PILOT REVIEW: Guys With Kids

GUYS WITH KIDS

Starring: Anthony Anderson, Jesse Bradford, Zach Cregger, Tempestt Bledsoe, Erinn Hayes, Jamie-Lynn Sigler

Created by Jimmy Fallon, Charlie Grandy, & Amy Ozols
Written by Jimmy Fallon, Charlie Grandy, & Amy Ozols, Directed by Scott Ellis

Guys with Kids is a new multi-camera sitcom from Jimmy Fallon that focuses on three men raising their kids (as if you couldn't guess from the title!) Gary (Anthony Anderson) and his wife Marny (Tempestt Bledsoe) have four young kids and can barely get a second to themselves. Nick (Zach Cregger) is happily married to Emily (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) but the spark is gone as they are bogged down raising their two children. Chris (Jesse Bradford) is recently divorced from the uptight Sheila (Erinn Hayes) and they share custody of their baby even as they try to move on in the dating world.

THE GOOD: Honestly, I expected worse from this show. After seeing previews and reading terrible reviews, I thought it might be cringe-worthy. But it wasn't. It wasn't anything special either but it had a familiarity and comfort-level that has helped many family sitcoms in the past. Most of the actors seemed relatively comfortable in their roles and they had a good camaraderie with each other. While it's far from excellent, some multicam sitcoms can't even get off the ground because the pilot is so forced and awkward. I didn't see a ton of that with this show. It was more polished...

THE BAD: ... but that doesn't mean it was funny. I have seen several reviews call this show dated but I feel like that is used too often towards multicam sitcoms. I don't think it's dated, but I do think it's tired. The familiarity may have helped it but the staleness will kill it soon if it can't get better material. There were also two actors in the ensemble of six who were glaring weak points. Neither Jesse Bradford nor Jamie-Lynn Sigler could deliver their lines with a sense of believability and it was noticeable since the others were not bad. Shows with thin premises need to be character driven and this show has a long way to go in that department.

BOTTOM LINE: This show reminds me of a mediocre CBS sitcom - it is what it is. It's not offensive, it's not a disaster, it's not unwatchable. But it's also not edgy or interesting or appointment viewing. There's no reason to get hooked on a show like Guys with Kids because there were be many more in the years to come just as many have come and gone. It's an utterly average sitcom - nothing more, nothing less. But at least it has a theme song!