Who Would Want to Know How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)?

Article first published as Who Would Want to Know How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)? on TheTVKing.com

ABC begins a new sitcom late this season as it premieres How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) this week. Polly (Sarah Chalke, Scrubs) leaves her irresponsible husband, Julian (Jon Dore, The Jon Dore Show), and, with her daughter, Natalie (Rachel Eggleston, Summer Snow), in tow, moves back in with her mother, Elaine (Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds), and step-father, Max (Brad Garrett, Everybody Loves Raymond).

If the premise seems simple enough, it is. There isn't much groundbreaking about the concept, or how the episodes play out. Skipping the first six months of the living arrangement, the series has Polly already adjusted to the situation, and having no intention of leaving her haven. In the first episode, she even uses her reluctant parents as babysitters while she goes on a date, which of course goes wrong, in a skrewball type of way.

This is a little like the beginning of The New Normal, as the main character of that show also flees her joke of a husband, but at least that series has some direction and driven, with the protagonist wanting to better herself. We don't get that much from Polly, who doesn't seem very independent.

Yet, there is a certain level of charm here. Perkins is wonderfully hilarious as the free-spirited mother who never settled down, and she has great chemistry with Garrett, who is sort of the stabilizing factor in the household. Chalke's Polly is also zany, so we can see how her mom has rubbed off on her, but it grounded enough to show Max's influence, too, since he helped raise her. Although it's hard to see how Polly could have turned out as well as she did in the household, it's the dynamic between these three that sell the show. Since they are all very gifted comedic performers, it ends up being pretty funny.

It certainly isn't the situations that provide the draw. Polly works in a grocery store, and her co-workers are interchangeable line-deliverers in the pilot. The date that she goes on in the first half hour is definitely predictable and formulaic. Her ex-husband, who can't stop making up excuses to hang around, is a very rote character, and there doesn't seem to be much reason to include him at this juncture, and certainly not as a main character.

The tone is sort of Better Off Ted-ish, which is kind of a modern style that works when executed well, but the story being as pedestrian as it is stretches one's patience. Because Better Off Ted had a laboratory and goofy experiments, it was brilliant, even if under-watched and short-lived. But the same type of behavior doesn't connect as solidly in a family environment.

Because ABC has launched the series in April, it doesn't bode well for the network's confidence in their offering. And yet, with Chalke, Perkins, and Garrett on board, it definitely deserves to see the light of day, at least for a little bit.

Basically, How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) is a somewhat entertaining, but not particularly smart show, that could rise above its humble beginnings solely on the shoulders of the terrific trio of actors hired. We'll wait and see if they can salvage things, or if this will quickly be a forgotten footnote.

How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) airs Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Weeds reaches the "Threshold"

Showtime's Weeds is in its finale season, so one might think that the plot arcs would begin to develop towards final, happy endings for the characters. For the last few weeks, that's exactly what the show appeared to be doing. Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker) has a good job and is dating a respectable rabbi named David (David Julian Hirsh, Hawthorne). Andy (Justin Kirk) longs for kids, and when he meets a hot, young woman, Joanna (Aubrey Dollar, Women's Murder Club), who is willing to marry him, he thinks he has it made. Silas (Hunter Parrish) is offered a lucrative deal to grow marijuana. Shane (Alexander Gould) has completed the police academy and landed a cushy job until he's old enough to officially join the force, and has a great girlfriend, Angela (Daniele Watts). Even Doug (Kevin Nealon) is finding purpose in making his fake charity a real effort.

But this week's installment, "Threshold," in true Weeds fashion, screws everything up. Nancy dumps David when she learns that he is still mourning his wife, and quits her job. She also decides that Silas's deal isn't what he should be doing. Shane and Angela get in trouble with the law, Andy's new wife would rather wait eight to ten years to bear children, and Doug deals with noise complaints when he brings his homeless charges to a hotel.

Is it folly to hope that Weeds will end with something nice for these people, who always seem to jump from one mess right into another? Yes, most of their problems are brought on by themselves, or at least by Nancy's self-destructive tendencies. But that doesn't mean that loyal viewers who have been watching for nearly a decade don't want to see them find some sort of peace.

The thing is, the title has always had a double meaning, beyond the fact that the Botwins are in the pot business. The central characters are weeds in the world, and deserve to be pulled out of it, unless they can find a way to turn themselves into something useful or pretty. This is the challenge, and with only three half hours left, despite some early promising signs, it seems like a long shot.

Would it even make sense for this show to have a happy ending, given everything that has come before it? I don't know. Writers can deliver the most satisfying finales for even spiteful characters (see: House), so I don't want to say no. And yet, everything that has led up to this moment points to utter tradgedy.

The delight of the final season of Weeds is in how it revists the past. This is about to ramp up in a big way, as the Botwins will spend their last moments back in Agrestic, the neighborhood where it all began. Look for more familiar faces, like Conrad (Romany Malco), Guillermo (Guillermo Diaz), Lapita (Renee Victor), and even Yael (Meital Dohan) to pop up. Though the lack of Celia Hodes (Elizabeth Perkins) in the wake of the rest is completely unacceptable, and will probably end up being this year's biggest mistake.

