PilotWatch: ALLEN GREGORY

FOX Sundays @ 8:30

What's it about?
A new animated series that tells the story of one of the most pretentious 7-year-olds of our time.  When he looks in the mirror, Allen Gregory De Longpre doesn't see a child.  He sees a young man who is intelligent, sophisticated, worldly, artistic and romantic - characteristics he inherited from his doting father, Richard.  The pair share an extraordinary father-son bond - a bond that is sometimes annoyingly interrupted by Richard's life partner, Jeremy, for whom Allen Gregory has minimal respect, if any at all.  They live together in a stunning architectural loft, along with Julie, Allen Gregory's adopted Cambodian sister.  Although Allen Gregory has allegedly composed operas, written novels and dated Chloe Sevigny, he's about to embark on his greatest challenge yet: leaving the safety of his father's homeschooling and attending elementary school with children his own age.

So, how was it?
It's a basic rule of television that if you want your audience to keep tuning in week after week, you need to have a main character who will keep people coming back for more.  That's not to say they have to be a goody two-shoes; people also love a bad guy -- as long as he's got some relatable, redeemable qualities.  Allen Gregory has none of those.  He is a disgusting, vain, oblivious, rude, selfish person who doesn't care about anybody else and treats everyone like crap.  It's funny for about three jokes, but as soon as we see that there's absolutely nothing deeper or remotely identifiable about the character, we no longer care.

We quickly learn that Allen has adopted these qualities from his equally obnoxious father, Richard.  Watching Allen and Richard throw insult after insult at Richard's partner and their adoptive Cambodian daughter is not hysterical, it's tiresome.  Then somewhere between Allen condescending to his new teacher, having sex dreams about his 60-year-old principal, and crapping his pants, I lost all interest in this show.

This "comedy" was created by Jonah Hill, who also plays Allen.  Jonah Hill has managed to attract talented actors such as Leslie Mann and Will Forte to voice various characters.  I imagine they did this as a favor to their friend, a young man very excited about his new pet project.  I don't know who else thought this show would actually be a good idea, but it seems like no one involved in the production was willing to say no to anything Mr. Hill suggested.  Thankfully, it seems like the American people know how to say "No," as the show's premiere only drew 4.8 million viewers, immediately following the 8.1 million people who watched the third episode of the 23rd season of THE SIMPSONS.

Rating:
* Atrocious. I will never watch this show again. Ever.
I don't need to waste a half-hour of an already jam-packed Sunday (ONCE UPON A TIME, THE GOOD WIFE, DEXTER, THE WALKING DEAD, HOMELAND) to watch people verbally abuse their family members.  This show is definitely not getting a subscription in my Hulu queue.  Better stick to sidekick roles in Judd Apatow comedies, Jonah.

What about you, Fellow Addicts? Did I miss something? Or did you find the relentlessly abusive humor tiresome as well? Vote in the poll below and then hit the comments!

(For a quick glance at the other pilots coming out, check out my Fall TV Preview.)

What did you think of ALLEN GREGORY?

PilotWatch: GRIMM

NBC Fridays @ 9

What's it about?
A new drama series inspired by the classic Grimm's Fairy Tales.  Portland homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt discovers he is descended from an elite line of criminal profilers known as "Grimms," charged with keeping balance between humanity and the mythological creatures of the world.  As he tries to hide the dangers of his new found calling from his fiancé [sic] and his partner, he becomes ever more entrenched in the ancient rivalries and alliances of the Grimm world.  With help from his confidant, Monroe, a reformed Grimm creature himself, Nick must navigate through the forces of a larger-than-life mythology, facing off with Hexenbiests, Blutbads and all manner of ancient evils, including royal lines dating back to the original profilers themselves, The Grimm Brothers.

So, how was it?
As the second of two new shows premiering within five days of each other that are based on fairy tales coming to life in the modern world, GRIMM will draw countless comparisons to ABC's ONCE UPON A TIME.  While this comparison may be unfair (one is a a serialized mystery, one is an episodic crime procedural), it is inevitable and unavoidable.  For my money, ONCE UPON A TIME is by far the superior of the two shows, being infinitely more creative, complex and mysterious.  But that's not to say GRIMM doesn't have its own charms, and will most likely find its own fiercely loyal cult audience that all such sci-fi/fantasy shows seem to garner (FRINGE, SUPERNATURAL).

