ABC's new Wednesday comedies

[LongLiveBevo]

I appreciate that they're making forays back into the comedy genre but they're failing miserably. Modern Family is firing on all cylinders and Cougar Town is ok (but gonna lose me if they don't expand the topic a little). Mr. LLB can't stand the cad across the street the most, not that he's particularly fond of the rest of the cast.

But In the Middle is mediocre and Hank is unwatchable! These shows are full of people who were successful on other shows but not starting well here. Hank has no budget, no writing, and no one strong enough to play off Kelsey Grammar and tone him down. I don't like the kids on either show.

 

[Texanne]

I watched about 2/3 of Hank last night and finally just shut the TV off. Kelsey Grammer is again playing a pompous blowhard. Except that the pompous blowhard worked very well for him in Cheers/Frasier, and somewhat well in his last show (I can't remember its name but it was about a local TV newscast in Pittsburgh), but it just doesn't work here. As the downsized former CEO of a sporting goods chain (who was apparently ousted by his own employees) it's just pathetic.

I'd like to think that Grammer is a talented enough actor that he could be cast as something other than a pompous blowhard.

 

[westptx]

I agree on Hank. I checked it out for about 10 minutes but it was just awful. No redeeming qualities about the show whatsoever. My wife was watching Cougar Town which she really liked (I didn't). Monday is still the best night of TV IMO

 

[YoLaDu]

Modern Family redeems them all. Hilarious.

 

[HornBud]

Modern Family can elicit a laugh from me with a single 2 syllable word: Lilly.

 

[Texanne]

Modern Family is excellent. I admit that in the pilot, I had no idea how things were interwoven. That made it even funnier.

 

[Slomo Play]

Lilly? Explain please.

 

[Horneius_Maximus]

Rirry

 

[X-Ray_Horn]

In a politically incorrect joke, yet wildly funny, one of the characters expressed concern that the newly-adopted baby would have difficulty pronouncing her own name, "Lily," when she grew up.

The child is Asian.

I'm a huge Kelsey Grammer fan, but "Hank" was DOA. I thought "The Middle" was very good, extremely quirky and honest about parents' recognition of their own kids shortcomings... but a sitcom, about a quirky family, with a goofy-looking youngest son, a put-upon mother and the word "Middle" in the title... haven't we seen that before?

"Modern Family" is great, with the self-admitted "cool dad" (Ty Burrell) stealing the show early on, but Ed O'Neill was especially good in Episode 2. It's nice to see he has comic chops without the cartoony nature of "Married With Children."

And I thought "Cougar Town" was better this week than in the premier. As noted earlier, Courteney bedding a succession of young dudes is going to run out of steam really quickly.

 

[Texanne]

I never really cared for Ed O'Neill -- I despised Married ... With Children -- and have always thought of his performances as pretty sophomoric.

But the Modern Family episode this week showed me a different side to him. His scene with Manny at the end brought tears to my eyes. Perfectly played without leaning on pathos. I thought it was briiliant.

 

[YoLaDu]

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