Article first published as SURVIVING JACK Review on Seat42F.
With the ‘regular’ TV season almost over, if such a label is even still accurate, FOX pulls one of its hold-backs out of the closet and slaps it on screen this week. SURVIVING JACK is set in 1991 (does every decade need to be represented on television this year?) and tells the story of Dr. Jack Dunlevy (Christopher Meloni, Law & Order: SVU), who scales back his hours at work and takes over raising the kids so that his wife, Joanne (Rachael Harris, Suits), can go to law school.
With the ‘regular’ TV season almost over, if such a label is even still accurate, FOX pulls one of its hold-backs out of the closet and slaps it on screen this week. SURVIVING JACK is set in 1991 (does every decade need to be represented on television this year?) and tells the story of Dr. Jack Dunlevy (Christopher Meloni, Law & Order: SVU), who scales back his hours at work and takes over raising the kids so that his wife, Joanne (Rachael Harris, Suits), can go to law school.
SURVIVING JACK is another family sitcom
about another wacky, yet relatable, clan. The parents argue with the
teenagers, but unlike most real parents, sympathize with them in cheesy
emotional moments meant to bridge the age gap with understanding. This
isn’t necessarily a bad thing, TV’s version of what a household looks
like, one that falls a little short of reality, but it’s something we’ve
seen done to death.
The “hook,” if you will, is that this is
a period piece. Yet, even that doesn’t seem so fresh. With the 60s and
the 80s so saturated on the tube and the 70s having been represented,
too, it was only a matter of time before the 90s got their due, given
that it’s been a full twenty-five years since the start of that decade.
Reading Jurassic Park, seeing Christian Slater posters, and hearing some
of the best music of the era might dredge up some nostalgia from the
audience, but those are just details, not a reason in of themselves to
watch a show.
And, of course, there’s an adult version
of the main kid providing narration. On SURVIVING JACK, this role is
filled by Kevin Rahm (Mad Men, Desperate Housewives). He does fine, but
Rahm’s voice is so much less recognizable than, say, Patton Oswalt on
The Goldbergs, that his casting could only work against this show.
As Jack Dunlevy is introduced, he’s all
macho man, completely out of touch with who his teenagers, awkward,
sex-obsessed Frankie (Connor Buckley, Deception) and pretty, sexually
active Rachel (Claudia Lee, Hart of Dixie), are. This works for Meloni,
who can play layered, but also excels at bonehead stupidity.
Unfortunately, because the lead of a show can’t just be a stereotype, he
softens before the first half hour is even over, finding ways to
connect to Frankie.
I say unfortunately because I want to
see a father on TV for once that acts like my father. My dad would
never, ever open up enough to have a heart-to-heart with his child about
feelings. That doesn’t make him a bad person, in my opinion, but every
single patriarch on every single show is either an abusive, uncaring
drunk (in the dramas) or a modern, sensitive man (in comedies), even
when the show doesn’t take place in the modern day, that can get in
touch with their inner self. Even the gruff ones allow that attitude to
fall away from time to time, always revealing that hidden pussycat.
Where is the realistic man who sticks to who he is and doesn’t play to
the viewers’ heart-strings?
Of course, the premise of SURVIVNG JACK
is that Jack finds a way to take over the household duties because he is
a good husband and wants Joanne to have her life, and so he must grow
and change to meet the needs of his new job. It isn’t easy for him, but
we already see that he can do it, so the rest of his arc should be
relatively predictable and not feature any more big jumps for him.
The show is also populated with friend
characters who seem interchangeable, familiar types. The actors that
play them, Kevin Hernandez (Get the Gringo) as Frankie’s Mexican friend
George, Tyler Foden (Air Buddies) as the held-back-in-school Mikey, Lili
Reinhart (The Kings of Summer) as Frankie’s crush Heather, Thomas Kasp
(Dirty Teacher) as Rachel’s airhead boyfriend Doug, and Damaris Diaz
(Maddoggin’) as slutty friend Alison, might be talented, but there’s no
way to tell in their limited roles.
In general, I think the reason to watch
SURVIVING JACK will be for the main family at the center. Meloni is
always entertaining, and has solid chemistry with Harris, a wonderful
actress with an extensive resume. The kids seem to do well enough in the
parts, and whether viewers finds this foursome compelling enough will
determine whether it can run past the initially-ordered eight-episode
first season. For my part, I may watch, probably sometime in July after
getting through most other regular season shows, but it’s certainly not
at the top of my priorities list.
SURVIVING JACK premieres Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
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