night, won’t work here), and Justified’s great Margo Martindale had to leave her slyly groundbreaking role as a deceptively grandma-esque spy on The Americans to work here…where the scripts ask her to embarrass herself in various ways. Cancel this so the cast can move on to better things. Grade: D
Super Fun Night…The show was advertised as three dorky, shut-in friends who want to start going out and tearing up the town. The pilot was almost entirely about the lead character’s flirtations with her “hot” British boss, and rivalry with the token skinny girl nemesis. The few genuine interactions between lead Rebel Wilson and her Asian best friend (I could look up her name…maybe next time) are the best thing in the pilot. Not sure this can really deliver on a week to week basis, but hopefully it finds its footing soon. Grade: B-