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| Left to right: Kelsey Grammer and Martin Lawrence |
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.
Partners is a bad show. What separates it from other three camera sitcoms with an increasingly dated laugh track is that these two actors are veteran comedians who got their start on TV. Kelsey Grammer's resume includes Cheers, Frasier, and a dramatic departure in Boss. Martin Lawrence was in Martin before having a decent career with films like Bad Boys, Wild Hogs, and the Big Momma franchise. To say the least, these two are so established that to see them in Partners feels like a disservice as opposed to a welcomed return. From the script to the formula to the chemistry, there is a lot that feels lazy about this pilot, not to mention that it is two veteran actors doing hammy jokes such as: "How could the priest do this?" with the answer being "Most likely missionary." Yes, folks. It is one of those shows that is delightfully into innuendos and puns, but where they mastered it in the 90's, it just comes across as hackish here.
No matter what anyone says, it is an interesting period for network TV. In the past few years, the likes of Michael J. Fox (The Michael J. Fox Show), Sean Hayes (Sean Saves the World), Robin Williams (The Crazy Ones) and very soon Bill Cosby will come back to reclaim their thrones in the sitcom world. The logic is that they have a built in audience, and thus will do the network a service. Speaking as Frasier and Martin were successful series, why is their big comeback stuck on FX and full of outdated punchlines and nonsensical plots about buddy lawyers who are explicit with their hostile feelings towards each other?
This isn't a jab at FX. If anything, the network has done an exceptional job of making their brand of comedy series a unique and quality line-up. From their heavyweights like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League to even 2014 freshman series You're the Worst and Married, the channel has a penchant for edgy material. It may be hit and miss, but it reflects a network willing to take chances and join the conversation in important ways. Partners felt like a chance for them to have their version of The Crazy Ones: a familiar yet skewered take on the veterans' familiar and reliable acting style. At best, it feels like Lawrence is having a great time, though he doesn't get much to work off of except that he lives with his mother and daughter for some reason.
In the first episode, the credibility of the series is immediately brought into question. Grammer plays Allen Braddock who is accused of being a negligent lawyer. Meanwhile, Marcus Jackson (Lawrence) is going through a divorce. Somehow, Braddock is supposed to be the noble one despite being far worse. There's too many contradictions to get into here. Even then, comedies have rarely been dedicated to continuity and logic quite like dramas. With that said, their arbitrary meet-up feels forced and the origin story of the lawyer team Braddock and Jackson isn't a lasting quality with stock supporting characters that are ambiguously gay or established as seductive intellectuals.
I admire the idea of trying to bring back a flair of 90's charm to the modern sitcom, but I don't feel like it works. Even in terms of CBS content, where this show would seem more comfortable, it seems like a lazy, cheap series that is made solely to fill up time. Even then, in a world full of reruns and TiVo, what is the point of making filler, especially starring two actors who were once highly influential figures? I don't see this series taking any chances or going in any unique or exciting directions. In terms of FX series alone, it is the worst (not to be mistaken with the enjoyable You're the Worst) in that it doesn't offer any lasting impression and doesn't ask much of its actors. It leaves a lot to be desired, and that's not a great thing.
It seems strange to have a grudge against three camera sitcoms, but there is something that feels inherently wrong about them in today's context. In theory, NBC and Fox have helped to revolutionize how a comedy series can be shot and in doing so has made the audience more intelligent and able to figure out their own laughing points. Also, it often feels like it is done for compensation, as in Partners quite frequently. Even if this was a star vehicle to highlight the best moments of Grammer/Lawrence's career, they reach none of that and I don't feel like the show stands any chance in long term prospects. It is unmemorable, disposable, and disappointing in ways that this cast shouldn't have been.
Speaking as the next episode deals with a gay wedding, I do already have predictions made on how the jokes will land. Expect some polite gay panic and a dated sensibility because that is how things were done in the 90's. With Grammer starring in almost every other movie this year, it seems like a waste for him to even show up to this. He deserves better and this isn't a great return so much as it is a minor note that nobody will remember in a year's time, or even six months. With exception to name recognition, is there any reason for FX to care about this series? I don't think so. It is lazy, dull, and yet I feel sad for its existence. Nobody should have to watch Partners because unlike shows that are worse, they are at least worse in memorable ways. This is one that you'll forget rather quickly.
It seems strange to have a grudge against three camera sitcoms, but there is something that feels inherently wrong about them in today's context. In theory, NBC and Fox have helped to revolutionize how a comedy series can be shot and in doing so has made the audience more intelligent and able to figure out their own laughing points. Also, it often feels like it is done for compensation, as in Partners quite frequently. Even if this was a star vehicle to highlight the best moments of Grammer/Lawrence's career, they reach none of that and I don't feel like the show stands any chance in long term prospects. It is unmemorable, disposable, and disappointing in ways that this cast shouldn't have been.
Speaking as the next episode deals with a gay wedding, I do already have predictions made on how the jokes will land. Expect some polite gay panic and a dated sensibility because that is how things were done in the 90's. With Grammer starring in almost every other movie this year, it seems like a waste for him to even show up to this. He deserves better and this isn't a great return so much as it is a minor note that nobody will remember in a year's time, or even six months. With exception to name recognition, is there any reason for FX to care about this series? I don't think so. It is lazy, dull, and yet I feel sad for its existence. Nobody should have to watch Partners because unlike shows that are worse, they are at least worse in memorable ways. This is one that you'll forget rather quickly.
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