I’ll admit that when I heard KELSEY GRAMMER was coming back to network sitcom TV I was thrilled. Then I heard he was going to co-star wtih PATRICIA HEATON. Not so thrilled. Then I heard they were going to be anchors on the sitcom, which was going to air on FOX, and I decided that Kelsey just wasn’t worth the effort. Being an open-minded sort, I tuned in to see the pilot and now I am a BACK TO YOU fan.
Besides Grammer’s perfect voice and impecable delivery, the writing of Exec Producers STEVEN LEVITAN and CHRISTOPHER LLOYD was witty, funny, and unexpected. Such a stretch from the dullard three camera sitcoms that are running elsewhere. Nor is this one of those silly shows that think milk snorted out a nose is worthy of yucks. The writing was the best of what I like to call snappy banter with a healthy helping of double entendre thrown in. It takes talent to write that kind of comedy, and Levitan/Lloyd comes through with flying colors.
Well directed by JAMES BURROWS, an old friend of Grammer’s, the cast boasted very strong and quite funny supporting characters. If you have ever spent time in a TV newsroom, you’ll recognize the oversexed weathergirl (“I prefer to be called a meteorologist.” “But you’re not.” “But I PREFER it.”), the wet behind the ears (or in this case, under the arms) News Director who’s a geeky website recruit, and the ambitious, good-looking reporter who has his eye set on that anchor chair. In the hands of AYDA FELD as the weather bimbo, JOSH GAD as the flop sweat boss, and TY BURRELL as the reporter with the last name nobody can pronounce, the characters are surprisingly fresh. Of course their dialogue is a work of art.
A standout is Sportscaster FRED WILLARD who is always delightful, even when he’s a stuck-in-a-rut guy doing the same job with nothing on his horizon. Still no fan of Heaton, I wish someone would ask her to tone down the nasty edge. Even TINA FEY’s MEAN GIRLS weren’t this shrill.
I applaud the story twist that I didn’t see coming. I stand and applaud the smooth way the dialogue and the storyline wove together like a fine Bottega Veneta purse strap. Finally a comedy that doesn’t give me eye strain and yet stretches my love of that long-missing snappy patter.
