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PILOT REVIEW: 9JKL

9JKL











Starring: Mark Feuerstein, David Walton, Liza Lapira, Matt Murray, Albert Tsai, with Linda Lavin, and Elliot Gould

 Created by Dana Klein and Mark Feuerstein
Written by Dana Klein & Mark Feuerstein, Directed by Pamela Fryman

 THE PREMISE
In a premise that was pretty obviously stated in the first minute of the episode, Josh Roberts (Mark Feuerstein) is a divorced actor who has to move back to the apartment complex where his family lives. He is in apartment 9K while his overbearing parents, Harry and Judy (Elliot Gould and Linda Lavin) live in 9J and his brother, Andrew (David Walton) live in 9L with his wife, Eve (Liza Lapira) and newborn baby. Rounding out the main cast is apartment doorman Nick (Matt Murray) and precocious child in the apartment complex, Ian (Albert Tsai).

THE REVIEW
Isn't it interesting how a show with the logline "a sportswriter and his family live across the street from his overbearing parents and brother" and that show turns into the classic Everybody Loves Raymond while another show can have the logline "an actor lives in an apartment next door to his overbearing parents and brother" and that turns into this very lame show, 9JKL? And isn't it interesting that a show can employ TV legends Elliot Gould and Linda Lavin along with sitcom vets David Walton and Albert Tsai and yet not be funny?

It all comes down to writing and it's just not there with 9JKL. Although similar to Raymond, it's an appealing concept. And of course there are so many people I like in this show. But yikes, it's just not funny in the least. There were so many cringe worthy moments that set up obvious jokes. I could have paused this episode at numerous times and predicted the joke that was about to happen and I'm not a comedy writer.

And what in the world went wrong with this cast? I'm starting to think Elliot Gould just enjoys being a caricature of better characters he used to be (most notably for me, Jack Geller in Friends). Linda Lavin can of course be funny, but she has now signed on to two stinkers in a row playing a similar character (the previous one being Sean Saves the World). I can't even count the number of shows I have seen David Walton in since I started this blog. And Albert Tsai. I don't know about him anymore. I feel like he caught everyone off guard by seeing him being so cute and precocious and funny in Trophy Wife and now he's trying to make a career out of it and not aging well for those types of roles. Actually, perhaps the least annoying cast member was Mark Feuerstein himself. But I blame him for all of this mess because he's the co-creator/writer.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
No. CBS felt the need to keep Young Sheldon off the air for a month for this? I may check in in a few weeks to see what it looks like but I doubt it'll be much better.
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