Article first published as GROWING UP FISHER Review on Seat42F.
Sunday night, after the Olympics, NBC will be previewing its new sitcom GROWING UP FISHER, which will regularly air on Tuesday nights. It’s the (based-on-a-true) story of Henry Fisher (Eli Baker) and the changes his family goes through when his parents divorce. They don’t have a good marriage, but living separately brings them closer together than ever, as both parents are dedicated to their children.
Sunday night, after the Olympics, NBC will be previewing its new sitcom GROWING UP FISHER, which will regularly air on Tuesday nights. It’s the (based-on-a-true) story of Henry Fisher (Eli Baker) and the changes his family goes through when his parents divorce. They don’t have a good marriage, but living separately brings them closer together than ever, as both parents are dedicated to their children.
GROWING UP FISHER reminds me a lot of
The Goldbergs. Both tell the tale of an actual family and have
voice-over narration, with FISHER’s provided by Jason Bateman (Arrested
Development). But FISHER is set in the modern era, adapting the details
of the episode to today, rather than recreating an older period, as The
Goldbergs do. Still, they both share the same sweet emotional bonds and
feeling of authenticity, remixed for laughs.
The Fisher parents are played by Jenna
Elfman (1600 Penn, Dharma & Greg) and J.K. Simmons (The Closer,
Spiderman), two wonderful comedic actors. Both have been in failed
sitcoms lately; it’s about time they get something that works. GROWING
UP FISHER has the potential to be that vehicle, even though it’s not
that original, because the charm and the love oozing from it are very
enticing.
Elfman plays Joyce, a woman who lost out
on her young, carefree days by getting pregnant with daughter Katie
(Ava Deluca-Verley) on her second date with Mel (Simmons). Joyce is now
suffering a mid-life crisis, and so wants to recapture those glory days,
buying the same pants that her daughter has, and generally acting
immature. It’s this behavior that instigates the divorce, or so it
seems, as the series avoids placing blame on anyone, presumably to
protect the real people that inspired the show.
The one glaring problem with GROWING UP
FISHER stems from Joyce’s arc, though. Elfman is in her 40s, meaning
she’s a bit too old to be playing someone who got pregnant too young and
whose daughter is now only sixteen. Even if one sets that aside and
decides to see Elfman as ten years younger than she is, there’s still
the ick factor when one considers Simmons is fifteen years her senior,
meaning he would have to have been a creepy old guy preying on a
teenager. So this math simply does not work. But I’m willing to ignore
that because I really like the performers, and they do do a great job
building these parts.
Mel is immature, too, but in a different
way. Completely blind since age twelve, Mel fakes his way through the
world of people with vision. For years, he manages to trick many into
thinking he can see, often with the help of his son, Henry, and he
doesn’t let his disability stop him from doing anything, including
cutting down trees and parallel parking. He’s inspiring, but also down
to earth enough to let his flaws show, making him likeable, not
ridiculous.
Some might say that Mel is not a
realistic character because of the things he does. It’s true, the
outrageous acts he commits make him seem like a cartoon. However,
sometimes the least believable story is the most likely to have
occurred, and even if the part if exaggerated, Simmons definitely
communicates effectively the spirit of the man he is portraying.
Much of the first episode’s story stems
from Henry feeling replaced when Mel gets a seeing-eye dog named Elvis.
Mel couldn’t have Elvis before because Joyce is allergic to dogs, but
now, the dog is guiding Mel in the way that Henry used to. It makes
sense for Mel to get Elvis, since Henry won’t be around his dad
full-time any more, but it also causes friction, which Mel finds a
really neat way to solve, totally in keeping with his character.
I don’t know how many more installments
can be built off of this established premise, but family sitcoms seem to
have a way of working over time, and given the development that these
characters are begging for from the start, GROWING UP FISHER has plenty
of room to grow. The writing is witty and the players are entertaining.
The end of the premiere even brought a few tears to my eyes. What more
can you ask for in a family sitcom?
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