My main problem with GRIMM is in its very basic chemistry: it's a procedural.  Not one procedural has ever been able to hold my attention.  I don't watch CSI, or Law & Order or NCIS, and I never tuned back in to this season's UNFORGETTABLE after the pilot.  Hour-long dramas with an entirely new plot every week just don't capture my interest.  I prefer something with an over-arching storyline, which is exactly what ONCE UPON A TIME has and GRIMM is lacking.  That's not to say there isn't mythology to explore in GRIMM, but the basic format of each episode will be a new big bad guy every week, and that concerns me.  How many fairy tale bad guys will we go through before the writers run out of ideas and start recycling story lines?  We're not drawing from the infinite well of human experience, here.  The Brothers Grimm only wrote so many stories, and if the entire show is based on their writings, they're drawing from a very limited pool.

As for the pilot itself, it was a mixture of intriguing and infuriating ups and downs.  The production value was excellent -- the forest settings were lush and creepy, the colors popped, and the creature effects were decent.  David Giuntoli is blandly likable as Nick, but Kate Burton steals the show as his docile librarian (but secretly badass monster hunter) aunt.  Unfortunately, the writing was bogged down in cliché after disappointing cliché: The protagonist who doesn't know his own super-secret background; the black best friend and partner who's always got the main white guy's back no matter how crazy he sounds; the "bad guy" who turns out to be a misunderstood, wisecracking good guy; the mild-mannered ceramic-collecting postal worker is actually the creeper kidnapper hiding the girl in his basement (this whole plot line felt ripped straight from SVU: Supernatural Edition).  And unfortunately for the seemingly-capable Bitsie Tulloch, who plays Nick's fiancée Juliette, it seems as though her role will be relegated to nothing more than lovely damsel-in-distress, as Nick's aunt warns him to leave her or she'll be in danger (and we know that of course he won't).  In a world becoming increasingly aware of gender roles and the underrepresentation of women in popular media, the creation of an entire female role for the sole purpose of being a pretty plot device is disappointing.

But my single biggest problem with the show is the simple fact that Nick is a police officer.  That seems all-too-convenient, given the fact that he now finds himself faced with chasing down supernatural bad guys.  It felt lazy and contrived to me, especially given the fact that Nick's aunt, the only other Grimm we know, is a librarian.  That, to me, seems so much cooler.  Why couldn't Nick be something more commonplace like an accountant or a banker or what have you?  That would've increased the ironic juxtaposition of his new role and allowed for a lot of character development and exploration as he grows into his new role as a bad-guy-catcher.  It seems like the writers missed a real opportunity here to make their protagonist infinitely more interesting by having him be a writer, just like his ancestors, the Brothers Grimm.

The underlying mythology is the one thing that gives me hope for this show.  FRINGE started its first season as an episodic, X-FILES-ish sci-fi drama and has morphed into one of the most well-written, well-acted, under-watched shows on television (and one of my personal favorites).  Maybe one day GRIMM will surprise us all and transform into something similar.  The question will be whether or not it remains interesting enough in the meantime to hold my attention in this sea of new shows.  We'll see.

Rating:
** Okay. I may give it another episode or two to see if it gets better.
GRIMM had the misfortune of premiering against Game 7 of the World Series, but still did surprisingly well, considering: it managed to get 6.5 million viewers with a 2.1 rating.  That's the highest-rated non-sports show that's aired on a Friday since last December.  That sounds great, but that still puts it in 8th place for drama premieres this season between the already-canceled CHARLIE'S ANGELS and the desperately-struggling PRIME SUSPECT.  Also remember that CBS postponed all scripted shows last night in favor of reruns due to the game, while FOX similarly postponed their new episode of FRINGE (which seems like it would have somewhat of a crossover audience).  So for anyone not wanting to watch baseball that night, there weren't many other options.  We'll see what happens next week when those shows come back.  Granted, the bar for Fridays is set much lower than any other night of the week so even middling ratings can mean survival for a show airing then.

