Can Lightning Strike Twice for Cosby?

Article first published as Can Lightning Strike Twice for Cosby? on Blogcritics.

NBC and Bill Cosby are developing a family sitcom starring the legendary funnyman. With the success of The Cosby Show many years ago, the question remains, can lightning strike twice?

First of all, I find it very odd that NBC is the network doing this. Not too long ago, there was exciting buzz about that channel bringing back Michael J. Fox in a family sitcom, and NBC was so confident in the project that it ordered a full 24 episodes before the series made it to air. Roughly halfway through its freshman run, The Michael J. Fox Show is a ratings failure, sure to never get a sophomore season. With its last place numbers, especially on the night that was once Must See TV, it seems like NBC is doubling down on a failed idea.

But no two people are like, and so, too, will no two shows be exactly the same. Just because Fox couldn’t find something fresh and new (his sitcom, which I finally gave up on in November, definitely feels like one that would have worked well in days gone by, just not now) doesn’t mean the Cosby can’t. Judgment should be reserved.

Now, Cosby has already attempted and failed at a second go-round. Cosby, which began a few years after The Cosby Show ended (and also followed up the even more short-lived The Cosby Mysteries), ran for only four seasons. That may seem like a lot, and the death of series regular and comedy star Madeleine Kahn may have had something to do with it ending then. But that run is rarely remembered by anyone, a footnote in Cosby’s career despite its Emmy nominations and the return of Phylicia Rashad as Bill’s wife.

TV audiences crave a good new family sitcom. Modern Family is aging and The Middle and Raising Hope barely get by. Most of the popular comedies on television today don’t revolve around a mother, a father, and their children. Surely, everything clever about such a unit has not already been told? We just need a new style to tell it in.

However, this may be not be the direction NBC is going with the new show. One idea being bandied about is to bring back many of the actors from the original The Cosby Show, and making this new venture a continuation, a la Dallas. Dallas works, though, because it balances a new cast with the old. Since most viewers would tune in for Cosby himself, would this potential series be able to do that? Nostalgia can only carry things so far, and as great as The Cosby Show is, its era seems to be over. They might be better served doing something completely fresh.

It might not be a bad idea to try to provide other draws for the show besides Bill Cosby himself, if they go in that direction. He is getting up there in the years, and given that most successful comedies run for close to a decade, that should be taken into account when sketching out the premise.

Age has not weakened Cosby’s humor, though. Doing a fresh stand up (to be more accurate, sit-down) special for Comedy Central last fall, he landed joke after joke. The whole thing was hilarious. He doesn’t need to convince anyone who saw it that he can still deliver in the humor department. And he did so by mainly sticking to the type of material he’s known for.

So maybe I’m wrong that a traditional family program can’t succeed today. Maybe it just needs that special Bill Cosby touch. Maybe his brand is exactly the right one to catch that lightening again, and he can be a television legend once more. We’ll see.

Guys With Kids throws a "Divorce Party"

Article first published as Guys With Kids throws a "Divorce Party" on theTVKing.

Many scoff at NBC's Guys With Kids. At first, I was one of the many. But something spoke to me, perhaps because I am (emotionally, not financially) at the point in my life where I am ready to have kids myself, so I kept watching. And week after week, the series grew on me. By last night's season, likely series, finale, "Divorce Party," I realized I am going to miss this show.

Now if the target audience is only wanna-be dads, I admit, this is a limited demographic. It's not like it's a particularly smart or high quality show. I find bad sitcoms much easier to tolerate than boring dramas, and the overacting and cheesiness that Guys With Kids brings to the table does lump it in the bad column. However, there is also some heart, and the characters are likeable.

Lately, a through-line is given to Gary (Anthony Anderson), who, tired of being "just" a stay-at-home dad, decides to start his own business. How many parents in their houses all day with only children for company long to contribute something more creatively to the world? Gary's story is the "have it all" inspirational tale, and because it's TV, rather than real life, he will surely succeed, at least in some fashion. Get it? Because his product sort of relates to fashion? Yep, it's  a groaner, but the type that fits with the tone of this series.

Gary needs help, though, so his wife, Marny (Tempestt Bledsoe), arranges for her lazy sister (Tempestt's sister from The Cosby Show, Keshia Knight Pulliam) to help Gary out. It doesn't go so well, since Gary's sis-in-law doesn't understand the meaning of a work day, but of course, this being a feel-good comedy, she ends up helping out in an expected way. I could have done without this too-neat ending to the plot, but it's nice to see TV sisters reunited, their excitement at getting together again feeling genuine.

What Guys With Kids does best is couple chemistry. Gary and Marny may go back and forth with one another, but they are on the same level, and are in it for the long haul. Similarly, Nick (Zach Cregger) and Emily (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) may just be comic relief in most episodes, but they have a similar tone to the characters, and just feel right together. The makeup of these pairings, actors and actresses well attuned to what their TV spouse is doing, helps with believability. All four are fun characters.

The third couple is a little more rocky, and this makes sense, since they are divorced. When first we meet Sheila (Erinn Hayes) she is just Chris's (Jesse Bradford) stuck-up ex-wife who makes Chris miserable and Nick pull out his claws. Yet, after her role beefs up midway through this first season, viewers may start to feel some sympathy for Sheila, who does seem to care about Chris, but may just not know the correct way to show it. Plus, Hayes is always terrific in every role she does, bringing some ineffable quality with her.

Late this year, Sheila and Chris decide to have another baby so theirs doesn't get only-child syndrome. At first, they look into artificial insemination, but then Sheila decides they should go the old-fashioned route, making it pretty clear that she's looking for a reconciliation, not just another infant. At least, Nick thinks it's clear, so he arranges for Chris's ex-girlfriend, Sage (Fiona Gubelmann, Wilfred) to re-enter the picture to try to stop Chris from going through with it.

In a show that is all about relationships, I think I might just like the Sheila-Nick dynamic best. Nick doesn't hate Sheila; he's mad because she broke his best friend's heart. Thus, he is determined to prevent her from doing so again. Yes, they are two different people who will never be friends. But I do think their sparring comes from a place of love, and Sheila engages in it so fully because it makes her feel like a part of the larger group.

"Divorce Party" ends on a cliffhanger, with Chris torn between going home with Sheila, or staying at the party with Sage. Sage seems better for him, but television shows never allow their characters to have easy relationships. As the single guy on the series, Chris isn't going to get remarried anytime soon; that would take away the dating angle, which, for some reason, every show must have. Which means he'll probably choose Sage, which won't last. Though, if the series is canceled, as it likely will be, we'll never know.

Will the television landscape be poorer without Guys With Kids? Maybe not. But it's a heartwarming, somewhat amusing tale of young people who really care for each other, who also happen to have young children. Perhaps the run would be limited at the kids grow older, but for now, it's something I enjoy watching. I hope it gets a last minute reprieve.

Also, Guys With Kids has a fantastic theme song, in my opinion, which is a rarity on TV these days.