New Girl deals with another new girl

FOX's New Girl this week deals with the conflict between "Jess & Julia." Jess (Zooey Deschanel) asks Julia (Lizzy Caplan, Party Down, Cloverfield) for help getting out of a traffic ticket. Julia agrees, but isn't all that nice about it. So Jess betrays Julia's insecurities to Nick (Jake M. Johnson), whom Julia is dating. Meanwhile, Winston (Lamorne Morris) realizes he doesn't have, and never had, game with the ladies when meeting up with an old flame (Kali Hawk, Bridesmaids), and Schmidt (Max Greenfield) obsesses over his perpetually damp towel.

It's cool that New Girl finally dwells on female relationships. Much of the premise and early episodes involve Jess and the boys. Which is fine. But now viewers get to see Jess hanging out with Cece (Hannah Simone), their lesbian friend Sadie (June Diane Raphael, NTSF:SD:SUV), and even interacting with Julia! Yes, Cece is a main character, but she's been barely used, like Stephanie (Kellee Stewart) was at first in the excellent sitcom My Boys, certainly a forerunner to New Girl. Unlike The Big Bang Theory, New Girl decides to expand the other gender earlier than expected. Only time will tell if it's a wise move or not, but for now, it's welcome to see some other sides of Jess as she deals with her fellow women. It also takes a little of the shine off her alluring, adorkable ways, a good thing.

Girls can be catty, which seems to be a theme of "Jess & Julia." It's not without merit in the real world. However, watching girls acts like "Mean Girls" can also be very uncomfortable. The discussion Sadie, Cece, and Jess have about the games women play will hit a little close to home for many viewers. Some may laugh, and some may cringe. This reviewer tends to fall into the latter category. Why can't they just be straightforward and honest? It will certainly allow for more getting along, understanding, and an easier time of life, in general.

That being said, the resolution of "Jess & Julia" is very satisfying, as Julia is drawn into Jess's gal circle. That's not to say that every female must sit and gossip and crochet, or even that Julia enjoys such things. Hopefully no one will take it as a commentary against the career-driven, less emotionally open woman, who is a perfectly valid type that needs no excuses. The series likely isn't stating that. But it's also good to see Jess and Julia getting along given their mutual affection for Nick, who surely wants his roommate and girlfriend to be civil to each other. Jess and Julia both make effort, and thankfully, they seem to find a way to work things out.

Might Jess's clash with Julia point to some hidden feelings for Nick? Jess and Nick definitely have chemistry, but New Girl has yet to explore this in any meaningful way. It's early in the series, and no one really expects the two main characters to hook up yet. But a jealous streak would explain Jess's initial dislike of Julia, and if Julia picks up on it, her hostility back. Of course, the girls could just be having a personality conflict.

Lest one complain that New Girl is treating women unfairly in "Jess and Julia" and painting a better picture for men, one only needs to look as far as Winston's subplot to disprove that. It's refreshing that a series pokes fun at athletes getting girls just because they're athletes, and explores what happens when the playing stops. Too often egotistical jocks get away with more than they should, a serious societal imbalance, though admittedly, not one that applies to every sportsman. Being a lower level on this hierarchy, Winston gets a harsh dose of reality relatively early on in life. This is great, because it gives him time to change, which he tries to. Winston is a likeable character, and having him figure out how to treat women will only add to that positive image.

And Schmidt is just damn funny. The whole towel debacle is classic Schmidt. He is easily the most laugh-inducing character on New Girl, and there can never be enough humor at the expense of his neurosis. True, it is gross to learn he has been sharing an (unwashed) towel with Nick. But the hilarity of Schmidt's reaction throughout "Jess and Julia" is well worth that punch line. Wonderful!

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Glory Daze a Slow Starter

     I just finished watching the pilot of TBS's new series, Glory Daze. It's a period piece about a group of college in freshman in 1986. Think Animal House: The Series and you'll be in the ballpark of what the show is.

