The premieres keep rollin’, and I keep critiquing.
Now that’s we’ve crossed over into November, winter is coming Game of Thrones-style (hopefully with less savagery) and most of the fall’s big broadcast TV debuts are in the 2018 pop culture history books.
My DVR has been getting a workout trying to keep up with the final onslaught, and mini-binges have given me plenty to ruminate on beyond premiere buzz as these shows find their footing and creative voices—to varying degrees of success, natch. As you can imagine, I have plenty to share on the excellent, the kinda good and the get-the-eff-outta-here bad of the pack.
And with that, here’s the second of my two breakdowns on what’s worth and a waste of your valuable TV time, respectively, because when it comes to not-so-great entertainment, well—ain’t nobody got time for that.
*****
WORTH THE WATCH
The Conners (ABC): Full disclosure: Despite it’s star’s proclivity for being a human garbage can (was anyone, including ABC, actually surprised?), I really dug last year’s Roseanne reboot. But throw the last shovel of dirt on its celluloid grave, because The Conners is even better. Smartly leveraging (but not leaning on) the emotionally rich arc of a major familial loss, the series has reinvented itself without missing a beat, thanks to grounded and genuinely funny writing delivered by an expert ensemble led by John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and Sara Gilbert. As socially conscious and politically incorrect as ever, The Conners gives voice to the middle class experience in America that I see so much of my own upbringing in: a family unit anchored by love as they do their best to keep pace with a world that increasingly spins towards favoring those with much more. Facing hard topics head-on—the opioid crisis, alcoholism, unemployment, single parenting, gender identity—it finds gallows humor in the everyday experiences that are, to some degree, on all of our doorsteps, providing laughs that double as a therapeutic release. If nothing else, check out the premiere episode, “Keep On Truckin’”—hands down one of the best episodes of any comedy series this year.
I Feel Bad (NBC): A truly pleasant surprise, this show has taken a few episodes to find its footing, but it’s come into its own as a fun and breezy way to spend 22 minutes. Led by the excellent Sarayu Rao—who perfectly embodies the mania and magic of modern motherhood—I Feel Bad offers an underrepresented look at the life of an Indian-American family (spoiler alert: they’re just like everyone else!), gleaning genuine humor from the cultural point/counterpoint of first-generation immigrants and their American-born daughter. The writing dances around the edges of pat stereotypes to organically debunk them, giving way to a fresh representation of a marriage between best friends who are equals (Paul Adelstein as the husband continues to be one of TV’s most reliable players), kids who belie perfection with borderline oddity and that relatable running-with-scissors feeling of just trying to get through the day without it all veering off course. There’s still some work to be done by the writers on finding the larger narrative purpose of showing Emet’s office life (aside from being good for a few kooky chuckles), but it’s a quirk in an otherwise solid new series.
GOOD FOR A RANDOM RAINY DAY
Murphy Brown (CBS): I was so pumped for this revival—not only because I loved the original, but I can’t think of a better time to bring back that formidable, no bullsh*t POV only Murphy can deliver. That said, I’ve been a little bummed at what a mixed bag this has been, though it’s shown increasing promise as more episodes roll out. Candice Bergen hasn’t missed a beat getting back into Murphy’s anchor chair, and the rest of the returning cast is slowly starting to get back into the groove (although Faith Ford: we need to talk, gurl). That said, the writing really is the thing on this one: smart, sharp, utterly relevant and timely, creator Diane English is still tackling the hard topics like a linebacker with a laptop and not missing a beat. Whether the MeToo movement, xenophobia, racism, sexism, fake news or the ever-inflamed battle of political ideologies, the show is constructed with thoughtful care, reflecting the complexities of the issues with comedy that resonates because (in most cases) it isn’t trying too hard to identify who’s good and who’s bad. A major highlight so far: the brief return of Charles Kimbrough as Jim Dial in a hilariously unforgettable cameo that reminded me how much his presence is missed this go-round.
The Alec Baldwin Show (ABC): Generally speaking, I’ve always been a big fan of Baldwin and his direct style. But a natural interviewer he is not. That said, when he gets in the seat across from old Hollywood pals—Robert DeNiro, Ricky Gervais and Jeff Bridges, to name a few—the insider chat is a pop culture lover’s dream. It’s when he’s engaging with the likes of Taraji P. Henson and Kim Kardashian, whose numbers he clearly doesn’t have in his phone, that things tends to swerve and slide all over the place. Either way, the show is a cozy, low-key hour of talking heads that’s expertly produced—the simple set, tone-setting music and iconic illustrated conversation snapshots nail the world they’re trying to create—making it a good, go-to stand-by.
AVOID, RUN, DELETE!
The Kids Are Alright (ABC): Based on the commercials alone—and there were a lot of them, given the show’s late-season debut—I had Modern Family/The Goldbergs-level hopes for The Kids Are Alright and it’s depiction of a typical ‘70s family brood. Despite winning-yet-one-note comedic performances from reliable leads Mary McCormack and Michael Cudlitz, though, the pilot just didn’t hook me. Maybe there were too many kid characters to truly care about any of them; perhaps the lead child-cum-narrator just didn’t impress me; or maybe there’s just literally too much happening with such a mass scramble of characters within the space of a half-hour that they’re only able to skim the surface of what’s possible from a storytelling perspective. In any case, I couldn’t bring myself to watch a minute of this beyond the initial episode. An interesting concept not executed up to par.
Happy Together (CBS): You know, at first I thought, ‘Damon Wayans, Jr. has been funny on other shows, so let me give this looks-so-bad-my-eye-are-rolling new show a shot.’ This, folks, is a lesson in both trusting and questioning your instincts: it turned out that I was right about the quality of this sitcom on the face of it, but I was wrong about Wayans, who has elevated great comedy writing before but has shown that he’s lacking in all skill when handed a bad script. In a grating, trying-too-hard performance that matches the show’s ridiculous premise, the only redeeming part of Happy Together is the lead female character’s zany parents—whose five-minute appearance does not must-see TV make. If you’re down for a laugh track sitcom of the worst kind, this is the one for you.