The Office turns depressing

Article first published as The Office turns depressing on TheTVKing.

As NBC's The Office starts its wind down to the series finale in mid-May, the plot has turned really depressing. I expected to be taken through a more emotional segment of the journey, but maybe not for a sitcom to go quite as dark as it has. This week's episode, "Couples Discount," was absent of much joy, and yet, incredibly good.

Andy (Ed Helms) returns to his post after being gone for three months. He wants to act like he never left, and to be caught up on all the latest going-ons, but is it because he cares, or because he is covering his butt with his boss, David Wallace (Andy Buckley)? He should have returned humble and contrite, and instead, chooses the opposite tack, attempting to re-assert dominance and control.

When Andy sets sail last fall, he is a beloved character who has earned his place among the staff, and is finally settling into the boss's job. He is part of the group, someone who doesn't always do right, but who tries hard, and seems like a good man. Considering where he starts from, as the detestable invader from another branch with anger management problems, it is a satisfying place.

However, Andy has been totally and permanently ruined. From the moment he walks back in the door, it is clear that he no longer belongs. He tries to take credit for the work the staff has done, and accepts a bonus for the quarter he is gone. This ruffles a lot of feathers, to be sure, and it's no wonder that everyone turns on him. It's heartbreaking to see this happen with Andy.

Even worse, Andy single-handedly screws up the biggest account the office has ever landed, Jan's (Melora Hardin) white pages, ruining a lot of hard work that Dwight (Rainn Wilson) and Clark (Clark Duke) put in. Fans will feel just as shocked and betrayed as Dwight and Clark upon seeing this, and it's a rough moment to get through.

In the end, no one is mean enough to really rat Andy out to David, but Erin (Ellie Kemper) accidentally tips him off. This is how it should be. Andy will get his comeuppance, probably making this episode a one-time return, rather than a rejoining for the character, and no one has to be thought of as a bad guy for getting rid of Andy. The rest of the employees may be mad at him, but they're not so cruel as to be the one that stabs him in the back, and this twist saves any of their characters from that damnation. A few small lies that they tell Andy can be written off as justifiable, but revealing to David the truth would have gone too far.

At least Erin can finally be with Pete (Jake Lacy), free and clear. When Pete first arrives, he seems like an interloper, moving in on Andy's girl. But at this point, it's clear his feelings for Erin are pure, and he certainly deserves her more than the absentee boyfriend. Good for them!

So who will be the new boss? Last season, The Office floundered as it searched for a manager. It was not a good year for the series. However, these past three months without a boss have worked really well, both for the characters, and the series. Everyone knows their jobs at this point, and even if they goof off a little, they don't need a babysitter to keep them in line. Maybe this is how it is supposed to be. Maybe David doesn't need to appoint a replacement. Though that is pretty radical thinking for such an environment.


The other major development in"Couples Discount" comes when Jim (John Krasinski) learns the full truth about how Pam (Jenna Fischer) has been hnadling his absence from Brian (Chris Diamantopoulos), the fired boom guy. This takes the couple to a major make-it-or-break-it-point, where their relationship could go one of two ways. Jim, sadly, picks the wrong one, wanting to head back to Philly and avoid a fight, which would probably end their marriage, since it cuts off communication, and could even drive Pam into the arms of Brian, who is most definitely interested. But Pam chooses Jim, fights and all, and in doing so, puts them back on the right path.

It's a teary moment when Pam tells Jim that she wants to fight. What is she saying? That she wants to fight about what's gone on between them? Or that she wants to fight for their marriage? Jim and Pam have come so far in the past nine seasons. To see them fall apart now would be intolerable, and because they're working it out, they will only be stronger for the experience.

Lastly, there's a blink-and-you-miss-it moment when Darryl (Craig Robinson) almost turns Oscar (Oscar Nunez) down on acting like a couple for a mall discount, and then, seeing the camera, changes his mind. Setting aside that this leads to a fantastic genuine moment later on, where Darryl defends Oscar's homosexuality, it also is a sign of the changing tone of the documentary being made.

Before, this kind of thing hasn't been seen, so it was likely cut in the editing room. Now, this isn't the first slip up allowed in, and it makes me wonder what is going on with the rest of the crew. Brian's incident definitely isn't the only thing of interest happening behind the camera, and I can't wait to find out more.

