GROUND FLOOR "On Top"

Article first published as GROUND FLOOR "On Top" on TheTVKing.

Seven episodes into its freshman season, Ground Floor has become a series I look forward to watching. The cast doesn't have the chemistry of Cougar Town and the writing lacks the weird fun of Scrubs, but it still is a reliable draw from creator of all three, Bill Lawrence. There are constantly decent jokes, and I do enjoy the show's leads immensely.

At the heart of Ground Floor is the relationship between Brody (Skylar Astin) and Mr. Mansfield (John C. McGinely). Did you think I was going to say Brody and Jennifer (Briga Heelan)? Well, as much as Brody and Jennifer's pairing provides the structure, the best parts of each installment are usually those where Mansfield gives Brody advice. Every part of Brody's romantic life is observed and commented on by his boss, and through these talks, we see the development of Mansfield.

At first, it appeared that Mansfield might be a retread of Dr. Cox, McGinley's Scrubs character. But as layers are willingly revealed week after week, it becomes clear that isn't the case at all. While Cox was closed off, Mansfield is open. Cox hated being a mentor, and Mansfield lives for it. Cox would never admit to screw ups and emotions unless pushed, while Mansfield volunteers such things, thinking nothing of throwing an arm around an employee and sitting close on a couch. They are really two completely different people.

McGinley is quite the talented actor. He really makes the little gags Mansfield gets work far more than they should. Each time he appears on screen, the eye is instantly drawn to him, and for good reason. Last week's episode found him singing and dancing in the empty office, and I don't know how the actor kept it together with the audience reacting as they did (assuming the show films in front of a live studio audience?). He really has something.

Brody benefits much from his lessons from Mansfield. Whether he agrees with his superior or not, and he doesn't always, there's a camaraderie and respect between them that belies their varying power statuses. Mansfield is someone Brody looks up to, and I think they are friends, too, though Mansfield would never admit it to the office.

Back to the more obvious central duo, Brody and Jennifer appear to be progressing nicely. I'm a little disappointed we haven't witnessed more of their development after the rocky start, with a bigger focus on shenanigans in the office than in their personal lives. I want to see them outside of work more, find out what kinds of things they are going through that result in them being stronger. They do have a palpable attraction, and I just want it to be explored more in-depth.

Which is kind of what is nice about this week's episode, "Woman on Top," in which we see strain between Brody and Jennifer and how they work through it. Mansfield unknowingly hires Brody's serious ex-girlfriend, Heather (Anna Camp, True Blood, The Help), and as cool as Jennifer tries to be, she gets jealous, especially when she sees how well Brody and Heather still get along and how much they have in common.

Brody and Jennifer do overcome the Heather obstacle, though. It messes them up, and they put in the work to get through it. That's what every strong union needs, to be tested and survive, in order to thrive. I'm not asking for constant drama on this magnitude, as that would be hokey and false, but to get more glimpses of these two in this manner would be welcome.

It is not at all unexpected that Heather leaves at the end of "Woman on Top." Camp is much too in-demand to stick around in a recurring part, and her desk position and attitude would necessitate she be constantly seen. So Mansfield sends her to run his Chicago branch, leaving the door open for repeat appearances, but not making her someone we have to see again.

Does Mansfield do this for Brody? He's been a supported of Brody and Jennifer, even when he resists them, so it makes sense he might do a behind-the-scenes move to help the couple. On the other hand, he's a shark in the business world, and Heather is the type of firm hand the Chicago branch needs. Perhaps it's just a win-win.

Heather's departure is too bad, in a way. Camp and Astin were two of the stars of the film Pitch Perfect, and "Woman on Top" is a nice reunion. Jennifer always has Harvard (Rory Scovel) lusting after her, so it could be interesting to toss in someone who might want to get back with Brody. Plus, it's just plain fun how fast Heather whips Threepeat (Rene Gube) into serving her.

