The Michael J Fox Show??

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 5:57am

Watched both episodes and I'm not entirely sold on it. I wanted to fall in love with it. Maybe it was too frantic.

Thoughts?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 8:13am

I've watched more premiere episodes this season than I have in a decade. Having said that, the only one I'll be recording is "Mom." The "Fox" show had a lot of nice touches, I liked the second episode with Tracy Pollan best. But I'm not interested enough to make an effort to see it again. I liked Katie Finneran a lot. But, as with Marcia Gay Harden on the odious "Trophy Wife," the presence of a strong stage actress is not enough.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 8:41am

From what I saw last night I would rather watch Family Ties episodes on Netflix.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 8:58am

I think they need to iron out what they want the tone of the show to be. It's not particularly funny (I didn't laugh out loud once), but I thought it was pleasant and all the actors, even the kids, were appealing.

It has a "meta" angle aping the real life return of Michael J Fox to save NBC and Michael Henry returning to NBC news to re-invigorate the network and his life. Lots of lines like, "I've been away so long- will they still like me?" The writers haven't fully committed to this the way they would on an episode of Community. I don't think it needs to be that crazy, but a balance needs to be found. It's clear NBC wants this to be another 30 Rock with a behind-the-scenes look at a facet of the network.

Fox is just so charismatic and is able to make up for enough of the show's deficiencies to keep me watching.

Now that we have the premise firmly in place, what will a normal episode be like?

[Tom1071]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 10:00am

I totally forgot about it but I am glad to know I didn't miss much.

I watched The Crazy Ones on CBS last night. It was a pretty typical David E. Kelley ensemble office comedy, like Ally McBeal but this time set in an advertising agency rather than a law firm. All the stock characters are there. The eccentric, the realist, the heartthrob, the air head...but it really works. I thought it was terrific. Robin Williams is definitely doing Robin Williams, but who enjoys Robin Williams doing anything else? Sarah Michelle Gellar is great as the straight man to Robin William's antics. James Wolk, who I could look at all day and night because he's just that handsome, is funny and charming as the office lothario. Kelly Clarkson guest starred as herself and was very funny doing a send-up of herself as a prima donna, which we know she is anything but. I will definitely watch it again. I'm looking forward to the premiere of The Millers next week.



Updated On: 9/27/13 at 10:00 AM

[Wynbish]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 10:05am

I watched The Crazy Ones and both Michael J Fox episodes, and even though the first look video practically gave everything away, I still preferred The Crazy Ones.

Michael J Fox's show tries to be a poignant, deep comedy, which is fine, but my personal tastes is that I like comedy to be funny and poignancy and deep storylines to be left for dramas.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 10:12am

I thought this was a big ball of meh. I only watched because one of my housemates has Parkinson's and he over-identifies with Michael J Fox. The only new show I'm really watching is Lucky 7, even though everyone hated it and/or no one watched it. But I liked the BBC version and I figure that even if it's canceled early, I already know how most of the stories will play out.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 10:12am

I watched the first 10 minutes of The Crazy Ones. I'll watch the rest later but I doubt I'll watch another episode.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 10:17am

I caught the first episode this morning, and will check out the second one when I get a chance later in the week, but I really liked it. It's really easy to watch, no small feat in an age when a lot of sitcoms elicit groans and guffaws with either trying too hard or being too one-dimensional. This pilot is very confident and also conservative in its tone, which I usually shy away from but I think is the right play here. The context around this show (Fox's career, health and public stature) gives it so much to work with and through that the pilot kind of has a highwire act to walk, diffusing so many possible concerns. I think it had a remarkably high success rate, even for as safe as it played, and not only did I really enjoy having Fox back on TV (he's just an all-time great) but I also really liked Betsy Brandt and Wendell Pierce here, too.

If it ends up staying as safe or grows stale with repetition, I'll lose it by the wayside, but for right now it happily has a place in my watching rotation.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 10:18am

Phyllis, is that the True Blood cake?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 10:19am

It is!

[Jungle Red]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 10:27am

My boyfriend told me that Amanda Setton is back on TV in that new show with Robin Williams. We loved her on One Life to Live as the crazy Kimberly Andrews, stripper turned drama queen extraordinaire!

How is she in The Crazy Ones?

[Wynbish]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 10:29am

She was also on The Mindy Project last season

[Jungle Red]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 10:31am

I have never seen an episode of The Mindy Project.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 10:33am

It's cute! Especially when they have Anders Holm on

She was okay in this episode and did a good job of not getting lost in the middle of Robin, Sarah, James, and Hamish

[Luscious]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 11:00am

I gave the first 2 episodes of The Michael J Fox show a 7 (actually, closer to a 7 1/2), but I love him, and liked the show enough to stick with it for now. I gave The Crazy Ones about 15 minutes and then turned the channel. I find Robin Williams insufferable and Sarah Michelle Gellar a bore, so no surprise the show isn't for me.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 11:01am

THE MINDY PROJECT is maybe my most favoriteist thing on TV. There hasn't been one episode that I haven't watched at least twice, I <3 it so much.

I really enjoyed THE CRAZY ONES, too. I think that'll be a big fat hit.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 11:04am

I thought the pilot episode of the Michael J. Fox show was significantly better than the second episode.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 11:06am

Jungle Red, I too LOVED Setton on One Life to Live. She was a hoot and a half as Kim; seducing Clint and fighting with Natalie always made for enjoyable viewing.

She was funny on The Crazy Ones, but it's not a large role.

I thought The Crazy Ones desperately wanted to be an hour-long dramedy like Boston Legal and Ally McBeal. It felt very rushed, and so much of the episode focused on Kelly Clarkson that we didn't get to really meet the characters, except for Geller's.

Even with the rapid dialogue it's going to be difficult to cram a new marketing campaign into each episode.

When Geller was forced to sing for Clarkson in the restaurant I really wanted Kelly to say, "Once More, With Feeling!"

[Wynbish]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 11:12am

so much of the episode focused on Kelly Clarkson

That was my only problem with it, personally, since 90% of that was given away. The first look promo even showed Kelly eventually singing the ad.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 11:25am

THE CRAZY ONES being 30 minutes long is the only thing that's confusing me about this. Has David E. Kelly ever had a non 60 minute show on TV before?

[Wynbish]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 11:27am

It would be better if they moved Two and a Half Men and had The Crazy Ones be longer. The two shows are an odd pairing anyway.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 11:54am

I believe this is Kelley's first attempt at a 30 min show.

And the ratings are out...

I'm surprised how poorly The Michael J Fox show did, only pulling in a 2.1 ratings share. Both Go On and The New Normal premiered better than that last year.

The Crazy Ones did much better with a 4.0, although it had a significantly stronger lead-in with the unstoppable Big Bang Theory (a truly remarkable 5.6). Parks and Rec only provided a 1.3 lead-in for The Michael J Fox Show.

[AC126748]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 12:02pm

Watched the Fox show. Terminally unfunny, often sluggishly dull, and leaning way too heavy on the Parkinson's schtick. Finneran and Pierce are bright spots, but not enough to make it regular viewing.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/27/13 at 12:05pm

I love me some Amy Poehler but I have always found it a chore to get through Parks $ Rec. The scope is just way too small and insular for somebody with her talents. I was fast forwarding through the commercials last night and the show still felt interminable to me.