Back to You - 1x01 - Pilot

The pilot frenzy has begun. First up (at least that I'm interested in this season) is Back to You, the new traditional format (multi-camera) comedy from two of the producers of Frasier. There has been a lot of emphasis placed on the traditional format. New single camera comedies like The Office and My Name is Earl seem to be the hot thing right now, but the creators wanted to prove that a traditional sitcom could still be pulled off if done right.

The reviews have begun to pour in, and the critics seem divided. Some harshly criticize it while others embrace it. I liked the pilot, but I'll need to see a few more episodes to make a decision. Except on rare occasions (e.g. I never even finished the 30 Rock pilot it was so bad), for me, it takes three to four episodes before I can make an assessment of a series. Here's some of the reviews I've read so far:

• Infuze: Back to You (FOX)
  
• Ken Levine: Back to You
  
• The Watcher: 'Back to You' gets back to comedy basics
  
• Alan Sepinwall: Sitcom salvation? Not so much.
  

First off, I love Frasier. Frasier was a likable character. Chuck Darling is not Frasier. Chuck is not likable. Chuck is arrogant and shallow. This isn't a bad thing. It's actually a good thing the creators were able to create a new character for Kelsey Grammar that's not a carbon copy of a character he's played before. The problem is that there are really no likable characters in Back to You. Maybe that will change as we begin to delve deeper into each character's mythology.

I was ambivalent about the pilot myself until the last fifteen seconds. The last fifteen seconds convinced me that Back to You has that "something" that made Frasier great. Yes, it's a comedy, but it's not all about puns and laughs. It's not afraid to tackle serious issues even though conventional wisdom says serious issues should be saved for the one hour shows. Back to You makes us laugh, but it also has something to say to our hearts.

Back to You - 1x02 – Fish Story

Synopsis: Chuck goes on a goldfish killing spree while Marsh explores how to sneak an orange down a person's pants...oh, and the guy with the name we can't pronounce gets tasered.

Review: I want to like this series. I really do, but episodes like this one are going to make that hard. First off, shows that need or think they need a "previously on" outside a few multi-part arcs they might air, annoy me. Especially in the case of Back to You, the series' mythology could be succinctly explained with a clever title sequence or theme song. Oh, I forgot, theme songs aren't cool anymore. But I also thought Back to You was supposed to be bringing back the traditional sitcom.

It's okay to have characters that aren't likable. Take Prison Break's T-Bag for example. It's okay to have characters who think they are hilarious but really aren't funny. Take The Office's Michael for example. It's not okay to have all your characters act exactly the same. There might be several cast members in Back to You, but there is only one character. Why don't they make one of the reporters genuinely witty and compassionate? The fact that the public seems to like the arrogant anchors more would be a source for endless entertainment.

The plot in which Chuck kills five goldfish falls completely flat and is indicative of the problem with much of the series' humor. It is a type of humor I call non-physical slapstick. Physical comedy is a legitimate form of art, but when it veers into kitsch, we call it slapstick. Humor is found in the hyperbolic violence of physical comedy when that violence is metaphorical of a real world annoyance. It might make us think to ourselves, "Sometimes I feel like taking the trash out is as annoying as being hit in the face with a rake." Slapstick tries to find its humor simply in the act of violence rather than a real world connection. Non-physical humor can, and does in this episode, lose that connection to the real world.

Did this episode make me laugh? Occasionally. But it was a random joke here or there. "Fish Story" didn't have enough coherence between the jokes to make a solid sitcom episode. I really want this series to succeed, but I can't will myself to give this episode more than a 1 out of 10. Hopefully the next several episodes fare better than Chuck's goldfish.

Rating: 1 out of 10

Objectionable Content: While this episode only contained three obscenities, it was rife with sexual humor.

I missed episode two, but sounds like I didn't miss much.  When did it air?

Wednesday September 26, 2007

I posted my review of the second episode to StS TV Reviews.

Charisma Carpenter guest starred in this week's episode of Back to You! And she played the mother of a ten-year-old named Xander. Wonder if that was intentional.