Speaking of Pitch Perfect, a movie with a lot of singing, Astin and Camp have musical moments in this episode, and McGinley and others sang last week. It's cool that Ground Floor finds ways to work its actors' vocal talents into the series. I'm a fan of musicals in general, and while I don't think this will ever be one of those, I appreciate even small numbers done by talented performers. Between Ground Floor and Super Fun Night, it's nice to see this element emerging in the new fall sitcoms. More singing please!

The one thing Ground Floor has yet to figure out is how to effectively use all of its supporting players. Jennifer, Brody, and Mansfield are the real leads, and they are great. Harvard serves his purpose, and Threepeat is someone flexible enough to vary his role week to week, which is what is happening. But Derrick (James Earl) and Tori (Alexis Knapp, who was also in Pitch Perfect) don't really have a fit yet. I'm hoping that changes and Ground Floor moves more in an ensemble direction, as pretty much all the best comedies on TV have larger casts than just 3 or 4 characters.

Overall, Ground Floor has a charm that really resonates, and it is pretty funny. For a freshman show with only half a dozen episodes under its belt, it's doing quite well, and the pedigree involved is such that I expect it will mature nicely. I look forward to seeing where it grows from here.

Ground Floor airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on TBS.

Getting In On the GROUND FLOOR

Article first published as Getting In On the GROUND FLOOR at TheTVKing.

Bill Lawrence's (Spin City, Scrubs) newest comedy, created along with Greg Malins (Better With You, 2 Broke Girls, Friends), is Ground Floor, which premiered on TBS this week. A step above other TBS original sitcoms, like Sullivan & Son, because of more layered characters and stories, but a step below other Lawrence work, like Cougar Town, mostly because of an annoying laugh track, Ground Floor is not bad.

The series stars Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect) as Brody, an ambitious, talented young money manager who is on the ground floor of his life, early in both career and the romance department. The latter kicks off as the "Pilot" begins when Brody meets Jennifer (Briga Heelan, Cougar Town), a girl who works on the first floor of his building. Both of them are given grief by their friends for dating each other.

See, in Ground Floor, the business world is segmented into two classes. The upper crust makes the cash and works themselves to death, while the lower level are uneducated slackers. No one in either world supports crossing the boundary. Never mind that the building has many more floors than two, and should employ many more people than the scant few we see, at many different levels.

This is the problem with the series, which seems to be a trait of this particular network - simplifying things to go for quick laughs without having to earn them with depth. It's the reason why I don't watch many TBS sitcoms (Cougar Town excepted, since it wasn't originally created for the cable channel). And given the weaknesses, tossing in the laughter, whether it be a live studio audience or just recorded additions, actually makes it seem more inane and surface-level.

Yet, Ground Floor has a little more than these surface traits, likely owing to its clever creator. Brody and Jennifer don't start their relationship in a predictable way, actually giving us a portrait of two people that are more than a stereotype or a category. The co-workers are forced to mix right away, blurring the lines between tow two groups right off the bad. And supporting players seem to have a little more going on than their counterparts in Sullivan & Son's bar, even if it's only a little bit.

Part of the credit can go to John C. McGinley, who plays Brody's boss, Mr. Mansfield. Mansfield is sort of like Dr. Cox, McGinley's character on Scrubs, because he's a demanding hard ass. But Mansfield is a little more willing to admit he cares, and reveals something of himself to his underlings. He tries to mold them into himself because he's found success and he wants that for them, too.

In the second episode, "Off to the Races," which aired just after the first, Mansfield meets Jennifer, whom he's been counseling Brody to ditch, leaving more time for his career. Mansfield takes an instant shine to the girl, and admits to Brody that he knew he would, given Brody has good judgment. This is something we'd never see from Dr. Cox, and makes the whole situation, with Body torn between love and his profession, more complex.

