PILOT REVIEW: Dads

DADS

Starring: Giovanni Ribisi, Seth Green, Brenda Song, Vanessa Lachey, Tonita Castro, with Peter Riegert, and Martin Mull

Created by Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild
Written by Alec Sulkin & Wellesley Wild, Directed by Mark Cendrowski

Dads is a new multi-generational sitcom on FOX. Eli and Warner (Seth Green and Giovanni Ribisi) are friends and successful business partners at a video game company. They both have major dad problems to deal with though: Eli's distant dad David (Peter Riegert) is moving in after going under financially. Warner's dad Crawford (Martin Mull) has been living with Warner and his wife Camilla (Vanessa Lachey) and driving them crazy. Rounding out the main cast is Eli and Warner's assistant Veronica (Brenda Song) and Eli's maid Edna (Tonita Castro).

THE GOOD: Well, it had a very nice and sentimental theme song (that seemed completely out of place with the show). The cast is not untalented, I mean I have liked some of them in other shows. Also beneath all the crap, there seems to be a little bit of chemistry between Seth Green and Giovanni Ribisi. That's really all I can say.

THE BAD: How much space can I devote to this? Everything about this show didn't work. First of all, I see the value in transition music between scenes because the lack of it felt awkward. Unless they're going to pull a Frasier and do title cards, it doesn't work. This show felt stale and tired in the worst way. It seemed like a bad 90s sitcom which is unfortunately what happens too often with multi-cam sitcoms. I don't think the acting was the biggest problem, it was the writing. The actors were doing their best with such bad material but they just couldn't overcome it. The passing of the check scene between Riegert and Mull was painfully unfunny. And finally, I am not one to get offended by racist jokes, etc but even I thought it was a little racist.

BOTTOM LINE: I tried to go into this show with an open mind even with so much trashing happening all summer but it was well deserved. I don't think it's as horrible as some of the worst sitcoms in recent years like Work It or How to Be a Gentleman, but it's bad and not in a "so bad it's good way." It's just bad.