"Couples Discount" is a superb episode of The Office. It may not be as laugh-out-loud funny as it has been in the past, but the real emotional heft more than makes up for it. This has been a terrific season, and a fitting bounce back from the weakness of last year. Catch more episodes of the final season Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

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The Office celebrates a "Dwight Christmas"

NBC's The Office continues the emotional journey of its final season. In "Dwight Christmas," Pam (Jenna Fischer) manipulates her co-workers into throwing Dwight's (Rainn Wilson) dream holiday celebration as a gift for Jim (John Krasinski). It works, and Jim is giddily amused. But when he cuts out early to head to Philadelphia for his new job, Dwight feels slighted, and calls off the celebration.

"Dwight Christmas" makes obvious what many of us have long suspected, and what The Office has allowed small glimpses of from time to time: Dwight and Jim have a brother-style relationship, at least in Dwight's eyes. He claims to hate Jim, but how hurt he is when Jim leaves tells a different tale. This proves not only a deep affection for the other man, but also how much Dwight is going to miss Jim when if he quits Dundler-Mifflin completely and moves away.

The Office may portray a dysfunctional family, but make no mistake about it, the co-workers do comprise a family. Every clan has their tiffs and disagreements, but in the end, they care about each other. Whether it's Oscar (Oscar Nunez) trying desperately to heal things with Angela (Angela Kinsey) after sleeping with her husband, or it's Phyllis (Phyllis Smith) and Stanley (Leslie David Baker) promising to help Jim out after giving him a ribbing, as they did last week, these people mean something to one another.

What better way to mark a final season than to demonstrate this? There is definitely starting to be a sense of an end in sight, with several characters considering paths that will take them away from the group. It's a shame, but it's also life, and viewers should be grateful for these people while we've had them. We've gotten to witness such a long stretch of their lives, and what they mean. It's very relatable, and as much as the employees may shed a tear in the end, so, too, should the fans at home, who have become invested, and may even feel like part of the family themselves.

During the party, Darryl (Craig Robinson) gets drunker and drunker, angry at Jim for seemingly forgetting about him in his new venture. It's a classic case of misunderstanding, as Jim hasn't forgotten to include him, but has not remembered to tell Darryl exactly what Jim has done for him. Yet, even while playing out such a familiar, unoriginal trope, "Dwight Christmas" still manages to be good because Robinson, along with his fellow actors, know how to sell the heart that beats at the center of the series.

Speaking of heart, a couple of relationship developments happen in "Dwight Christmas," too. Toby (Paul Lieberstein) senses some interest from Nellie (Catherine Tate), who may return the feelings. It's interesting that former boss, Michael's (Steve Carell), nemesis would get with new boss, Andy's (Ed Helms), foe, but there's also a bit of poetry in that. Plus, neither one has any other prospects in (or outside of) the office, and it's cool if they end up finding something in each other. Even if their co-workers might judge it the grossest pairing in the company.

Unfortunately, at the same time, a couple many are rooting for is falling apart. Andy is still MIA, not only continuing his run of being a bad, absentee manager, but also threatening things between himself and Erin (Ellie Kemper) by neglecting her. A lonely Erin falls sway, somewhat, to the charms of new guy Pete (Jake Lacy). It's hard not to think that Erin might be better off with Pete, who definitely cares about her, and at the same time, it's difficult to give up on Andy after everything we've seen from him over the years. It's a complicated, messy situation that will likely not resolve itself until the very end.

The Office, in its final season, is embracing the things that have made it so good in the past. This is a relief, considering the wandering, less-than-stellar past year. The show is taking its victory lap, and in doing so, has found itself again.

Watch The Office Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!

Article first published on TheTVKing

Last day at The Office

NBC's The Office returned this week with "New Guys," the final season premiere of the long-running sitcom. It felt like the end, too. Sure, there were a couple of new staff members at Dunder Mifflin, but others have moved on, and a couple of the leads are contemplating their next step for their future. I don't know if this final season can make up for the mess of last year, but "New Guys" gets them off to a promising start.

Kelly (Mindy Kaling) is gone, whisked away to the glamor of Miami (Ohio) by her fiance, Ryan (B.J. Novak) trailing her and trying to pretend that he's not. I really wish there had been an entire episode where this played out, rather than a couple of scenes shown with voice over, but at the same time, Ryan and Kelly were never the focus of The Office. It's an appropriate ending for them, as far as the series is concerned, though I will miss them. (Kaling and Novak are both currently working on The Mindy Project, which premieres this Tuesday on FOX).

