PILOT REVIEW: The Mick

THE MICK

Starring: Kaitlin Olson, Sofia Black-D'Elia, Carla Jimenez, Susan Park, Thomas Barbusca, Jack Stanton, Scott MacArthur

Created by Dave Chernin and John Chernin
Written by Dave Chernin & John Chernin, Directed by Randall Einhorn

The Mick is yet another sitcom about an irresponsible party girl thrust into a responsible situation. I would have to look back but I feel like we get these types of shows a lot. In The Mick, Kaitlin Olson plays Mackenzie, who is forced to start taking care of her niece and nephews when her millionaire sister and brother-in-law are sent to jail and subsequently flee the country. The three kids are rebellious teen Sabrina (Sofia Black-D'Elia), arrogant pre-teen Chip (Thomas Barbusca), and precocious Ben (Jack Stanton). Rounding out the main cast is maid Alba (Carla Jimenez).

I didn't find The Mick funny at all. I actually found it pretty annoying. I think Kaitlin Olson is capable of being funny and she did have a few funny one-liners but overall, she and the show were just trying too hard. The opening sequence that only served to introduce Mackenzie to us, made me groan instead of laugh. The show then settled into such a cliche plot. Of course the teen daughter would want to smoke and party. Of course the middle son would be wise beyond his years. Of course the youngest child would be precocious and say things like "what's a hangover?" These are the same types of kids we've seen in many other shows, American Housewife most recently.

The one thing this show didn't do, which I guess was refreshing to an extent, was there wasn't a heartwarming moment to end the show. There wasn't a moment where Mackenzie did something very sweet with one of the kids and things seemed like everything was going to be ok. This show did not end that way, it ended with as dicey a situation as it started. That makes me at least mildly curious to see what episode two looks like.

Ultimately for this show to succeed though, it's going to have to be a whole lot funnier but I also think they need to find some redeeming qualities for Kaitlin Olson's character. Even some of the more outrageous sitcom characters in history like Steve Carell's Michael Scott on The Office or Danny DeVito's Louie DiPalma on Taxi had layers that made them likable and understandable. This is not something that has to happen in the pilot, but The Mick should give us a reason to root for Mackenzie sooner rather than later. It's a lot easier to laugh at the outrageousness when there's some dept behind the character.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
I might give it one or two more episodes. I didn't like American Housewife very much after the pilot but I've grown to enjoy it and sometimes sitcoms need a couple episodes.