Not that I wasn’t behind already, but I haven’t seen Arrow, Chicago Fire, or Nashville yet. Partially because I was out watching some great improv last night. Partially because I forgot to DVR them.
But anyway, all of that simply means I only had time to watch one show, and since I wasn’t quite ready to say goodbye to Animal Practice just yet (though the way the ratings are going, it may say goodbye to me first), that meant hitting episode three of The Neighbors.
I’m still not quite sure what to make of this show. The words themselves can be funny, and the conceit was modestly clever: the aliens want to hang out with their human BFFs, chaos (and a reasonably entertaining switch of gender roles in the world of bro- and chick-dom) ensues. The show, however, remains broad in a way that is sometimes funny, sometimes not, and sometimes Disney Channel.
The real breakout on this show (to me, anyway) remains Toks Olagundoye, who plays (alien) Jackie Joyner-Kersee on the show, and in three episodes has already proven an ability to speak in a number of accents (British, German, French, New Jersey, and if I’m remembering correctly, Jamaican?) and look attractive, weird, and vulnerable, often at the same time.
Despite the positives (and the potential for continued growth) this is a show that is still also weighed down somewhat by the premise – unlike the Tuesday comedies which I spoke of earlier, this show has such a large premise, a thematically simple episode (about fitting in) ends up being a mash-up of pop culture references, linguistic jokes, satire of modern American life, and an exploration of father-son dynamics (any of which could have really been explored as an episode all on their own).
Unlike the Tuesday comedies, they didn’t keep it simple. They threw everything at it. And so even with entertaining moments, it didn’t necessarily explore the theme we were dealing with as much as it could have.
There’s still something there, though. Something fun and potential-filled. Which is why, for now, I’m going to keep watching (on probationary status).