What about you, Fellow Addicts? Are you intrigued or turned off by the episodic nature of the show? Did it bother you that Nick was a police officer? Which do you like better, this or ONCE UPON A TIME? Vote in the poll below and then hit the comments!

(For a quick glance at the other pilots coming out, check out my Fall TV Preview.)

What did you think of GRIMM?

Which fairy tale show did you like better, ONCE UPON A TIME or GRIMM?

Showtime renews HOMELAND for a second season

Showtime has just announced that they are giving a Season 2 to their freshman political drama HOMELAND, starring Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin and Damian Lewis.

This will come as absolutely no shock to anyone who has been watching this stellar show, which is quite a few people.  In fact, it's the most people that have watched a new Showtime drama, ever.  HOMELAND had SHO's highest-rated drama series premiere, drawing in 4.4 million viewers in its first week.  (This may not seem like that many, but remember we're talking OnDemand, not network television.)  Furthermore, in a rare feat, ratings for the show have only been climbing since, with this Sunday's fourth episode being the highest-rated week yet.

If you haven't been watching this brilliantly-crafted show by the creator of 24, now's the time to start before you get too behind.

How do you feel about HOMELAND getting a second season?

CBS orders full seasons for PERSON OF INTEREST and UNFORGETTABLE

CBS just announced that they are ordering the back 9 episodes for two of their new dramas, JJ Abrams' PERSON OF INTEREST and the crime procedural UNFORGETTABLE.  Both of these shows will now receive full 22-episode seasons.

PERSON OF INTEREST has been averaging a 3.0 rating with 14 million viewers, while UNFORGETTABLE garners an average 3.3 rating with 13.9 million viewers.

With the full-season pickup of 2 BROKE GIRLS and the cancelation of HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN, this news means that Patrick Wilson's A GIFTED MAN is now the only new show on CBS left with an uncertain fate.

How do you feel about PERSON OF INTEREST getting a full season?

How do you feel about UNFORGETTABLE getting a full season?

AMC renews THE WALKING DEAD for third season

Zombie fans, rejoice!  We will get to see the dead rise, shuffle around, and occasionally munch on a regular cast member for at least another year.  AMC has just announced that they are giving their hit show THE WALKING DEAD a Season 3.

This announcement is unsurprising considering the show's popularity, especially after the Season 2 premiere received the highest ratings for a basic cable drama.  Ever.  It managed to rake in 7.3 million viewers with an impressive 3.8 rating.  Seems like this undead show has got some life in it yet!  (Horrible pun intended).

How do you feel about THE WALKING DEAD getting a third season?

ONCE UPON A TIME is fall's biggest drama premiere

The premiere of ABC's ONCE UPON A TIME got its fairytale ending last night as it became the most-watched premiere of any new drama this fall, even despite the fact that IMDB released the full episode two days early.  The pilot episode drew in 12.8 million viewers with a 3.9 rating in the Adults 18-49 demo.

Here's a breakdown of how all the new network dramas did on their premieres:
• ONCE UPON A TIME (ABC) 3.9/12.8mil
• REVENGE (ABC) - 3.3/10mil
• PAN AM (ABC) - 3.2/11mil
• PERSON OF INTEREST (CBS) - 3.1/13.3mil
• TERRA NOVA (FOX) - 3.0/9.1mil
• UNFORGETTABLE (CBS) - 2.9/14mil
• CHARLIE'S ANGELS (ABC) - 2.1/8.8mil
• PRIME SUSPECT (NBC) - 1.8/6.1mil
• THE PLAYBOY CLUB (NBC) - 1.6/5mil
• A GIFTED MAN (CBS) - 1.4/9.3mil
• THE SECRET CIRCLE (CW) - 1.3/3.1mil
• RINGER (CW) - 1.2/2.7mil
• HART OF DIXIE (CW) - 0.8/1.8mil

ABC's having a great year with all three of the highest rated new drama premieres.  And The CW, as the smallest of the Big 5 networks, unsurprisingly had the three least watched premieres.  I'm sure FOX wishes TERRA NOVA were slightly higher on that list.  Of those 13 shows, 4 have received back-nine pickups (REVENGE and all three CW shows) and 2 have been canceled (THE PLAYBOY CLUB and CHARLIE'S ANGELS).  It'll be interesting to see what happens to the rest of the pack in the next couple of weeks.

