Simply A Masterpiece

Blistering performances.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Being a fan of George Segal's old movies I wanted to like this but can't beat a dead horse anymore. It is now in its second season and I tried to watch it again thinking that maybe it got better. Sadly, I could not have been more wrong.There is no timing or flow to their dialog or interactions. If you just sit and watch you can almost see each of them running their lines and stage directions in their heads. When one person finishes speaking there is an unnatural pause and then it is like the other person "wakes up" to the fact that they must respond either with verse or action.To each their own little bubble and they never connect. No chemistry, no comedic talent and poor direction. Bury it already it is really starting to stink to high heaven.

The show focuses on David Robbins (Johnathon McClain), a young man who abruptly quits his job and moves in with his parents (portrayed by George Segal and Jessica Walter) at their retirement community.The writing for the show is awful. The show lacks creativity. Most of the jokes are unoriginal or mediocre 1-liners. George Segal and Jessica Walter are talented, but the lines they are given are not funny. McClain's acting is okay, but nothing great.Since the pilot, the show has only made minor improvements. The later episodes of the first season are not quite as terrible as the pilot, but the show has not improved enough to become worth watching.

IF: - You are new to the world of sitcoms - You are easily amused - You are about 15 years old in mind or body - You are too tired to change the channel - You are curious what this thing is like after the non-stop flogging/hookup with Hot In Cleveland commercials - You are alone in the house and want some kind of noise so it doesn't feel so echo-y and empty - Yearn for something that isn't vampires/lawyers/reality showsTHEN, my friends, this show is for YOU!35 year old wearies of working,'retires', moves in with comical (separated) mom and/or dad, blahblahblah. Of course mom and dad are still zesty, active (though the mom looks about 40 and the dad looks about 70), full of vim and vigor, enjoying life far more than their son, and diving head first into dating, potty talk, innuendo, and blabbing about S-E-X. Without a scrap of wit, originality, or humor. Just kind of embarrassing and dull. If you think this is the "family show" you have been yearning for, you are wrong. A carbon copy of a carbon copy of a carbon copy of ... well, any dumb 'racy' sitcom from the past 30 years... In real life, Dad would be a bitter old crank after a heart attack and Mom would be a bitter old crank with the beginnings of dementia, and sonny boy would be run ragged trying to get home health aides in so he can catch a break. No, this is some senior citizen's fantasy of what life should be. Derp!

Full disclosure: a friend of my daughter's lives in Los Angeles and played an extra on this show. She wasn't in the first episode but I watched it on-demand since I'm a huge fan of Hot In Cleveland anyway. I really enjoyed it. There's a lot happening in the first episode I saw and it takes a minute to all fall into place, but I thought the characters were charming and played very well. I've loved George Segal since Who's Afraid Of Virginia Wolf and The Owl And The Pussycat and he'll always be a movie star to me, but I'm glad to see him back on television too. I also love Jessica Walter and think she's wonderful. She leaves to go to Spain in the pilot, but according to the ads (and my daughter's friend who said she was there on the set) she comes back, which is good because I think she and George Segal together will be fun to watch. I also really enjoyed the actor who played the lead. I don't know his other work but he's adorable in the pilot and his relationship with George Segal is fun to watch. You really believe him and he makes you want to root for things to work out for his character. (And his reaction to when he ends up in bed with the older lady is one of the funniest thing in the show, it made me laugh out loud.)I can see how someone might not like it as much if they don't enjoy this type of comedy, but I miss these kind of family shows. I've tried shows like The Office and even Arrested Development but I just can't get into them. They can seem mean sometimes. (I do enjoy 30 Rock from time to time because I think Tina Fey is adorable.) But if you like this kind of old fashioned sitcom, I think you'll enjoy this. (My son is too young to remember all the old shows, but he watched it with me and liked it too.) And I think with the Jessica Walter character returning, it can only get better and I plan to watch it (or record it ;) ) when it comes on. I give it 7 out of 10 stars.