The pilot episode which aired tonight rolls right in to the gist of this half hour TV comedy series which has mom Andi Burns (Liza Snyder) deciding to go back to work at the hospital which employed her 16 years ago prior to her birthing her first of three children who are now aged approximately 5, 9 and 13. Andi has a loving husband named Adam Burns (Matt LeBlanc) who owns his own construction contracting business and because he loves his wife and kids he agrees to help out a lot more with the raising of his children so that Andi can go back to work and not have to run their household all by herself. This is a simple enough plot and the three kids appear to be quite normal healthy children.
Unless I am missing something I just do not see how this family relationship with two working parents, raising three children is going to make for good humor week in and week out. I do appreciate that the audience should not expect too much from the very first pilot episode as the supporting cast is gradually introduced such as the stay at home feminine like dad named Lowell (Matt Cook), the gruff mom named Marie Faldonado (Jessica Chaffin) who is raising her even gruffer son by herself, and the kindergarten teacher Mrs. Rodriguez (Diana Maria Riva) who under her breath threatens Adam that she will not teach Adam's daughter Emme (Hala Finley) how to read unless Adam agrees to be one of the class mom monitors.
This first episode I assume was used to allow the audience to warm up to actors Liza Snyder and Matt LeBlanc and how they are going to cope with Andi going back to work and Adam taking a much more active role in driving the kids to and from school, helping them complete their homework and keeping their house tidy as Marcy always did.
Even with the encouragement of that nauseous canned laughter I just did not think there was much for us to smile about, let alone laugh along with that obnoxious canned laughter. When will TV producers come to realize that canned laughter is just insulting to their audience? The three kids are how should I say, pretty normal for kids. Their 9 year old son Teddy (Matthew McCann) apparently has a thing for playing pocket pool which kind of freaks out dad Adam. I don't know why it does and I don't think it is funny either. I can remember a time when our middle son was about two years of age and he asked us why he had a hole in his bum. Now that was funny and so was our explanation which was if he ever swallowed bubble gum his butt would seal up.
I really like Matt LeBlanc and I think he is well matched with his TV wife Liza Snyder so I am optimistic that maybe, just maybe, some of the story lines in Man with a Plan will have a back up plan that includes the opportunity for some belly laughing. I give the pilot episode a 6 out of 10 rating and I am optimistic that the Burns family may become a weekly staple for today's two working parents family values.
Unless I am missing something I just do not see how this family relationship with two working parents, raising three children is going to make for good humor week in and week out. I do appreciate that the audience should not expect too much from the very first pilot episode as the supporting cast is gradually introduced such as the stay at home feminine like dad named Lowell (Matt Cook), the gruff mom named Marie Faldonado (Jessica Chaffin) who is raising her even gruffer son by herself, and the kindergarten teacher Mrs. Rodriguez (Diana Maria Riva) who under her breath threatens Adam that she will not teach Adam's daughter Emme (Hala Finley) how to read unless Adam agrees to be one of the class mom monitors.
This first episode I assume was used to allow the audience to warm up to actors Liza Snyder and Matt LeBlanc and how they are going to cope with Andi going back to work and Adam taking a much more active role in driving the kids to and from school, helping them complete their homework and keeping their house tidy as Marcy always did.
Even with the encouragement of that nauseous canned laughter I just did not think there was much for us to smile about, let alone laugh along with that obnoxious canned laughter. When will TV producers come to realize that canned laughter is just insulting to their audience? The three kids are how should I say, pretty normal for kids. Their 9 year old son Teddy (Matthew McCann) apparently has a thing for playing pocket pool which kind of freaks out dad Adam. I don't know why it does and I don't think it is funny either. I can remember a time when our middle son was about two years of age and he asked us why he had a hole in his bum. Now that was funny and so was our explanation which was if he ever swallowed bubble gum his butt would seal up.
I really like Matt LeBlanc and I think he is well matched with his TV wife Liza Snyder so I am optimistic that maybe, just maybe, some of the story lines in Man with a Plan will have a back up plan that includes the opportunity for some belly laughing. I give the pilot episode a 6 out of 10 rating and I am optimistic that the Burns family may become a weekly staple for today's two working parents family values.
