If you ever find yourself wishing for an old-fashioned TV sitcom, the kind they used to make back in the day, remember: Be careful what you wish for--you may get something like "Mike and Molly," a new sitcom that is reminiscent of one of those old summer replacement shows of the '70s, or one of the countless shows that the Fox network presented in its fledgling days, only to be canceled weeks later. The show revolves around (no pun intended) two morbidly obese singles, played by Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy, and their budding romance. The show has been touted as some kind of noble attempt to give equal time to the lives and loves of imperfect people, in this case overweight people. Well, that's great. And how does the show do this? With fat jokes. This reminded me of those Norman Lear sitcoms which supposedly poked fun at stereotypes by reinforcing them with stale, offensive jokes.
This isn't really anything new on TV. "Roseanne" featured Roseanne and John Goodman as a typical working-class couple who happened to be overweight. And one of the biggest stars (literally and figuratively) of '50s TV was the legendary Jackie Gleason. But "Roseanne" focused on other issues besides weight. And Gleason's Ralph Kramden (although rather svelte by today's standards) may have suffered through countless cheap shots about his weight, but he was a sweet, engaging character who wouldn't resort to such dialogue as "My farts weigh three-and- a-half pounds." He may have been heavy, but he was never a slob, which such a crude remark, delivered by Gardell's character, only serves to perpetuate the stereotype of obese people as gross and unpleasant.
Even more contrived than the title characters are the supporting roles: Swoosie Kurtz as Molly's ditzy mother (every bad sitcom needs a ditz--bring on the stupid jokes!) and Katy Mixon as Molly's apparently perpetually stoned sister (every bad sitcom also needs a pothead--dig up all the old drug jokes!) Add in Reno Wilson as Mike's wisecracking sidekick, some cheap pathos about sad, hopelessly lonely fat people, an obtrusive laugh track, and voila! You've got yourself an old-fashioned TV sitcom, destined to be forgotten by January, by which time it should have been long since removed from the TV schedule. I hope.
It earns two stars for following "Two and a Half Men"; some of the fans of that show's lame humor may like this one.
This isn't really anything new on TV. "Roseanne" featured Roseanne and John Goodman as a typical working-class couple who happened to be overweight. And one of the biggest stars (literally and figuratively) of '50s TV was the legendary Jackie Gleason. But "Roseanne" focused on other issues besides weight. And Gleason's Ralph Kramden (although rather svelte by today's standards) may have suffered through countless cheap shots about his weight, but he was a sweet, engaging character who wouldn't resort to such dialogue as "My farts weigh three-and- a-half pounds." He may have been heavy, but he was never a slob, which such a crude remark, delivered by Gardell's character, only serves to perpetuate the stereotype of obese people as gross and unpleasant.
Even more contrived than the title characters are the supporting roles: Swoosie Kurtz as Molly's ditzy mother (every bad sitcom needs a ditz--bring on the stupid jokes!) and Katy Mixon as Molly's apparently perpetually stoned sister (every bad sitcom also needs a pothead--dig up all the old drug jokes!) Add in Reno Wilson as Mike's wisecracking sidekick, some cheap pathos about sad, hopelessly lonely fat people, an obtrusive laugh track, and voila! You've got yourself an old-fashioned TV sitcom, destined to be forgotten by January, by which time it should have been long since removed from the TV schedule. I hope.
It earns two stars for following "Two and a Half Men"; some of the fans of that show's lame humor may like this one.