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| Left to right: Betsy Brandt and Michael J. Fox |
Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.
This past Thursday saw the return of two juggernauts to the TV world. The first one was Robin Williams on CBS' the Crazy Ones (Channel Surfing piece coming tomorrow) and Michael J. Fox on the Michael J. Fox Show. Both premiering at 9, they each held their own take on the sitcom in rapidly different ways. Where the Crazy Ones was a little unfocused and still felt like a Williams vehicle in need of retooling, the Michael J. Fox Show had more adversity to overcome. How do you exactly make a show based around someone with Parkinson's Disease and not make it seem hoaky?
It does help that Fox has been one of TV's favorite supporting characters and has never let his condition overpower him. He even made fun of it on Curb Your Enthusiasm and has been nominated for Emmys numerous times for his efforts. In a way, this show's triumph is simply in the gimmick of the uninspired show's name: Michael J. Fox. While he actually plays someone named Mike Henry (not to be mistaken for voice actor of the same name) who lost his job after getting the condition.
In fact, the show opens with a joke about Fox's inability to sit still. It's played for laughs, but it never feels self deprecating. The show acknowledges the struggle and makes several humorous observations about it, including the best being mistakenly dialing 9-11 instead of 9-17 for his medication. The jokes manage to have a bite to them not because they come from a mean-spirited place, but somewhere that acknowledges Fox's reality. He has to live with these conditions and yes, awkward things happen. It's better to laugh about them than to let them bear you down with misery.
It is still interesting how the show introduces the universe. Mike Henry is no longer an anchor for a news program largely because he feels his condition is an issue. However, he is a local celebrity and yes, people with relatives with Parkinson's stops him on the street. I admire that the show isn't veiling the disease and instead embraces it. Not all of the humor derives from his condition, but as far as most of the first episode goes, it makes sure that you are are aware of it. If this is only an introduction and that we move quickly past it being the show's main focus for jokes, there is a chance that this could be the sweet return of one of TV's most beloved actors.
The supporting cast is also fine. With his wife Annie (Breaking Bad's Besty Brandt) and their children, he seems like a father who is trying to just be a good father. While there are jabs at his condition and they do make fun of him as a person, this feels like a generic family that is trying to have personalities. There's nothing wrong with it and in fact, their only flaw is that in "Pilot," everyone is overshadowed by Fox, save for Juliette Goglia, who is introduced in a clever pseudo fashion of making a documentary of her father for a class project, but ends up making a puff piece.
The show can easily be described as wholesome. There isn't anything too shocking about it. At times, it does feel too safe, but manages to survive on the strengths of Fox. Even if the story was just establishing the universe by getting him his job back as a news anchor, it is hopefully setting up some meta commentary on the real life Fox. I am unsure where the job will go, especially as it was joked about that he can't sit still and thus will have trouble being adaptable to the camera, but there's a good chance that the show will work itself out and each character will become more and more realized.
One of the only major issues with the show is the tone. While it feels wholesome, the final act does feel a little too triumphant. In the vein of most family sitcoms, the ending is a celebration of overcoming a problem. This isn't the issue. The problem more lies in how the enthusiastic dinner that ends the show is placed on top of a score that wreaks of optimism and does it in an aggressive enough manner that it makes the moment feel over sentimental. This is a problem that could be fixed easily, as I felt that the performances themselves had enough power going for them.
It isn't necessarily a show with too many memorable moments outside of Parkinson's jokes, but as a pilot, it does feel like a promising start to the series. Unlike the Crazy Ones, which set up the premise but forgot to really establish the characters, I felt like the Michael J. Fox Show at least gave us a peek into this world and it is kind of endearing. Compared to the somewhat edgier shows (the New Normal) that NBC has put out, this may actually be one of their success stories simply because of the draw. Not only does it have a veteran performer, but it also features a show geared around someone with Parkinson's. I don't know that it works as a gimmick, but just as I feel that minorities could do with having their voice heard on mainstream TV, so does the disabled. Fox has definitely been an advocate of this triumph for most of his life, and while the jokes may seem a little rough after awhile, he plays it for what it is: his life.
I cannot claim to love the pilot, which is unfortunately the only episode of the two available that I had time to watch before writing this, but I do feel like the show can go somewhere. NBC has been in a rut trying to become an expert at ratings. Very few shows have succeeded, and they even have that vibe of ruining the Olympics by airing Animal Practice during the closing ceremony. They are not perfect, though I feel like now that they have juggernaut Michael J. Fox on their roster, that they would have to be pretty daft to drop the ball on that one.