Jim (John Krasinski) considers moving on, too. A buddy of his is starting a business based on Jim's idea, and wants Jim to be a part of it. At first, Jim hesitates because it would mean moving his family and taking a big risk with their financial future. But when he sees what he has become through a new employee his co-workers dub "Young Jim" (Jake Lacy, Better With You), he decides that he must give it a shot.

Does Jim have the luxury of following his dreams now? Before having children, sure, as long as wife Pam (Jenna Fischer) is on board. As a creative person herself, she probably would be. Now that he has a couple of little mouths to feed, though, is it selfish of him to leave the security of the paper company to work on a venture that could fail? I guess it would depend on what kind of savings he has tucked away. But it's TV, and we're near the end, so anything can happen.

Dwight (Rainn Wilson) feels much the same as Jim when viewing his own "Young Dwight" (Clark Duke, Greek, Hot Tub Time Machine), but doesn't have the same prospects that Jim has. Learning Angela's (Angela Kinsey) baby isn't his adds to his misery. So, with no outlet for these feelings, Dwight acts out by trying to ride a bicycle on a wire off the roof of the building. It does not go well.

Most people who follow television know that Dwight is about to get his own spin-off called The Farm that will open a completely new chapter of his life. And he's ready for it. Dwight is no longer the same goober he once was, having grown as a person. He can't be held down by a menial job. He needs something more. It's time.

Seeing Dwight and Jim reach this point almost simultaneously is thrilling. These are two beloved characters who we have seen shaped over nine years. To be present at the time of major change is great, and it's nice that the writers are going to take their time with these plots, rather than just toss them in the last few episodes of the season. In this way, the conclusion should feel natural, and make watching The Office this entire time totally worth it.

In other plot, Andy (Ed Helms) comes back from leadership training more confident and in charge. This isn't good news for Nellie (Catherine Tate), whom Andy justifiably resents after she tried to steal his job. The thing is, as much as I've disliked Nellie, seeing Andy being such a bully to her makes me feel bad for her. This poor woman is just looking for an anchor to hold on to, and she has nowhere else to go. Hopefully, Andy will see that soon, and take pity on her. Having the bravado stripped away has humanized Nellie in a single episode. Terrific job.

Awesome throwback that Andy finally hates Toby (Paul Lieberstein) as much as Michael did! It seems like balance that I hadn't even noticed was off has been restored to the universe.

Lastly, it turns out that Oscar (Oscar Nunez) is having an affair with Angela's husband (Jack Coleman). I can't say that I didn't see this coming, but it's a regrettable turn of events. Unless Angela leaves with Dwight for the spin-off (she hasn't shown up in the current cast list), this leaves her with no happy ending. She is a miserable person, but no one deserves to be cheated on. It's not a bad story, but I'm still hoping the writers find a way to satisfactorily resolve this, and I have no idea what that could be.

Oh, and Creed (Creed Bratton) has gone completely insane, which doesn't bode well for the safety of anyone who works there. Might there be a death looming? Might he even be the infamous Scranton Strangler (assuming you don't believe the Jim Carrey theory).

The Office's final season continues Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

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

Better With You greets the baby

     ABC's Better With You ended its freshman run with "Better With the Baby." By the title, it's easy to predict the main event in the episode: Maddie (Jennifer Finnigan) searches for her next career path. Oh, and Mia (Joanna Garcia-Swisher) also goes into labor. Everyone rushes to the hospital to be there for her birth, which is complicated when she suddenly decides she must be married before the baby comes. Casey (Jake Lacy), a.k.a. the most patient boyfriend in the world, agrees. The cast must pull together to make that happen, because unlike many first-time mothers, it is soon clear that Mia's baby is coming pretty quickly.


     It's May sweeps, which is the biggest sweeps period for stunts because it overlaps with season finales. Better With You merges a wedding and a birth into one plot, serving the necessary big developments quota. By combining those two particular events, the sitcom could easily shoot itself in the foot, making the episode utterly unbelievable and ridiculous. For a freshman series to do so is unwise. Yet, the series pulls it off with a pretty charming episode.

