Starring: Kevin James, Erinn Hayes, Taylor Spreitler, Ryan Cartwright
This is one of the pilots that has been raked through the coals by TV critics. I mean, what did you expect? It’s a Kevin James sitcom.
The pilot basically starts with Kevin’s retirement from the police force, and a subplot about his daughters (Spreitler) new boyfriend, Chale (Cartwright) an app developer. He doesn’t get what she sees in him, but he ultimately learns to trust his daughter.
I didn’t think the pilot was bad. It was pretty much exactly what I expected from a Kevin James pilot. It highlights what James is good at. He’s good at that everyman comedy, mixed with some physical comedy. Erinn Hayes is good, but she was better on Children’s Hospital.
What I did notice was that the show does a poor job rounding out the family. He has two other kids, that have almost no screentime. Family sitcoms like this work best when you also let the kids be a part of the show (Modern Family, Black-ish, The Goldbergs, Fresh Off The Boat, Home Improvement, etc.) The decision to sideline two of the three kids isn’t a smart one. I’d start giving them stuff to do immediately.
This isn’t my cup of tea right now, but I also wouldn’t turn the station if it was sandwiched between two shows I wanted to watch (and there was nothing to change the channel to). I have a feeling this is not the worst new show of the season, but it certainly won’t be the best. I doubt this will reach the “classic” status of James’s last sitcom King of Queens.
FINAL GRADE: C+
