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PILOT REVIEW: Growing Up Fisher

GROWING UP FISHER

















Starring: JK Simmons, Eli Baker, Ava Deluca-Verley, Lance Lim, and Jenna Elfman

Created by DJ Nash
Written by DJ Nash, Directed by David Schwimmer

Growing Up Fisher is a new autobiographical sitcom from DJ Nash. The show centers on 11 year old Henry Fisher (Eli Baker) and his family. His parents are getting divorced but the unique aspect of the show is his father, Mel (JK Simmons), is blind. His mom Joyce (Jenna Elfman) is looking for a fresh start and taking up pipe smoking while sister Katie (Ava Deluca-Verley) is trying to branch out as a teenager. Rounding out the main cast is Henry's best friend Runyen (Lance Lim).

THE GOOD: I actually liked the premise and feel to this show, it just didn't all come together (more on that below). If it accomplished what it was trying to be, it was a warm family sitcom. The voice-overs seem closer to The Wonder Years than The Goldbergs, which is much more like Wonder in other ways. Finally, the whole idea of a blind father is a unique spin on the family sitcom genre. It's nice to see a different group of people being represented in a TV sitcom. JK Simmons is likeable enough as the father.

THE BAD: As I said before, I really liked the idea of Growing Up Fisher and where it was going. The problem was it didn't get there. I just found myself getting bored early and often during the pilot. The laughs were few and far-between while the plot was less than inspired. Jenna Elfman seems to be done the same sort of shtick she did in 1600 Penn last year and other shows. I just talked about Benjamin Stockham from About a Boy as one of the many great child actors this year. Eli Baker is fine but unmemorable in this one. I just wanted this show to be better than it was.

BOTTOM LINE: Growing Up Fisher is going to be a tough sell. It just doesn't have a lot going for it because there's no real draw. It's not as warm as About a Boy or as funny as other sitcoms on the air. It isn't horribly bad, it's just boring. Maybe About a Boy will be one comedy success story for NBC. This one won't be.
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