The last three episodes of Weeds will air Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on Showtime.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my new website, JeromeWetzel.com! First posted on TheTVKing

Weeds "Theoretical Love Is Not Dead"

     Six seasons in, is anyone getting tired of Showtime's Weeds?  'Cause I'm sure not.  And after this week's season six finale, I'm not sure how anyone else could be either.  The series is constantly reinventing itself, and this year was certainly no different.

     The show spent it's first three years in a quiet, suburban community.  It got a little grittier as pretty much all of the main characters moved south to the California-Mexico border for seasons four and five.  Season six found the Botwins, along with pal Doug (Kevin Nealon) on the run.  They went through the northern states of Washington, Montana, Colorado, and a few other places, before ending up in Dearborn, Michigan, Nancy's (Mary-Louise Parker) hometown.  They crash with her former teacher, who was also her lover, Warren (hilariously, Richard Dreyfuss).  Of course, they cannot run forever, and their enemies track them there, as well.

     As the finale began, Nancy was being held hostage by her husband, Esteban (Demian Bichir), and his henchman, Guillermo (Guillermo Diaz).  They have come for Esteban and Nancy's baby, who she took when she fled.  Esteban wants Stevie back, and then he will kill Nancy.  Nancy's family is already at the airport, waiting for her.  She manages to sneak a call off to Andy (Justin Kirk), telling him they will be going with Plan C, which Andy is not at all happy about.  Through a series of small twists, Warren is arrested, Andy, Shane (Alexander Gould), and Silas (Hunter Parrish) make it safely on a plane to Paris, and Nancy willfully stays behind with Steview, Esteban, and Guillermo.

     At this point, viewers like may were wondering if the crazy woman had finally snapped.  Did Nancy actually believe that Esteban would let her live after, from his viewpoint, kidnapping his child?  Esteban has killed for far less.  However, Weeds has a repuation for delivering each season finale a twist ending, and this one was no different.  As Nancy and her captors walked out of the airport, a squadron of police and F.B.I. were there waiting for her, and she quickly confessed to the murder of Pilar Zuzua, an act that Shane actually committed.

     Where does this leave Weeds for season 7?  Obviously, Nancy will be spending some time in lockup.  She may be released, as the evidence may not point to her.  Afterall, she didn't do it.  But of course she'd lie to protect her son, so she will do her best to convince them that she did.  Will Esteban release the videotape that proves Shane killed Pilar?  Will Nancy's family come back and try to break her out?  Will they come back at all?  Will Doug be returning?  Fans were upset about the depature of long-time star Elizabeth Perkins, who played Celia Hodes, this year.  Is this an opportunity to bring her back?  Or will Doug join her on the used-to-be list?  Will a couple of years have passed, so her sons can be the proper age (only four years have passed in the first six seasons)?  There are so many questions!

     But there are always so many questions left on Weeds.  Luckily, the series has been renewed for a seventh season, so they will not be left unanswered.

For frequent mini-reviews and occasional tv news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

The Weeds have been pulled

     Showtime's Weeds returned for it's sixth season last Monday, and the first two episodes have basically only set up the next volume in the story.  I saw volume instead of chapter because this is the second time the show has practically reinvented itself from the ground up.  At the end of season three, the suburb where the story was set burnt to the ground, taking the now ill-fitting theme song with it, as well as any racially diverse cast members.  Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker, The West Wing) took her family south, and they soon settled into new routines near the Mexican border, and with new minorities.  She was soon caught up in the drug game again, and plenty of old familiar faces found their way back to Nancy.  As season six begins, the principal cast has slimmed down to only Nancy's family and Doug (Kevin Nealon, Saturday Night Live), who did not appear the last two weeks.

     It's very regrettable that Celia (Elizabeth Perkins, Must Love Dogs, The Flintstones) is gone, but she and many of the recurring characters has a great ending, setting up a new gang of misfits.  How Doug left that group is anyone's guess.  Early previews show Doug being captured and forced to try to help Nancy's current husband, Esteban (Demian Bichir) track Nancy and their infant son down.  Nancy, meanwhile, has fled north, up not across the border, with the baby and older sons Silas (Hunter Parrish) and Shane (Alexander Gould) in tow, as well as their Uncle Andy (Justin Kirk, Angels in America).  The reason for their flight is that Shane killed a woman to stop her from killing him and his brother.

     The actors are really showing their range.  Parker's character is barely sane anymore, and has taken her always confused Nancy to the extreme.  Shane, once the sweet child, is homicidal, and doesn't seem to concern himself with guilt, a startling, but satisfying twist, considering it has really given a chance for Gould to shine.  Silas has had more plot previously, but one can definitely feel his frustration at having his life ruined.  And Andy, well, Andy just goes with the flow like always.

     One wonders if the Botwins, now rechristened the Newmans, will manage to stay at their next harbor very long, or if they will be on the run for the rest of the series.  Surely it's only a matter of time before they are found.  Yet, I find myself more interested in what they will be doing now, rather than what's coming for them.  And I am extremely grateful that the harsh lighting of southern California and Mexico has been left behind.

     Weeds, a brilliant dramedy, airs Monday nights at 10pm on Showtime.