Chime in, Fellow Addicts! Did you watch ONCE UPON A TIME? If so, did it make you feel happily ever after? Or leave you as grumpy as Grumpy? What's your favorite new drama? Vote in the poll below and then hit the comments! (And make sure to check out my review of OUAT!)

Did you watch the premiere of ONCE UPON A TIME?

PilotWatch: ONCE UPON A TIME

ABC Sundays @ 8
Premieres Sun 10/23

The first episode of ABC's new fantasy drama, ONCE UPON A TIME was released in full on IMDB yesterday.  So here is my review, shortly in advance of its actual premiere tomorrow

What's it about?
Emma Swan's life has been anything but a fairytale.  A 28-year-old bail bondsperson, she's been taking care of herself since she was abandoned as a baby.  But when Henry -- the son she gave up 10 years ago -- finds her, everything changes.  Henry is desperate for his mom's help and thinks that Emma is actually the long, lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.  Yes, the actual Snow White and Prince Charming.  Even stranger, Henry believes that Storybrooke, the sleepy New England town he calls home, is really part of a curse cast by the Evil Queen, freezing fairytale characters in the modern world with no memory of their former selves.

So, how was it?
"From the writers of LOST" should be a pretty big clue.  Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, co-executive producers and writers of LOST take their turn at the helm as the creators of ONCE UPON A TIME.  (The duo was responsible for some fan-favorite episodes such as "Greatest Hits," "The Variable" and "What They Died For.")  Seeing as how LOST is my favorite show of all time, this was one of my most highly-anticipated shows of the season, and I was not disappointed in the slightest.

Let me get it right out there and say this: if you're not interested in fairytales or think they're trite or boring or whatever, then this show probably isn't for you (although you should still give it a shot -- it's very unique).  But if you, like me, harbor a deep interest in the fantastical, weird and mysterious, then this show should be right up your alley.  The pilot tells two stories: one story takes place in a world where all fairytale creatures can interact, and their battle with an Evil Queen who curses them all (herself included) to a world where there are no happy endings; the other story takes place in our world, which is now inhabited by the banished fairytale creatures, who no longer remember who they are.  It is in these parallel worlds that the show's greatest creativity is shown: Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) becomes a schoolteacher with an affinity for animals; the Evil Queen (Lara Parrilla) becomes Storybrooke's ruthless mayor; Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle) owns the town; Jiminy Cricket is a therapist; and Grumpy the dwarf is a drunken hooligan.

In the midst of all this is thrown Emma Swan (HOUSE's Jennifer Morrison), drawn into the town's plight by her own biological son, Henry, who she gave up for adoption ten years ago and now lives with the "evil" Mayor.  He tries to convince her that she is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and that only she can free the town from the curse.  She is, of course, skeptical, but by the end of the episode has booked a room in the town's bed and breakfast (owned by Granny and her harlot granddaughter who dresses in red, natch).

These many layers of mythology are easy to compare to the complex storylines of LOST.  But the pilot of LOST, as unarguably compelling as it was, consisted mostly of mystery after mystery being thrown at the wall just to see which ones would stick.  And six years later, some of those mysteries had been answered and some had not, to the fans' consternation.  The pilot of ONCE UPON A TIME, on the other hand, while mysterious and engaging, very clearly lays out the ground rules of the show and is presented in a clear enough way that makes me optimistic that the writers know exactly where the show is going.

