PILOT REVIEW: Almost Family

ALMOST FAMILY

Starring: Brittany Snow, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Emily Osment, Mo McRae, Mustafa Elzein, Victoria Cartagena and Timothy Hutton

Developed for American Television by Annie Weisman
Teleplay by Annie Weisman, Directed by Leslye Headland

Almost Family easily takes the cake for strangest, and ickiest, premise of the new season (sorry, Bob Hearts Abishola, you've been dethroned!). But I was willing to look past that because of a couple reasons, which I'll get to below, if the show was good. I'm sorry to say it's not.

The story is centered on a renowned fertility doctor, Leon Bechley (Timothy Hutton), who is being honored when it's revealed that he used his own sperm to help conceive over 100 children. Not only does this create a major scandal, but it sends his daughter and colleague, Julia (Brittany Snow) into a major spiral as she discovers she may have many, many siblings she never knew about. While there are apparently 100 siblings out there, the series focuses primarily on two half siblings, Julia's former friend Edie (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and a retired Olympian, Roxy (Emily Osment). Do you feel icky after reading that paragraph? I don't blame you.

Despite the oddness of the premise, I really wanted to like this show and the primary reason is Brittany Snow and the secondary reason is Timothy Hutton. I have loved Brittany Snow since she was on American Dreams back in the early 2000s. I'm not as obsessed with her as I was as a teenager back then, but I think she's a very underrated actress. I'm not as obsessed with Timothy Hutton, but he's been good in everything I've ever seen him in. Both of these actors do help Almost Family from devolving into a complete disaster, but they aren't able to elevate it so it can rise above the material.

I also can't help but wonder what this show is going to look like going forward. I think the best thing it could do is move past this premise quickly and become a relationship drama. But I don't even know if that's possible because the premise seems a little too embedded into the whole show. Also, will other siblings just keep appearing the way people popped up on The Last Man on Earth? Because that could mean the story gets in over its head. There is some morbid curiosity here, I will admit.

WILL I WATCH IT AGAIN?
This one is a tough call. I didn't like it, but I'm mildly curious to see what a second episode looks like so I might give it one more shot.

Comments

EPISODE GUIDES: Rhoda Season Five

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Five (the final season) of Rhoda ! RHODA: SEASON FIVE 1978 13 episodes Rhoda' s final season was a truncated one as the show was cancelled in December 1978 after only 13 episodes had been produced (and only nine had aired). This feels like a continuation from season four in many ways except with the ill-advised split between Ida and Martin (more on that below). While Rhoda has an occasional good moment and even a couple decent episodes, it is a show that seems so wildly different from season one and not in a good way. Rhoda could never figure out what it fully wanted to be and only made it four and a half seasons as a result. Starring Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern (13 episodes) Julie Kavner as Brenda Morgenstern (13 episodes) Ray Buktenica as Benny Goodwin (11 episodes) Kenneth McMillan as Jack Doyle (9 episodes) Nancy Wa...

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Thursdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1995-96 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 Sep Charlie Grace The Monroes Various Programs Oct Murder One Nov Various Programs Dec Various Programs Thursday Night Movie Jan Feb World’s Funniest Videos Before They Were Stars! Mar Apr May NBC was the powerhouse on Thursday nights but ABC still gave it the old college try in the Fall of 1995 with a trio of new dramas that they hoped would help them cut into the Peacock's dominance. Headlining their night was Murder One , a high profile new show from Steven Bochco that received much of the network's attention before the season started. The series focused on one murder case for an entire season, whi...

DECADE IN REVIEW: The Best Comedies of the 2010s

During the month of December, I will be looking back at the decade that was the 2010s on TV. I will be sharing my favorite sitcoms, dramas, the best episodes, the best performances and the worst shows of the decade. To be eligible for this list, a show had to air the majority of its episodes in the 2010s. However, for the rankings and determination, all episodes were taken into account, including ones that may have aired before 2010. I will also preface that there are comedies that have aired this decade that I haven't watched yet so this is the best of what I have watched. To be fair, that preface is more true for dramas. There's not a ton of unwatched comedies sitting in my Netflix or Amazon watchlist. So here are my Top 10 comedies of the 2010s! Close Calls: Master of None (Netflix) - An inconsistent but occasionally fascinating commentary on many life issues done so with innovative storytelling. The Good Place (NBC) - A show that aims high with a fascinating premis...

Benjamonster's TV

Search This Blog