Article first published as THE MCCARTHYS Review on Seat42F.
I
usually complain about CBS being the home of the very tired crime
procedural, done to death and copied over and over again by the network.
In today’s review of their new comedy, THE MCCARTHYS, I get to complain
about CBS redoing the very tired family comedy. Does that count as a
change-up?
THE MCCARTHYS centers
around Ronny McCarthy (Tyler Ritter, John’s other son), a gay man living
in Boston. Dwelling very, very nearby are his parents, Marjorie (Laurie
Metcalf, Roseanne, The Big Bang Theory) and Arthur (Jack McGee, Rescue
Me, The Fighter), as well as his brothers, Sean (newcomer Jimmy Dunn)
and Gerard (Joey McIntryre, from the band New Kids on the Block), and
his sister, Jackie (Kelen Coleman, The Newsroom). Most of the
together-all-the-time, overbearing clan is obsessed with sports, but
Ronny and his mother still enjoy The Good Wife together, the family
finding a happy balance.
That is,
until Ronny decides to upset the balance by accepting a job in New
Hampshire. Much of the pilot involves his family trying to make him feel
valued so he will stay. I believe viewers will be able to guess the
outcome of this, but THE MCCARTHYS does a decent job with the emotional
arc that gets Ronny realistically to his decision.
The
dynamic of family is both complicated and familiar. Every group has its
own chemistry, with each member relating to every other person in a
variety of ways. But the overall picture of love and acceptance, even
when there is a lack of understanding, is the most traditional,
recognized version of this. It’s not always realistic, but it’s what we
all wish for and have become very comfortable seeing on our television
screens.
THE MCCARTHYS is not a bad
example of this. McIntryre and Dunn seem a little weak for now, but are
good for a punchline now and again, and may improve in time when they
get used to the format. Ritter channels his father, which earns him
nostalgia that can only help most of the audience’s impression of him.
Coleman has popped up on quite a few shows recently for good reason, as
she’s terrific, and McGee is a reliable man. Metcalf, easily the best of
the group and certainly the most recognizable, gives the kind of
performance we expect from her, making for a decently strong ensemble.
But
the writing just feels dated. In a time where Modern Family, About a
Boy, and even, to a lesser extent, The Millers, have illustrated that
the traditional family unit is no longer the only answer, seeing six
individuals biologically linked together might almost be a novelty, if
it hadn’t been down six thousand times in the decade prior. Plus, last
year already saw the revival with The Goldbergs and others. The gay son
is their nod to the present era, but it’s just that, a nod, not a
primary focus, which is nice to see, but makes the show more mundane.
THE MCCARTHYS doesn’t have anything new to say. Television has moved on
from this stock image because it’s been worn out, so resurrecting it now
is without benefit to the viewing community.
THE
MCCARTHYS is funny; I’ll give it that. I didn’t get bored watching it,
and some of the over-the-top stuff that the characters do actually seems
genuine to these eccentric personalities. Perhaps there really isn’t a
family like them out there, but if there was, this is how they’d be. The
characters are consistent and the jokes, while often unoriginal, have
good delivery. There are a handful of relatively compelling hooks
involving Arthur’s basketball team and Jackie’s secret that ask watchers
to tune back in. Which means that THE MCCARTHYS has a chance at finding
an audience and sticking around.
I
just mourn the loss of opportunity. Why not try something different that
we haven’t seen before? Or at least put some kind of new twist on it.
It’s good, not great, and when the TV landscape is as crowded as it is
currently, full of high-quality, ground-breaking stuff, good is just not
good enough.
THE MCCARTHYS airs Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
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