The pilot is full of fun little winks at fairytale lore in the real world, such as when the Mayor stops to stare at herself in a large, oval mirror.  Here, some more heavy-handed writers might have inserted a line about "Mirror, mirror..." or how pretty she thinks she is or what have you, as though we didn't already get it.  Here, however, she simply stares at herself for a few seconds, and it's a beautiful, subtle moment.

There are many questions left hanging by the end of the hour: does the Mayor remember her past as the Evil Queen, or did she get caught up in her own curse and forget like everyone else?  How will Henry convince Emma that he's not psychotic?  And, my most pressing question, what will the series look like from here on out?  Now that we've seen the story of how the fairytale characters ended up in the real world, will we be revisiting the fairytale land at all?  I can see the show proceeding down one of two paths: either the show stays entirely in the real world until the fairytale characters somehow find a way back; or every episode gives us flashbacks into one or more characters' past in the fairytale land, elucidating some mystery important to the main plot.  Knowing that the show was created by the writers of LOST, I'm inclined to expect the latter.  Either way, I can't wait to find out.

Rating:
**** Certifiably ADDICTive. A must-see.
For anyone who loves shows with complex mythology, fantastical characters, stories of parallel worlds, or just thinks Jennifer Morrison is hot, this show is a must-see.  At least by the end of its first hour, ONCE UPON A TIME seems like the non-scary, family-friendly equivalent of AMERICAN HORROR STORY, in the way that both shows have many-layered plots, an ensemble cast, and clues to pick up on every week as the whole story is slowly pieced together.  And for me, it ranks right up with AHS as one of my favorite new shows of the year.

What did you think, Fellow Addicts? Were you as captivated as I was? Or did you find the fairytale focus too childish? What path are you hoping the show takes? Vote in the poll below and then hit the comments!

(For a quick glance at the other pilots coming out, check out my Fall TV Preview.)

What did you think of ONCE UPON A TIME?

PilotWatch: BOSS

Starz Fridays @ 10

What's it about?
Mayor Tom Kane sits like a spider at the center of Chicago's web of power; a web built on a covenant with the people.  They want to be led, they want disputes settled, jobs dispensed, and loyalties rewarded.  If he achieves through deception and troubling morality, so be it.  As long as he gets the job done, they look the other way.  Yet despite being the most effective mayor in recent history, a degenerative brain disorder is ripping everything away from him.  He can't trust his memory, his closest allies, or even himself.

So, how was it?
This review already feels somewhat moot, considering the series was renewed for a second season before the first season even began.  It doesn't matter what I or anyone else thinks, because it's going to be sticking around for at least two years.  But now that we've actually seen the first episode for ourselves, we can discuss: does it deserve it?

I felt very conflicted about this show.  Almost everything about it was top-notch: the acting, the directing, the cinematography, the score.  Kelsey Grammer is unsurprisingly stellar as the charismatic yet morally dubious Mayor Kane.  He is surrounded by less well-known but equally capable actors who portray everything from advisors to aldermen, from spouses to drug dealers.  The first hour was full of beautifully shot sequences that felt almost cinematic in their direction.  So why was I not blown away?

I think it's because, despite all these assets, the show itself is just not that good.  At least, not yet.  The first hour felt cliché, over-dramatic and extremely heavy handed.  Did we need to see Mayor Kane receive a victim's ears in a box in the last five minutes to understand that he's not a good guy?  Weren't the previous 55 minutes enough to show us that he's morally corrupt?  That kind of clumsily excessive writing doesn't add to the drama -- it undermines it.  It took the potentially-realistic series and made it an over-the-top tale of a gangster-mayor.  It's like Starz is trying to make Mayor Kane the Tony Soprano of politics.  Or, more accurately, the Walter White of politics.  Seriously, just take a look at this poster of the most recent season of AMC's popular BREAKING BAD:

Now, compare Bryan Cranston's expression in that poster with Kelsey Grammer's in the poster above.  Minus the facial hair, they are almost exactly the same.  Not that riffing off of other contemporary popular shows shouldn't be allowed (THE PLAYBOY CLUB and PAN AM both did it this year), but 

it generally doesn't lead to the most compelling original material.