The three main actors aside, though, I haven't found any way to connect with the rest of the cast, co-workers to Jennifer and Brody. Played by Rory Scovel (Zach Stone is Gonna Be Famous) Alexis Knapp (Pitch Perfect), James Earl (Glee), and Rene Gube (a writer on TBS's Men at Work), none of these stand out as someone to watch. At least not yet.

I can't say that Ground Floor has truly won me over yet, but it's earned a few more episodes. Given the extremely poor way in which Cougar Town began, before growing into a beloved favorite, there's every chance that Ground Floor can do the same, as it did have a better initial two installments. The premise is a little flimsy, but the actors and the writing give us a bit more than might be expected, so there's definitely hope to be found.

Ground Floor airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on TBS.

Those Who Can't

Article first published as Amazon Originals Those Who Can't Review on TheTVKing.

I finally found the stinker in the lineup of Amazon Originals pilots, released online this week. Those Who Can't is an unfunny, offensive, unrealistic look at lazy, slacking teachers in a high school. These men would never have made it through their student teaching, PRAXIS tests, or earned a Master's degree, as is required of teachers, and would have long been fired. When teachers have so recently been unfairly attacked in the political and social landscape, the last thing the profession needs is a piling on like this.

There are three main teachers in the show: Loren Payton (Adam Cayton-Holland), Ben Shoemaker (Benjamin Roy), and Coach Andy Fairbell (Andrew Orvedahl). They spend their days planting drugs on students, ignoring authority and responsibility, conducting illegal urine tests, flaunting arm tattoos, and engaging in illegal behavior. They think nothing of miming a sex act in the hallway, in full view of the student body, or hiring thugs to beat up a problem student. Ick.

None of the three cast members have many, if any, acting credits to their name, and all are listed as writers of this "Pilot." As far as their performances go, I don't really have any complaints there. I hate their show, but they sell the parts, and are committed to their roles.

Heading up this terrible school and staff is Principal Barry Quinn (Rory Scovel, Dead Monkey). He is a "feeler," more concerned with befriending everyone than handing out discipline. He acts frustrated with the teachers and threatens them with being fired, then hugs them and loses all sense of credibility. Barry, like the teachers, would never make it in the real world, but only by creating such a weak, pathetic leader can the teachers justifiably keep their jobs past episode one.

There are also a couple of gals, seemingly to round things out, gender-wise, though only one gets any part in the "Pilot" to speak of: the librarian, Abbey Logan (Nikki Glaser, Nikki & Sara Live!), the unwilling, but not totally discouraging, subject of Loren's affections. The others, Andy's wife, Crystal (Madison Champine), an old teacher named Gladys (Catherine McGuire), secretary Tammy (Erica Brown), and the smoking hot cafeteria worker (Adiamond Baker), have no development, and are played as stereotypes or cliches. Again, none of these actresses have much screen credit, but conduct themselves fine, considering the parts they play.

The only character I actually like in this "Pilot" is Beth (Shanna Grace), a student who seemingly doesn't deserve to be picked on, but whom Coach Fairbell outs as pregnant in front of her classmates when she herself doesn't even know. I felt bad for her, and her small bit was memorable.

Despite how distasteful I find this representation of educators, I wouldn't complain if it was funny. Reno 9-1-1 is terrible towards cops, but it's also hilarious, and no one would ever believe it's how the actual police act. The characters here belong in an office setting like Workaholics, not in a school, as that is where these men would end up, at best. Those Who Can't skews just close enough to reality to be eaten up by the ignorant, but far enough away to have no redeeming qualities. Education can take smart satire, but Those Who Can't is dumb comedy, aimed at the lowest common denominator.

I know there are bad teachers out there, but Those Who Can't takes it to the extreme in the worst possible way. I don't know why teachers have become the subject of such mean-spirited shots of late, but the profession doesn't deserve this, and combined with the lack of laughs this "Pilot" got (none), Those Who Can't is the one Amazon Originals series I would be highly disappointed to see picked up.

Those Who Can't is posted now on Amazon.com