TV Review: The Michael J Fox Show

  I really wanted to like this show. I watched Spin City religiously, and Michael J Fox’s films are always fun to watch. I was looking forward to his return to TV, but I was left disappointed. The pilot was only momentarily funny, and had a hard time sustaining the 30 minutes. I literally felt like the pilot was going on forever (and I’m only talking about the first episode, not the second that ran after).

Mike Henry (Fox) used to be a well-respected New York news anchor. Then, he got Parkinsons, and he retired to spend time with his family. But, he’s been driving his family insane, and the opportunity to rejoin the workforce presents itself, so Mike takes it. Hilarity ensues.

Fox’s supporting cast is boring. On Spin City he assembled an ensemble cast that carried the weight with him, and each offered their own laughs. Here? The weight is solely on Fox, and the writers gave him almost nothing to work with. Luckily, his parkinsons isn’t the only source of laughter, because that would get old, fast. Fox needs to figure out ho to fix this show if he wants to stay past the first season. It would be awkward to replace the whole cast, but that’s really what needs to happen.

FINAL GRADE: C