Perhaps most importantly, the entire premise of the show felt almost unnecessary: that this corrupt Mayor learns he is suffering from a degenerative neurological disorder.  Kelsey Grammer is such a good actor, and politics are already such a minefield of complex storylines, that such a heavy-handed addition to the plot felt entirely superfluous.  I would have been completely content to watch Kelsey Grammer chew the scenery and partake in the machinations and backstabbings of Chicago politics without a fatal disease thrown in on top.  It reminded me of how the pilot of THE PLAYBOY CLUB started with an over-the-top murder of a gangster by a Bunny with the heel of her stiletto.  The idea that we need this extra hook to draw us in isn't engaging, it's insulting and betrays a lack of confidence in the material.  Now, I'm only saying this because after the opening scene where Mayor Kane finds out about the disease, it was barely an issue in the entire hour.  Perhaps as time goes on it will become more central to the plot, but for now, it felt like a quick addition on the top of an already complex plot for the mere purpose of hooking viewers.

Rating:
** Okay. I may give it another episode or two to see if it gets good.
If the material were as good as the actors and the direction, I would be very excited about this show.  As of yet, the writers can't seem to decide if they're going for realism or an exaggerated tale of corruption and betrayal that simply happens to be set in modern-day Chicago.  If they're going for realism, they need to cut down on the severed ears and injecting unassuming doctors with neurological inhibitors.  If they're going for the exaggerated version, then they need to cut down on the lengthy monologues about the nature of politics, and give in to the over-the-top absurdity inherent in a gangster mayor.  I may come back for another episode or two to see if the show strikes a better balance in one direction or another.  But if it doesn't, I'm not sure even Kelsey Grammer's admittedly stellar abilities will be enough to keep this one in my docket.

Your turn, Fellow Addicts! Were you turned off by the heavy-handed nature of the pilot? Or did you find it exciting? Do you think the show should go for more realism or more over-the-top?  Vote in the poll below and then hit the comments!

(For a quick glance at the other pilots coming out, check out my Fall TV Preview.)

What did you think of BOSS?

HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN now even more canceled

Just in case the announcement that CBS' new sitcom would be moved from its original Thursday slot to the Saturday night Death Zone quickly followed by the news that production had been completely shut down was not enough to trample the hopes of any HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN fan, the show has now been pulled from the Saturday night lineup after only one week.

Its single Saturday night airing drew in only 2.4 million viewers with a 0.7 rating.  That's a far cry from the ratings CBS is used to for its sitcoms (especially compared to the 15.14 million people that watched TWO AND A HALF MEN on Monday).  This means that CBS is not even willing to waste precious air time burning off the remaining episodes of HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN that had already been filmed.  It will be replaced on Saturdays by reruns of another (as yet unannounced) sitcom.

Sad news indeed for anyone still watching this show.  Good news for the rest of humanity.

PilotWatch: MAN UP!

ABC Tuesdays @ 8:30

What's it about?
Meet Will.  His evolved, sensitive nature is why his awesome wife Theresa married him.  But Will and his friends find themselves wondering -- in a world of body spray and manscaping -- what does it really mean to be a guy anymore?  Will is more interested in finding the perfect gift for his son Nathan's 13th birthday than in doing his job selling insurance, sensitive soul Craig still pines for his college ex Lisa, and Kenny clamps down on his anger and asks himself "What would Tobey Maguire do?" when his ex Brenda starts seeing a guy who is everything he's not.  And though it may not come naturally, each new day brings these lovable beta males another opportunity to Man Up and be like their forefathers.

So, how was it?
After last week's horrific premiere of LAST MAN STANDING, I was dreading sitting down to watch MAN UP!, ABC's other new sitcom about what it means to be a man in the modern world.  I assumed it would be a carbon copy of that show's sexist, homophobic, unfunny DNA (minus Tim Allen, of course).  Imagine my surprise then, when I actually enjoyed it.  And laughed.  Multiple times.

This show was, without question, the single biggest surprise of the fall 2011 TV season.  Thank goodness I had such abysmally low expectations after reading the synopsis and watching LAST MAN STANDING.  This show turned out to be much smarter, much better-written, much less offensive, and just downright funnier than I thought it would be.

