When I first saw ads for this show, I wasn't sold, because I didn't watch TV of today, and felt that it wouldn't portray the 80's to my nostalgic liking. I got talked into wanting to watch it and I say it is the best show in many years. The loud, wacky family is one the funniest (I think) in series television. The show is basically non- fiction, centering on quirky and precocious Adam, who is obsessed with pop-culture and science fiction, and is rather girl crazy for a boy who was only 12-years old and starting 7th grade in the second episode. The parents, actually seem to echo Richie's parents on Happy Days, with Beverly, over the top demonstrative, invasive loving mother,nicknamed "smother" whose, supreme confidence in her kids and assertiveness crosses many social boundaries, and Murray, the gruff, asocial dad who tends to withhold parental affection, and frequently sits on the couch without his pants, after work watching sports.
One fictional element is Adam's rebellious, overachieving"sister" Erica, who in real life is his brother, Eric. The high-strung, naive, Barry, is one of the funniest TV brothers, he regularly says such stupid and off the wall things that would make anyone laugh. Then there's the suave, young at heart grandpa (veteran actor George Segal) who is quite funny, especially as he is very involved in his grand kids life and activities, but his great age difference leads him to misname things, such as the "Ghostfellas", and Fergus and Camden, in a wacky episode where Barry and Adam try to retread Ferris Bueller's Day Off. The series easily could pass for non- fiction, it's hard to believe some of the things that happened. But the non-nonsense Mr. Mellor is especially funny, as the gung-ho no- nonsense gym coach, who's says "It is never okay to put butter on a doughnut"!. One of the funny recurring family lines in the show by is, "That's not a thing". Barry's friends also add to the hilarity. The Jenkintown Posse, who chant "JTP!", who act like airheads who like to get crazy, and hang out in the parking lot of the Wawa store like Beavis and Butt-head, engaging in utterly pointless games, and the sweet, positive Geoff Schwartz is really hung up on Erica, who only tries to avoid him as any boyfriend.
The show's timeline is not all consistent, the characters age normally, being played by the same actors, but in one episode, Adam imitates "Say Anything from April 1989, then in a later Episode, he watches Annie (1982) and his dad makes him break the rules and see Porky's (1981). Then Adam goes to E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982) and references Alf (1986). Not to mention in video tapes of when Erica was a few years younger, she watched Troop Beverly Hills. You can tell the show is based on actual events, when the adults never seem to strike anybody in fights, and other reasons. Adam's friends have been the fun and loyal Emmy Mirsky, and his fun-loving small group of friends, with the exception of the quiet, mid-mannered Chad Kremp, who alas we don't see a lot of and he drifted away. His mom, Virginia, is Beverly's friend. Adam's character is endearing, his innocent love of life, and how he makes a robot like Johnny 5, and isn't an athlete, and at age 13 or 14, got excited when Muppet Babies was on! Another really funny part of the show is how Murray calls his kids morons all the time, no matter what his mood, and speaking Murray is to say, "you're not a total moron all the time" to mean, "I love you".
One fictional element is Adam's rebellious, overachieving"sister" Erica, who in real life is his brother, Eric. The high-strung, naive, Barry, is one of the funniest TV brothers, he regularly says such stupid and off the wall things that would make anyone laugh. Then there's the suave, young at heart grandpa (veteran actor George Segal) who is quite funny, especially as he is very involved in his grand kids life and activities, but his great age difference leads him to misname things, such as the "Ghostfellas", and Fergus and Camden, in a wacky episode where Barry and Adam try to retread Ferris Bueller's Day Off. The series easily could pass for non- fiction, it's hard to believe some of the things that happened. But the non-nonsense Mr. Mellor is especially funny, as the gung-ho no- nonsense gym coach, who's says "It is never okay to put butter on a doughnut"!. One of the funny recurring family lines in the show by is, "That's not a thing". Barry's friends also add to the hilarity. The Jenkintown Posse, who chant "JTP!", who act like airheads who like to get crazy, and hang out in the parking lot of the Wawa store like Beavis and Butt-head, engaging in utterly pointless games, and the sweet, positive Geoff Schwartz is really hung up on Erica, who only tries to avoid him as any boyfriend.
The show's timeline is not all consistent, the characters age normally, being played by the same actors, but in one episode, Adam imitates "Say Anything from April 1989, then in a later Episode, he watches Annie (1982) and his dad makes him break the rules and see Porky's (1981). Then Adam goes to E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982) and references Alf (1986). Not to mention in video tapes of when Erica was a few years younger, she watched Troop Beverly Hills. You can tell the show is based on actual events, when the adults never seem to strike anybody in fights, and other reasons. Adam's friends have been the fun and loyal Emmy Mirsky, and his fun-loving small group of friends, with the exception of the quiet, mid-mannered Chad Kremp, who alas we don't see a lot of and he drifted away. His mom, Virginia, is Beverly's friend. Adam's character is endearing, his innocent love of life, and how he makes a robot like Johnny 5, and isn't an athlete, and at age 13 or 14, got excited when Muppet Babies was on! Another really funny part of the show is how Murray calls his kids morons all the time, no matter what his mood, and speaking Murray is to say, "you're not a total moron all the time" to mean, "I love you".