     That's because 'baby' and 'wedding' are not pounded in the viewer's faces every minute. Better With You's strength is the tightly defined six main characters and their interactions and dialogue with each other. By structuring "Better With the Baby" as a series of those small scenes that happen to surround the hype story, the show strikes a delicate balance in entertainment, pulling off a not-terrible episode from a risky recipe.

     It probably also helps that one character is really not thinking much about the baby at all. Maddie steals a list of patients and their occupations from the nurses' station, and spends much of her time running around to discuss different career possibilities for herself. All of the Better With You characters are selfish, in the tradition of Seinfeld and It's Always Sunny..., but this may be a new low. Her sister is giving birth down the hall! In Maddie's defense, she does keep tabs on Mia, and does not miss anything important. But still...

     This is in character for Maddie, though. She is very career-orientated, and being without one has screwed her up. She needs purpose and goals in her life and doesn't have any. It would be hard for her to devote her full attention to helping anyone else before she rights her own course, which is a little like securing your own gas mask on the plane before your child's. From one perspective, Maddie's need to land that next job before devoting herself to her sister is actually the best way she can help Mia. It's justa bit twisted compared morally to what most people accept.

     Luckily, Maddie's side mission does help Mia, because she finds a judge (the talented Edward Herrmann, Gilmore Girls) who is a patient, and he agrees to perform the ceremony. Any opportunity to see Herrman on screen is welcome, especially one that finds him officiating a wedding in a hospital gown and robe. Perhaps a bit undignified, but funny.

     All of the characters on Better With You are a bit twisted. Joel (Kurt Fuller) and Vicky (Debra Jo Rupp) illustrate this best, especially in their marriage. Perhaps because they're older, they care less about what others think, and just say whatever they feel like saying. While their daughter is in labor, they are involved in a marital squabble about Joel throwing out one of Vicky's family heirlooms. An act he did decades ago, not recently, by the way. They are concerned about Mia, but not so much so that they can't find time to fight.

     Vicky and Joel's relationship works, despite the clashing, because they are both honest with each other, and mostly accept who the other is. Joel ends up screaming at Vicky that he would throw away the precious heirloom all over again because their marriage has been great and he wouldn't change one thing. It may sound like a cop out, but it comes from a place of sincerity. She is moved, and they make up. With lesser actors, this story would not work, because it exposes a very kooky pair that is hard to relate to. But Rupp and Fuller expertly balance real emotion with their weird quirks in a way where even yelling can be sweet. And very enjoyable to watch.

     As reported in other reviews, Better With You has really defined itself by finding a working formula. All six cast members have wonderful chemistry, and the writing is witty. For instance, this week, all of the Putneys couldn't understand why Ben (Josh Cooke) thinks he will be Uncle Ben (wonder why no one made the obvious rice joke?) when he isn't legally married to Maddie. They just state it so matter-of-factly, not intentionally hurting Ben's feelings, but doing so all the same. He rolls with it, used to their dismissal of him. It's almost a throwaway, but is memorable because it lands so well. These sort of amusing bits happen multiple times in every episode.

     That's why Better With You, a bubble show, deserves a second season. It has characters and situations that deliver, and it will break new ground. After all, how many sitcoms rearranged themselves around a baby? Especially selfish sitcoms? Yet, that is likely to happen, as in the confined world of the six main characters, it isn't realistically possible to hide the kid off screen too frequently, as is so often done on television. Please, ABC, give the show a chance to continue. It has met expectations so far.

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Click here for all of my Current Season Reviews.

     To be notified when Better With You comes out on DVD, visit Amazon.com.

Article first published as TV Review: Better With You - "Better With the Baby" on Blogcritics.

Better With You is better all the time

     ABC's Better With You has refined the formular in introduced last fall. In last night's installment, the first in over a month, the series demonstrated exactly what it does. First, open with a joke strung between the three central couples illustrating their differences. This week, lies were talied up. Then present at least two stories that have some similarities and intersect between all six central players. Then, end with another gag split between all three. In this case, each couple takes some sort of magazine quiz. The younger two duos are searching for compatibility, while the eldest picks out a cemetary.

