Channel Surfing: Mom - "Pilot"

Left to right: Allison Janney and Anna Faris

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.

After some traumatic debuts last week, notably that of Fox's highly lambasted Dads, it seemed like the Fall TV Season was getting off to a rough start. While shows like Masters of Sex and Brooklyn Nine-Nine are proving to be some of the more promising fodder out there, I haven't seen enough of the other channels to really argue whether or not we're looking towards a great season of Freshman shows. This week, with the launch of many, many shows, I will attempt to cover as many of interest as I can, but due to a packed schedule, do know that some will not be covered and others delayed. Also, I am still on the fence if I should even give Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. a shot.

However, I have always had a problem with CBS shows, including the work of creator Chuck Lorre. He is the golden boy for the network, who has brought us Two and a Half Men and the slightly more successful The Big Bang Theory. His premises feel like throwbacks to when sitcoms with laugh tracks and three camera techniques were important. I suppose that is why he succeeds and formulated the general model for CBS' retro feel in general. Still, with CBS trying to be offensive by updating the retro concept with uninspired attempts at being shocking, I have preliminary cautions whenever I invest in a show on the channel. Last time I did, 2 Broke Girls never grew out of its racist, gross, and poorly written rut. 

For a show that I know nothing about, it does start off on a bizarre note. Christy (Anna Faris) is a waitress who is introduced to us crying through many orders. With set-up, the performance could have had comedic impact. Instead, we just get two minutes of her dealing with customers while crying. Already I am worried by the representation of Christy as a responsible character that she isn't even placed in a reasonable work environment. It is only made more baffling when the show reveals that this whole fit was because she was called a "good waitress" by a customer. Somehow, this remark is something she doesn't take lightly.

Right off the bat, I am not understanding why Christy is this great character worthy of making a show out of. The restaraunt atmosphere, however, does feature a lot of potential for funny characters. There is the head chef (French Stewart), whose droll presence makes everything he says turn from morbid into off kilter and funny. Still, when the show introduces us to Christy's home life, it is through her driving up listening to a self-help tape (voiced by Nick Bakay of Sabrina the Teenage Witch). This is where things begin to get screwy.

In all honesty, the first episode of Mom is rather solid. I believe that it sets up the universe well enough that even if its shock humor gets a little crude at times, I feel like there's still characters at the heart of the piece that can grow. The relationship between Christy and her promiscuous daughter Violet (Sadie Calvano) it typical disconnect that is probably going to get old. Violet's big twist for the episode was a potential pregnancy, which isn't all that interesting. However, meeting Christy's equally screwy mother Bonnie (Allison Janney) at an alcoholics anonymous meeting was sort of inspired and clever.

All of this would be fine if I didn't feel like the show was trying to convince you that it was funny. It actually is clever and interesting. While these characters are dysfunctional, I feel that there's reverence and dignity in them that over time, they can grow to something more. However, the reason that the show irks me the wrong way is largely because of the reason that most CBS shows are in some ways built to be oppressive: the laugh track. I know that these shows are supposedly recorded before a live studio audience, but I have trouble understanding why the laughter played when it did. Most notably is going back to the self-help tape. It didn't say anything offbeat, but still there was a hearty presence of laughter. It took me out of the moment and just made me ask "Why is this funny?"

This isn't to say that Mom doesn't have potential. It may be a little on the shocking side, but it is best to compare it to Dads. Where that show got away with just being blatantly vulgar, Mom at least feels like the jokes are rooted into character's past mistakes. They crack jokes about doing cocaine and selling meth, but it never feels too aggressive largely because these characters have a certain respect for each other. True, they are hostile enough that it isn't much respect, but after all is said and done, there's dignity.

I would love for the work place environment to continue to evolve. I feel like while the Christy introduction was a little sloppy, it got better. I feel like even if the universe isn't strong, it understands what it is going for. It is just a matter now of keeping the moments from feeling too jarring. When Christy accidentally shows up to her son's (Blake Garrett Rosenthal) school on the wrong day for a play, she confronts the kid. This moment itself is cute and funny. However, as she walks out and begins cursing, the show rears a side that I feel it needs to work on. Simply being offensive doesn't make comedy. This show manages to walk a decent line so far of what makes it edgy while still being somewhat wholesome.

The chemistry between Faris, Janney, and Calvano all has potential. Right now, they are all dysfunctional women who have their own problems. From sex to alcohol, this show is probably going to turn into a moral of the week type show if it wants to play it safe. Either that, or the choice to end the show with a jab at pregnancy is the show's attempt at being offensive, which is a weak narrative and only going to sink the show faster.

Left to right: Spencer Daniels, Matt Jones, and Faris

As I will probably point out in all Channel Surfing columns, a big draw for me giving this a shot, beyond Faris, who has been quite the comedic actress in movies, is the presence of Matt Jones from Breaking Bad. Playing Christy's husband Baxter, who raises their son on a diet of video games that involve beating up hookers, he is the most stereotypical character on the show. He is deadbeat and sort of pathetic in that regards. He still works in the small dose that he is provided here and Jones is unable to shake off the former image of meth addict Badger (even the name seems reminiscent, and the fact that he lives in a van is even more suspicious as well as the reference to making meth). 

Still, I feel like if this show will have one problem, it is the subversion factor. The males in the piece are one dimensional at this point. We see one (Spencer Daniels) with his shirt off the entire time and being somewhat of a dimwit, while Baxter is clueless to success. This feels like a way to boost the appeal of Christy in her quest to become a responsible woman. I am not entirely sure if this is a lucrative choice character-wise, but there is nothing too offensive regarding the stereotypes yet.

I don't think that Mom is the breakout hit of the Fall (still Brooklyn Nine-Nine), but I think it has potential to be one of the more entertaining shows on the basic channels. I still believe that CBS needs to stop with those annoying laugh tracks, but otherwise, I can't fault the episode too much. This universe feels restrictive enough that it won't go off the wall like Dads, but I feel like it will get into taboo subjects and not give them the respect that will keep these characters likable. Who knows. All I know is that Mom does broad comedy well enough to give it another shot.