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CBS sitcoms and The McCarthy's

D

ding12

So, I checked out the new sitcom 'The McCarthys' because it's starring the late John Ritter's son, Tyler Ritter. He has an uncanny resemblance to his dad and thought Tyler's acting was good too kind of like as if a young John Ritter was playing it but adapted to 2014 instead of 1974. Also, Laurie Metcalf is the mom on the show. The storyline was ok, and I'm not sure I totally like any of the other characters, however.

While I think there is probable future for this show, I can't get into the laughtrack being run every minute too. I haven't watched a CBS sitcom since 'Everybody Loves Raymond' and 'The King of Queens',but didn't feel it was so bad then. I prefer family based sitcoms over the adult friends type of sitcom also, so can't really get into some of CBS more newer hit sitcoms.

Has the laughtrack usage increased on CBS sitcoms and some of the other networks? Does this show have good likelihood of success?
 
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I gave it thumbs down. No season pass. I'm sure I totally did not like any of the characters, nor did I find them (and the situation) believable.

PS: Tyler Ritter is also Tex Ritter's grandson.

The only sitcom for which I have a season pass any more is Big Bang Theory and I can feel it running out of gas. Sitcoms are getting to be as dead as - well - radio.
 
I agree that the situation didn't make sense. The family was easily tolerant with the daughter/sister being pregnant by mistake from a fling, but they made a big deal with Tyler's character, a 29 year old, moving from Boston to Providence.

The brothers, sister and dad seem one-dimensional and maybe there are too many of them. Too bad I guess. I think Tyler has potential and I enjoyed the scenes of mom and son with Laurie Metcalf as the mom.
 
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Didn't watch. I was not a fan of Metcalf on Roseanne. She was more annoying than anything else. Building a series around her WILL be a job. The show sounds like one of those laugh every other line sitcoms, which many find so appealing, but I don't.
 
I'm pretty sure that if you put a laugh track over footage from an interstate highway traffic camera, people would watch it. Sitcoms these days have become so fake and unoriginal that it's... well, quite literally, it's not even funny.
 
I've seen enough in just commercials to know I wouldn't like it.

Metcalf is Sheldon's mother on "Big Bang Theory" and I like her okay in that. She wasn't too bad in "Roseanne" either, though I have yet to see all the episodes of that show. I've been reluctant because I'd end up watching some twice, something I don't have time to do, simply because after this much time I might not remember which ones I've seen.

It doesn't really matter because football was on last night. I can only hope the affiliate does air "Big Bang Theory" and "Two and a Half Men" later along with "Elementary". But those shows are among my favorites. I mostly tolerate "The Millers". "2 Broke Girls" is also one of my favorite shows.
 
ding12 said:
Has the laughtrack usage increased on CBS sitcoms and some of the other networks?
Click to expand...

I have quit watching BBT because the laugh track is so overbearing/inappropriate and the show has reached new levels of boring. Still liking Last Man Standing.
 
Didn't watch 'The McCarthys', it sounds like they're going back to the 'ethnic humor' well that they tapped into with 'ROB!'(Schneider's) sitcom a few years back, only with 'Boston Irish' gags instead of Mexican-American.
The ads reminded me of that Dish Network 'Hoppah!' ad campaign that finally fizzled out earlier this year; a bunch of loud, drunk, stupid 'close-knit' family, with probably no cast members having an Irish background, but at least one is bound to have the stereotypical 'pahk ya cah and let's have a beeah at Cheeahs' accent. Oh, and according to the ads, someone in the family is gay, so of course they have the usual 'insensitive' older dad/grandpa-character making Archie Bunker-ish comments about him, and being mocked by the rest.
 
And they had their best episode yet. Nathan went viral when Metta World Peace attacked him in an elementary school class for being mean to his daughter and Nathan used a child as a human shield. Is this quality? I don't know but it sure was funny.
 
And they're back.

Both of them. But I only watch "The Millers". Four so far. And for reasons mentioned on the "Taping Shows on Digital Cable" thread I almost missed two. But I did remember to tell the other machine to record.

Cloris Leachman, just for one episode, was a hilarious senile old woman again, occasionally lucid just like on her other series.

A Thanksgiving episode. Has it been that long?
 
So, they showed two episodes of'The Millers' on July 4? That's a great way to burn off a cancelled show, and pretty much guarantee no one would watch. I found out about the July 11 episodes in time to record them. The Thanksgiving episode was OK, but I really think that the reduced presence of Beau Bridges in the earlier episodes this season(present when scene opens, wisecrack, leave the room until next scene), and Sean Hayes' character pretty much taking his place, certainly wouldn't have helped ratings even if CBS hadn't killed the show so soon. At least he had a somewhat larger part in this episode.
 
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Beau Bridges was the biggest reason I watched. Well, once I found out his wife was so unpleasant. She was going to be the reason because I liked her in her other roles. Sean Hayes has gotten on my nerves this season.

I noticed how well-written her students' rants were when they opened Carol's time capsule. And she noticed it too. She didn't care about being liked. She cared that those students showed she taught them well.
 
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