     Each of the six has now defined who they are. Like many sitcoms, Better With You doesn't so much as go for layers, as it does slightly eccentric characters with hilariously exaggerated flaws. Maddie (Jennifer Finnigan) loses her job, but lies to her parents about it because she is super-career driven and prideful. Mia (Joanna Garcia-Swisher), Maddie's younger sister, also lies to her parents, but because she is selfish and doesn't want them to know. Her guy, Casey (Jake Lacy), has discovered a book handed down and read to generations of Putney children, is worth a lot of money. Mia only puts up a facade of not wanting to hurt her mother Vicky's (Debra Jo Rupp) feelings, but actually prefers the cash. Both daughters tell untruths to avoid looking bad, and both of their men support them in their deceit.

     The children's book turns out to be extremely racist, and so Mia, in another effort to not look bad, exposes the offense to the potential buyer and doesn't sell the book. While Mia and the buyer quickly realize how bad the book is as soon as they read it as adults, apparently Vicky did not when she read it to her children. Yet, she also sees the flaw as soon as she flips back through the pages. So that means Vicky was racist two or three decades ago, long after it was permissible?

     The truth is, the characters aren't all that likeable. But they are funny enough that viewers will forget that, as they do with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia or Seinfeld. Perhaps it's because it can make people feel superior to watch characters that are more broktne than they are. Or maybe it's just that Better With You is very, very funny, and so it doesn't really matter what types of people are featured. Either way, be sure to watch it.

     The show also stars Josh Cooke and Kurt Fuller. Better With You airs Wednesday nights at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

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

Click here for an alphabetical list of all of Jerome's Current Season Reviews.


Other Better With You reviews I've written:

• Better With You really shaping up
• Better With You is better than most

Better With You Really Shaping Up

     All new shows have little bugs to work out. When ABC's Better With You began last fall, it had fewer than most. Months later, it is rapidly becoming a must-see. Even though newcomer Casey (Jake Lacy) arguably bonded with the rest of the family a little quicker than realistic, the six central characters have wonderful chemistry in any combination. The series frequently mixes up who spends time with who to delight in new arrangements, but it is strongest when all are together, as was the case for most of this week's episode, "Better With a Leather Jacket".

     Casey has an important job interview to play a mascot named Maddie. This mascot is known as Maddie because it's for a WNBA team that plays at Madison Square Garden. Showing clever writing, Joel (Kurt Fuller) remarks that daughter Maddie (Jennifer Finnigan) is also named Maddie for Madison Square Garden, as he is pretty sure she was conceived in the bathroom there during a concert. Never mind the coincidental names, that one line, and Maddie's reaction to it, made the entire bit totally worth it.

     Anyway, Casey borrows a jacket for his interview from Ben's closet. It's a leather jacket in a box at the back of the closet. Unaware of the family incidents involving the jacket, he takes off. When the others discover what Casey is wearing, they are horrified, as it is the storied unlucky jacket that has brought misery on every single one of them when they wore it. We see four of the five bad things happen in flashback, though for some reason, Vicky (Debra Jo Rupp) is always interrupted before she gets going, so we never see her tale. Is the show saving it for a stand alone episode in a year or two? Because that would be a really cool reference later on. If not, I still found it bizarrely humorous that she was left out.

     Casey is actually having pretty good luck in the jacket, until the others catch up with him and try to rip it off his shoulders during the interview, making a mess, and screwing things up. Later, when he gets the job anyway, Casey uses his unique perspective to point out that the jacket actually brought them all luck, in a round about way. Too bad Ben (Josh Cooke) and Maddie have already given the thing away to their trivia rivals, who now go on a six month winning spree, decimating Ben and Maddie in competition.

     I like that Casey is the outsider, who can often make the others see something they didn't notice before. The other five have been together so long, they have shorthand and traditions and ways of doing things set in stone. They don't even question themselves anymore. Having Casey marrying into the family is a great way to upset their balance a little bit during season one. As the series goes on over the years (as I genuinely hope that it does), this will wear a little thin, though. Soon enough Casey will start adapting to them. What will the show do then?

     At first glance, Casey is also the weird one, but if you stop and think about it for a few moments, Casey may actually be the most normal in the group. Vicky thinks her alcoholism isn't a problem, and everyone lets her get away with it. Maddie's perfectionist ways are annoying, but again, everyone in the family lets her get away with it, only making it worse. Even Mia (Joanna Garcia, who recently added a Swisher surname), who thinks she's the sanest in the group, has her quirks, usually demonstrated by a subtle gesture or offhand comment. Her story when she was in denial about needing pregnancy pants was LOL worthy.

