ABC has the prestige of Kermit and Miss Piggy kicking-off their Tuesday night lineup. But with mixed reviews of the first few episodes of “The Muppets” (the “Pilot” was loaded with celebrity cameos, adult references and a quirky, off-putting tone) and a 35% viewership drop from Week 1 to Week 2, things aren’t looking so good. And you can’t discount the competition. The two new sitcoms on FOX will definitely give The Muppets a run for their money.
“Grandfathered” marks the TV return of John Stamos, who plays Jimmy, a 50-year-old bachelor and restaurant owner who suddenly finds-out that he is not only a father to Gerald (“Drake & Josh”‘s Josh Peck) but also a grandfather to little Edie. Watching Stamos’ scenes with the baby girl in the “Pilot” did bring me back to his “Full House” Uncle Jesse days, and there’s nothing wrong with that (and having Bob Saget as a restaurant patron at the end of the “Pilot” was also a nice touch.) But beyond this obvious, yet appropriate comparison, the inaugural episode of “Grandfathered” was consistently funny with a high number of great one-liners and some clever moments, including a decent homage to “Kramer vs. Kramer”.
And then there’s “The Grinder”, which features Rob Lowe playing Dean, the star of a fictional TV courtroom drama called “The Grinder”, which just ended its eight-season run. Dean returns to his small-town home to watch the series finale with his family, including brother Stewart (Fred Savage from “The Wonder Years”), who is a real-life lawyer. But Stewart isn’t exactly the most polished attorney and Dean thinks he can use his knowledge from the show to help Stewart help his clients.
“The Grinder” relies heavily on Lowe to carry everything else along, and he absolutely delivers. Lowe is terrific playing a Hollywood actor – charming, confident and playfully over-dramatic in everyday situations and conversations. He’s the reason to watch this show. My one concern going forward is that the weekly storylines may be more of the same: Stewart struggling and Dean assisting by smooth-talking his way through the case.
Hopefully both “Grandfathered” and “The Grinder” provide for breezy, good-hearted entertainment over the course of their seasons (how ever long they will be). And if they both become hits, they may just dims the lights on Kermit & Co.