     About halfway through the first episode, I was bored, couldn't tell the main characters apart (they all look alike!), and was fighting the urge to turn it off. I was also getting frustrated with TBS for pulling the brilliant My Boys and replacing it with this drivel. Then things turned around, and I actually enjoyed about the last ten minutes. I did not set a season pass on my TiVo, but I did decide to record episode two next week.

     The draw is certainly not the actors. I could list their names, but they're all virtual unknowns, with only a few credits between them, so it wouldn't give the perspective viewer any information. Small parts went to Tim Meadows, Cheri Oteri, and Brad Garrett. They were each funny, but had little time.

     No, the draw is the bond of brotherhood. Having been in a fraternity myself (though I pledged in 2002, not 1986, when I was three), I saw glimpses of bonds that really meant something. Sure, this series's frat in an overblown stereotype. But that might just work for it.

     I guess what I'm most confused about is why this show is trying to be an hour-long drama instead of a sitcom. I can't recommend it, but there was a glimmer of something near the end, so you never know. Glory Daze premieres Tuesday night at 10pm on TBS.

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Article first published as TV Preview: Glory Daze a Slow Starter on Blogcritics.

My Boys have grown into "My Men"

***Article update: My Boys has been officially canceled.

     Sunday night, the TBS comedy My Boys completed its fourth season with two half-hour episodes. Sadly, the fourth season only had nine episodes, but My Boys has always aired sporadically. After a 22-episode first season, which had both a winter and summer run, seasons two and three had only aired nine episodes each, and ran during different times of the year. Many people believe that My Boys will not be renewed for a fifth season, though there has been no official announcement either way. It's depressing, as it's a great little show that never got the amount of attention it deserved. However, if it is gone for good, the final episode, "My Men," will serve as a nice series finale.

      The show stars Jordana Spiro as P.J. Franklin, a sport columnist in Chicago. As the series began, we were introduced to her three male friends, irresponsible, dumb Mike (Jamie Kaler), party boy Brendan (Reid Scott), and anal retentive Kenny (Michael Bunin). Also part of the group was P.J.'s brother, Andy (Jim Gaffigan) and her lone female friend, who mostly stayed away from the group, Stephanie (Kellee Stewart). Introduced in the pilot was a new co-worker and love interest for P.J., Bobby (Kyle Howard), who first joined the group, and only later became involved in a serious relationship with P.J.

      This season has brought about many changes. Bobby lost his fortune and moved in with P.J. Kenny lost his business, of which Mike was the sole employee, so they both were out of work. P.J. got the chance to go for her dream job, the gang's bar closed down, and Andy moved away to Japan. This last development allowed room for Stephanie to take a more central role and start to spend time with the rest of them. Add to that, she has been dating Kenny, so she is more firmly entwined than ever. I missed Andy quite a bit, but finally liking Stephanie after three years of wondering why she was even in the cast made up for the loss.

      It wasn't just external changes, though, that marked the fourth season. Each character grew to maturity in a new way. Bobby had to figure out what he wanted out of life. P.J. had to settle her priorities, whether she'd rather have her dream job, or a life with her friends. Kenny had to make a big commitment to Stephanie. Brendan traded in his night club for a more grown up venue. And last, but probably the biggest, Mike realized that he wasn't a kid anymore and needed to change some things. This culminated in his falling in love with, and wedding in the finale, Marcia (played by the hilarious actress Rachael Harris). I love Harris, and she made a great companion for Mike.

      Seeing how this past season panned out really made watching the show worth it. It was an enjoyable sitcom from the beginning, found its legs late in the first season, and really became something special by the fourth. The only thing I will regret if it goes off the air is that Jim Gaffigan did not return in any of the nine episodes. A guest spot for him at the end would have been perfect. However, if the show does somehow get picked up, which I sincerely hoped, not only could they save a scene for Gaffigan, but Harris should be installed full time, or at least half-time. It would shake up the dynamic, keep things fresh, and allow the show to grow even more.