     The reason these people are funny, though, is because they think they are normal, and really, almost perfect. Anytime a flaw is revealed, whoever has the flaw laughs it off, or throws it back on the person criticising them. No one ever learns anything. For some viewers, that may be a turn-off, as generally character growth is a hallmark of a long running show. But Seinfeld and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia both have enjoyed many seasons without any character ever getting the slightest bit better. I see Better With You as the next in the line of unlikable characters being entertaining to watch.

     Yes, all six are unlikable, in the most charming way possible. Despite their flaws, or really, because of them, it is loads of fun to watch Mia, Maddie, Vicky, Joel, Ben, and Casey every week. For now, they don't even need guest stars, as most shows do, and have frequently gotten by without them. I recommend you join me on their adventures.

     Better With You airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.

Article first published as TV Review: Better With You Really Shaping Up on Blogcritics.

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

Better With You is better than most

     When I watched the pilot of ABC's Better With You nearly five weeks ago, I thought it was amusing, but perhaps lacking in that special something that makes it worth tuning in week after week. I didn't watch a second episode until yesterday. But when I did, I had to watch a third. And a fourth. And a fifth. I joyously devoured the entire run so far of what I consider the best new sitcom this year, though admittedly the competition isn't steep.

     Better With You has a team of experienced actors at its center. The parents are Joel (Kurt Fuller, Psych, Supernatural) and Vicky (Debra Jo Rupp, That '70s Show), a couple that has been together a few decades, are definitely set in the way they do things, even if it's not always the best way. For example, in one episode, the other characters were trying to figure out ways to resolve their problems, while Joel and Vicky just passive-agressively hid each others' stuff. Both actors are tops, and play much the same character they have before, but do it wonderfully. They conceit is wonderful, and Vicky has more of an edge that Rupp played on That '70s Show. Their chemistry is believable, though far from romantic, but I believe that's what they're going for.

     Their eldest daughter, Maddie (Jennifer Finnigan, Close to Home, The Bold and the Beautiful) has been with her beau, Ben (Josh Cooke, Big Day, Four Kings) for almost one decade, and live happily together, but have no plans to get married. They consider that a "valid life choice", though Joel and Vicky disagree. Recent plot has centered on Joel not considering Ben part of the family, and Maddie's frustration with that. Even in 2010, choosing not to get married seems a little weird, but as more people are doing it, it's nice to see it respresented so well on television. That doesn't mean I'm not rooting on them to tie the knot down the road (series finale?). However, if they do, will that invalidate the relationship they are portraying? Possibly. Interestingly, Finnigan and Cooke starred opposite each other in the short lived sitcom Committed back in 2005. I remember enjoying it, and it's gratifying to see them reunited.

     Younger daughter Mia is played by the talent Joanna Garcia, who starred in the ill-fated Privileged, and more recently did a four episode stint on Gossip Girl. She became engaged to Casey (Jake Lacy, the one unknown in the cast) in the pilot, and also admitted that she was pregnant with his child. We're only a month into the series, but Mia and Casey have only been together for two months. They seem to be adapting to living together quite well, and are lacking many of the problems a couple in their situation would face. The characters are so charming I forget that when I'm watching, but hopefully a little more depth will better round them out.

     The six starring players have plenty of failed shows this decade between them, although a lot of those failures weren't bad. Hopefully the mix of them together will prove to be the right formula to keep them on the air. They're off to a good start. ABC recently ordered a full season of the series, so they're not going away anytime soon. The comedy is good, but there is also sweet affection between them. The grown up sisters are still close, and while a tight-knit family is far from rare on television, another good one is always welcome. Plus I can't think of a show quite like it on the air, in terms of the way it delivers.

     My only complaint is the theme song and transitions featuring those strips of pictures.  People don't really use those a whole lot, and it's not something I see the characters doing much of.  It seems forced and kitchy, and does not really fit in with the rest of the show.  In my opinion, ditch it.

     If you haven't seen it already, I recommend checking out Better With You. It airs Wednesday nights at 8:30 p.m. (ET) on ABC.

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



Article first published as TV Review: Better With You is Better Than Most on Blogcritics.