In the long run, I don't think that this is the best new comedy (Brooklyn Nine-Nine is), but I have a feeling that due to its star power and lack of dedication to lead-in or gimmickery like shows on ABC or CBS, it will be the season's most successful. It is wholesome enough that it works as a show geared at families while also tackling something that can be perceived as inspirational. I am unsure if it will be around for many years, but I at least feel like it will be a hit with audiences in ways that most NBC shows haven't been outside of the cults built around Community and Parks and Recreation. There is argument that the Crazy Ones could steal its thunder, but I feel that in time, it will meet its reality.
The Michael J. Fox Show is one that I find to be harmless fun and worth checking out, notably if you like the titular actor. It may have a few too many Parkinson's jokes at times, but it is nice to see it done in a manner that is not meant to be mean-spirited. Also, the cast has potential to grow and do interesting things, especially as witnessed in "Pilot." I don't think that it will be the hard hitting comedy of the season, but I do think it will connect with an audience in ways that few NBC shows have, and that may be its lasting success.
The show can easily be described as wholesome. There isn't anything too shocking about it. At times, it does feel too safe, but manages to survive on the strengths of Fox. Even if the story was just establishing the universe by getting him his job back as a news anchor, it is hopefully setting up some meta commentary on the real life Fox. I am unsure where the job will go, especially as it was joked about that he can't sit still and thus will have trouble being adaptable to the camera, but there's a good chance that the show will work itself out and each character will become more and more realized.
One of the only major issues with the show is the tone. While it feels wholesome, the final act does feel a little too triumphant. In the vein of most family sitcoms, the ending is a celebration of overcoming a problem. This isn't the issue. The problem more lies in how the enthusiastic dinner that ends the show is placed on top of a score that wreaks of optimism and does it in an aggressive enough manner that it makes the moment feel over sentimental. This is a problem that could be fixed easily, as I felt that the performances themselves had enough power going for them.
It isn't necessarily a show with too many memorable moments outside of Parkinson's jokes, but as a pilot, it does feel like a promising start to the series. Unlike the Crazy Ones, which set up the premise but forgot to really establish the characters, I felt like the Michael J. Fox Show at least gave us a peek into this world and it is kind of endearing. Compared to the somewhat edgier shows (the New Normal) that NBC has put out, this may actually be one of their success stories simply because of the draw. Not only does it have a veteran performer, but it also features a show geared around someone with Parkinson's. I don't know that it works as a gimmick, but just as I feel that minorities could do with having their voice heard on mainstream TV, so does the disabled. Fox has definitely been an advocate of this triumph for most of his life, and while the jokes may seem a little rough after awhile, he plays it for what it is: his life.
I cannot claim to love the pilot, which is unfortunately the only episode of the two available that I had time to watch before writing this, but I do feel like the show can go somewhere. NBC has been in a rut trying to become an expert at ratings. Very few shows have succeeded, and they even have that vibe of ruining the Olympics by airing Animal Practice during the closing ceremony. They are not perfect, though I feel like now that they have juggernaut Michael J. Fox on their roster, that they would have to be pretty daft to drop the ball on that one.
In the long run, I don't think that this is the best new comedy (Brooklyn Nine-Nine is), but I have a feeling that due to its star power and lack of dedication to lead-in or gimmickery like shows on ABC or CBS, it will be the season's most successful. It is wholesome enough that it works as a show geared at families while also tackling something that can be perceived as inspirational. I am unsure if it will be around for many years, but I at least feel like it will be a hit with audiences in ways that most NBC shows haven't been outside of the cults built around Community and Parks and Recreation. There is argument that the Crazy Ones could steal its thunder, but I feel that in time, it will meet its reality.
The Michael J. Fox Show is one that I find to be harmless fun and worth checking out, notably if you like the titular actor. It may have a few too many Parkinson's jokes at times, but it is nice to see it done in a manner that is not meant to be mean-spirited. Also, the cast has potential to grow and do interesting things, especially as witnessed in "Pilot." I don't think that it will be the hard hitting comedy of the season, but I do think it will connect with an audience in ways that few NBC shows have, and that may be its lasting success.
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