MAN UP! and LAST MAN STANDING do have their similarities.  They both center around males who bemoan the emasculation of men in the modern world of tanning and pomegranate body wash while simultaneously striving to find what it really means to be a "man."  But whereas the protagonist of LAST MAN STANDING is supposed to be the very ideal of a man and what every man should strive to be, the three men on MAN UP! are not.  They are exactly the men that Tim Allen is complaining about: they use non-dairy hazelnut creamer, they spend the day playing video games and they strum guitars in chapels to the loves of their lives.  And that's okay.  They may talk about wanting to be more manly, but (at least in the pilot), they discover that what it means to be a man is not necessarily what they thought.  They decide to take a level-headed approach and confront the crowd of angry groomsmen (I'm not even gonna get into why there's a crowd of angry groomsmen...just watch it) to discuss their issues.  The one guy who decides to "be a man" and physically fight them gets arrested.  The three friends discover that sometimes talking, rather than punching, is the "manly" thing to do.  Or maybe the "manliest" gift to get your son for his 13th birthday isn't a shaving kit, it's just a sentimental family heirloom.  Cliché?  Maybe.  But far less offensive than the idea that to be a man you have to denigrate the female members of your family.

While LAST MAN STANDING spends its half-hour trying to tell its audience that to be a man you have to run a sporting goods store, talk about hunting and make fun of GLEE, MAN UP! teaches us that sometimes being a man just means bonding with your son, talking through your issues and listening to your wife.  Radical, I know.  Definitely not the same message that LAST MAN STANDING is going for, and will most likely actually alienate the kind of people who find Tim Allen's show funny, which makes me wonder why they were marketed so similarly.  While that show is targeted at people stuck in the 20th century who think it's still okay to be scared of gay people indoctrinating our children, this show targets people who recognize that what it means to "be a man" may have evolved over time, but just because you're not shooting something every day doesn't mean you're any less masculine.

To me, the most revealing difference between the shows comes in the last sentence of the show's description on ABC's website: "[MAN UP!] follows the struggles of three modern male archetypes as they search for their identities and try to prove that "real men" really can use hazelnut creamer."  That could not be farther from the point of LAST MAN STANDING.  In this show, rather than fighting the modern world, these characters will be finding ways to live in it and be okay with the fact that yes, they may use pomegranate body wash but yes, they are still men.

All this and I haven't even talked about the actors.  Briefly, then:  The three leads (Mather Zickel, Christopher Moynihan and Dan Fogler) are likable and identifiable, but maybe that's just because they're not busy talking down to their teenage daughters.  Teri Polo (MEET THE PARENTS) is drily hysterical as Will's wife Theresa, who quietly embodies the calmness and level head that Will is so desperate to achieve in his quest to be the man of the house.  Young Jake Johnson is a mini-McLovin as Nathan, Will and Theresa's awkward teenage son.  The whole cast is full of "no-name" actors who turn in believable performances, which is actually refreshing in this day and age of shows needing big names to attract attention.  Unfortunately, that may mean that this show continues to fly under the radar and see an early cancellation due to low ratings, which would really be a shame, considering that LAST MAN STANDING will probably survive based on Tim Allen's name alone.

Rating:
*** Solid. I'm interested and will definitely keep watching.
In terms of sheer laughter, I would rank MAN UP! below UP ALL NIGHT, but about on par with SUBURGATORY and NEW GIRL and above 2 BROKE GIRLS.  It was a massive relief to see a show tackle the issue of masculinity while not delving into derogatory sexism.  It will take a delicate balance to continue broaching this topic without becoming cliché or offensive, but the pilot did it with aplomb, and I'm optimistic that the writers will continue to be successful.

What did you think, Fellow Addicts?  Were you pleasantly surprised by the show or were you disappointed?  Which do you prefer, this or LAST MAN STANDING?  Vote in the poll below and then hit the comments!

(For a quick glance at the other pilots coming out, check out my Fall TV Preview.)

What did you think of MAN UP!?