PILOT REVIEW: The McCarthys

THE MCCARTHYS

Starring: Tyler Ritter, Joey McIntyre, Kelen Coleman, Jimmy Dunn, with Jack McGee, and Laurie Metcalf

Created by Brian Gallivan
Written by Brian Gallivan, Directed by Andy Ackerman

THE PREMISE: The McCarthys is a new family sitcom centered on a very close Boston family that loves their sports. When gay son Ronny (Tyler Ritter) wants to move to Rhode Island, the family bands together to try to keep him in Boston. Leading the charge is his mother, Marjorie (Laurie Metcalf), and father, Arthur (Jack McGee). Rounding out the main cast are Arthur's brothers Sean and Gerard (Jimmy Dunn and Joey McIntyre) and sister Jackie (Kelen Coleman).

THE GOOD: There were a few decent performances in a very formulaic sitcom. It's good to see Laurie Metcalf again and she can sometimes rise above the tired writing. The funniest part of the pilot was the scene where she was claiming to be sick as a reason why her son couldn't move to Providence. Tyler Ritter was likable in the lead role and it's easy to tell that he's a Ritter. He has the same charm and humor that his father did and brother does. And I know it was a stereotype, but the line from the gay man at the party "it's a struggle" made me laugh. You have to see it in context.

THE BAD: This show is one of the broadest new sitcoms that I have seen in my time doing this blog, and that is not a complement. It further perpetuates the idea that multi-cam sitcoms can't be witty or well-written. There were far to many set-up-joke, set-up-joke moment and there were too many punch lines broadly delivered to the studio audience without even realistically being a part of the scene. The jokes were tired too. A Dynasty reference in 2014?! I also think the writers of the show think that repeating a line makes it funnier because they did it multiple times throughout the pilot. I'm here to say that is not the case. As usual with shows like this, the quick flashbacks added next to nothing to the plot or humor.

BOTTOM LINE: Despite my many misgivings, I actually may give The McCarthys another chance. It was bland and broad, but there was something in there that I liked a little bit - most of it coming from Metcalf and Ritter. It's on a short leash with me, but I'm not done with it yet. CBS may make that decision sooner rather than later for me though.