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.

"One More Time" to SULLIVAN & SON

Article first published as "One More Time" to SULLIVAN & SON on TheTVKing.

As I sit down to write a review of the season two premiere of TBS's Sullivan & Son, "One More Time," I looked back at my article last year about the "Pilot," and realize that I want to say practically the same things. It's a funny, charming show that is thoroughly enjoyable to watch, even if the story and premise don't hold up to scrutiny. Yes, there are plot holes, but it's silly and heart warming and that makes it worth my time. It's not stupid or groan-inducing, and that puts it head and shoulders above many other sitcoms.

At the start of "One More Time," it is not revealed how much time, if any, has passed since the season one finale. Yet, that only adds to my fascination with the series. The bar where the show takes place is timeless, with the feeling that one can walk in ten years after the first visit and nothing will have changed, including the patrons. It's sort of like Cheers, in that everyone knows everyone's names, as well as quite a bit more, and they welcome one another as a family. They just enjoy being together.

The 'B' plot of "One More Time" is a very typical Sullivan & Son story. Melanie (Valerie Azlynn) realizes that Owen (Owen Benjamin), Roy (Roy Wood Jr.), Ahmed (Ahmed Ahmed), and Hank (Brian Doyle-Murray) all lack some form of sports knowledge, and so sets about to fill in the gaps. The tutoring sessions quickly become group ones, with the format not unlike Alcoholic Anonymous, except that the flaw each has is that they aren't as knowledgeable as they pretend to be, rather than having a drinking problem.

This is absolutely hilarious because they are in a bar, and are awarded drinks for learning things. Hank's confusion that he is actually at AA for a minute is a bit odd, especially because he immediately drinks after, and we don't need hit over the head with the comparison quite so overtly. However, the chemistry of the characters and the choosing of such a standard problem for the setting make the story work, even though it's completely unrealistic that they need intervention for not knowing an obscure rule or two about a game.

 Of course, they have to make Melanie a part of the larger hole, and so her knowledge gap is about Sex and the City. Perhaps a bit cliche, to be sure, but by including her, she doesn't seem like an arrogant outsider. Had she just lorded her wisdom over the others, "One More Time" would not have been as good. By giving the guys a chance to assist her, even if they aren't all typically the type of guy who would have actually watched the girl-led show, it evens out the playing field.

The 'A' plot confused me a bit, though. It involves Susan's (Vivian Bang) husband (Community's Ken Jeong) coming to the bar, seeing how fun it is, and giving up his career to work there, too. Steve (Steve Byrne) isn't so pleased to have his brother-in-law around, especially because his parents make it clear they don't want to support Susan's family. Plus, the doc goes too far when he gets all of his co-workers drinking, too, and soon the hospital is almost completely without staff. Luckily, Steve helps them see that life balance is more important than just letting off steam, and they go back to work.

There are all kinds of problems to cite here. Susan's husband doesn't know pizza and beer are good prior to his visit? All of these doctors think they can just give up their careers and incomes? The local hospital is staffed only be a couple of dozen Koreans and three Jewish guys? It's OK for Steve to quit his job but not his brother-in-law? Not to mention, I was sure Susan was single in the first season, though I have been unable to confirm that on google.

Again, though, it's the overall tone of the series that wins out, beating its flaws. The story is amusing and it works for the environment. Jeong, whom I sometimes find over-the-top obnoxious in certain roles, stays within the boundaries Sullivan & Son is accustomed to. Steve's family interactions are a major selling point of the show, and he's a solid addition to that clan that will hopefully return again.

As such, although I wouldn't look too closely at "One More Time," I was completely entertained for the twenty-some minutes it took to view the episode. I like this cast and I like what they're doing, despite any complaints. It feels like the show is made of a bunch of buddies hanging out, and it makes you want to spend time among them. It's great escapism fluff to make you smile.

Sullivan & Son airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on TBS.

Come on down to Sullivan & Son

TBS's newest comedy is Sullivan & Son, which kicked off with two episodes this week. The "Pilot" begins when Steve Sullivan (Steve Byrne) visits his hometown for his father, Jack's (Dan Lauria, The Wonder Years), retirement party. Though Steve is an attorney in the big city, he decides that he can't let his father sell the bar, which is an institution in the neighborhood, to a stranger. So he gives up his career and fiance to move home and take over.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about Sullivan & Son. Let's start with the positives. First, there is a ton of charm to this series, oozing out every pore. It's been awhile since a sitcom was really about a community brought together, like this one is. There is family and surrogate family, the bar serving as a gathering place for friends and neighbors.

The acting is also pretty decent. The cast is staffed with a bunch of terrific performers, including Christine Ebersole (Royal Pains), Brian Doyle-Murray (Groundhog Day, The Middle), Jodi Long (Eli Stone), Vivian Bang (Yes Man), Owen Benjamin (Pretend Time), Valerie Azlynn, and comedians Roy Wood Jr. and Ahmed Ahmed. Each has already developed a well defined character, and the group chemistry is absolutely delightful. They are totally believable as a gang of people who just love spending all of their time hanging out together.

The individuals relate to each other well outside of the larger group, too. In the second episode, "The Bribe," Steve butts heads with his Korean mother, Ok Cha (Long). She wants to continue to pay off the health inspector, but now that Steve is running things, he refuses, wanting to go by the book. This results in him getting shut down and, after running an illegal backroom bar, arrested. The scene where Steve and Ok Cha confront each other in jail, neither backing down, but coming to an understanding anyway, is a great picture of an authentic, though not necessarily typical, mother / son relationship.

The stereotypes played upon aren't a bother either. Sure, Ok Cha is stubborn and cheap, which viewers are told is standard for Koreans. However, these adjectives do actually apply to Ok Cha, and no one tries to attribute them to her children (unless they deserve it), so while it may seem couched in a slight bit of racism, it's actually handled just fine.

Now, the negatives. Why is Steve's bar packed before 3 p.m. on a Tuesday? The characters kind of poke fun at this conceit, but that doesn't make up for the fact that it's a silly thing. I mean, perhaps if it was just Steve's friends at the bar, it might be excusable. But wider shots reveal plenty of other patrons. This does not make sense.

Also, while the characters in Sullivan & Son are said to do nothing but drink all the time, none of them are too pathetic. No one looks unwashed or smelly or in need of counseling. Even Owen (Benjamin), who is unemployed, seems to be doing just fine. Carol (Ebersole), the bar floozy, isn't ravaged by disease of a hard life style. It just doesn't hold up at all that these are the types of people that spend all day, every day consuming copious amounts of alcohol.

Then, some of the humor is ridiculous. Owen suddenly gets smart just by giving up alcohol for a few days, though he really has no motivation to do so, since everyone else continues to drink. Susan (Bang) gets a gun to hit her mother with. Someone needing a tow waits by their car all week. These occurrences aren't that funny to begin with, and pull the viewer out of the fantasy world the show presents.

Overall, Sullivan & Son has heart, but the concept could use some work, and the humor is uneven. A few tweaks and this could be a really fine show. Tipping the other way could ruin it. I'll watch for now and see which, if either, happens.

Sullivan & Son airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on TBS.

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