PILOT REVIEW: The Neighbors

THE NEIGHBORS

Starring: Jami Gertz, Lenny Venito, Simon Templeman, Toks Olagundoye, Clara Mamet, Tim Jo, Ian Patrick, Max Charles, Isabella Cramp

Created by Dan Fogelman
Written by Dan Fogelman, Directed by Chris Koch

The Neighbors is a new outlandish sitcom from ABC that wins the award for oddest concept in the 2012-13 season. The show centers on married couple Debbie and Marty Weaver (Jami Gertz and Lenny Venito) and their kids (Clara Marmet, Max Charles, and Isabella Cramp) who move into a new neighborhood. The thing is, the entire development they move into is comprised of aliens. The aliens are all named for professional athletes and are led by Larry Bird (Simon Templeman) and Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Toks Olagundoye) whose children are Reggie Jackson (Tim Jo) and Dick Butkus (Ian Patrick).

THE GOOD: Oh boy, what do I say about this one. I guess I should start by saying that I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would. In fact, I liked it more than Partners. The main reason it was tolerable was the cast is not bad, particularly Jami Gertz who plays a role similar to Julie Bowen on Modern Family. Despite the comparison to Bowen's excellence, Gertz was not bad herself in that type of role. She made the conversations with Lenny Venito funny with her inflections and timing. I can't think of much else but I'll say it again... I was actually expecting worse.

THE BAD: However, it's not a good show by any stretch of the imagination. It's just not Work It. While there are some decent performances, the show is full of cheap gimmicks. It was starting to make me feel like I misjudged it but then all the aliens turned green and I remembered what a stupid little show this is. Then there's the whole "being named after athletes" thing which continued to fall flat throughout the episode (save for one clever Dick Butkus line). The biggest problem here is the offbeat premise and inconsistent execution. I can't get past the premise to enjoy it and that happens whenever some of the alien characters are in the scene. It's just so stupid, I don't even know how to say it any differently.

BOTTOM LINE: It's hard to believe that this silly show will be slotted between the grounded and realistic The Middle and the witty and sharp Modern Family. The Neighbors may not be the worst new show on TV but it's pretty bad. There's only so much a show can do to overcome a premise like this even with top notch writing and acting. Throw in inconsistency there too and you've got yourself a mess.