The Big C premiere elicits a yawn

    It's hard to fairly judge a show by it's pilot.  I try not to, although if it has a really terrible pilot that I couldn't even sit through, then I don't expect subsequent episodes to be any better.  Showtime's new half hour offering, The Big C did not have a great pilot.  It was filled with cliches and trite dialogue.  However, I adore the lead, Laura Linney (John Adams), and the cast has plenty of other talent with Oliver Platt (The West Wing), John Benjamin Hickey, Reid Scott (My Boys), Gabriel Basso, Phyllis Somerville, and Gabourey Sidibe (Precious).  Admittedly, many of those people have a limited career history, but each held their own in the first episode.

     The series involves Linney's character, Cathy, dealing with cancer.  It isn't a big reveal held to the end of episode one.  It's the title issue.  Of course, she goes a little bit crazy.  She breaks into a neighbor's house, has a giant pool dug in her tiny back yard, and cusses and bribes a student.  But we can forgive her because she might die, right?  Right?  Sure, some erratic behavior is fine.  But in a society where so many of our population have had this terrible disease, and so many have fought it into remission and lived many, many years after, only a certain amount of bad behavior is tolerable before the character becomes unlikeable.  I'm not saying that's what has happened to Cathy... yet.  I don't wish to sound insensitive, and surely some may think I am being so, but I think she could deal with her emotions without turning into a tool.  Again, has not happened yet.

     The conceit of the series arrives with a number of limitations.  Will Cathy die or force the cancer into remission?  If the show gets any better, and it's high ratings for last week's premiere are a good sign that people will tune in, the writer's will surely go for the latter.  But how long will the story work if the main conceit is taken away?  They can do stories about how someone copes after the immediate death threat has been removed, but again, it won't be too long before that gets stale.  And then will the cancer return?  How many times can that be done before viewers stop caring?  If it does come back more than once, a happy ending to the show would be almost impossible to leave viewers satisfied.

     The Big C has some things to work out.  But then, so does Cathy.  It's good enough to earn some more watch time, including the second episode, which airs tonight.  The Big C airs Mondays nights at 10:30pm on Showtime.

My Boys have grown up a bit

 
    TBS's hit sitcom My Boys returns tonight with two new episodes: "Addition by Subtraction" and "Gourmets and Confused".  Sadly, the first episode deal's with the group coping over the loss of Andy (Jim Gaffigan), who has moved his family to China.  Gaffigan is sorely missed from the cast, and it is quickly apparent that no one can replace him.  I gave the show props for realizing that, and not trying to pick another goofy comedian to fill his shoes.  The 2nd episode finds the two couples in the cast at a fancy restaurant, while the two single guys decide to try to have the best night ever without the rest of their friends.  Of course, there are some mix-ups and accidents, and soon hilarity ensues.

     Without Gaffigan, there is less slapstick.  The humor has had to tone itself down.  Kenny (Michael Bunin) and Stephanie (Kellee Stewart) now in a relationship that is publicly visible, and Bobby (Kyle Howard) and P.J. (Jordana Spiro) have settled into their couple status, comfortable after some time together.  The show used to be about a bunch of single friends and their antics, but gradually over three seasons, they've all grown up.  Even Brendan (Reid Scott) and Mike (Jamie Kaler), the two least responsible, and still single, dressed in suits to go find classy girls in tonight's episodes.  It's become a different show than it used to be, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing.

     Although no final decision has been announced, it is likely that My Boys's fourth season will be it's last.  That makes me sad, but unlike other sitcoms, the actual serious development of the characters should leave the ending bittersweet.  We have bore witness to a journey, with a definite beginning (and hopefully definite) ending.  Stephanie has gone from outsider and occasional gal pal to P.J. to full fledged member of the group, as well as overcome her hate of men in general, and Kenny in particular.  Brenden will soon be looking for his own apartment, while Mike considers steady work and love.  If we can get some Jim Gaffigan again at the end of the season, I will be fully satisfied.

     If you haven't seen the show, go ahead and tune in.  The first two episodes should bring you up to speed.  If you have, enjoy the series while you still can, because you may not get to much longer.  My Boys airs on TBS Sunday nights at 10pm, but tonight you get a second new episode at 10:30.