ABC Fall Pilot Review: The Kids Are Alright - Premieres Tuesday (Oct. 16); FX Gets New Comedy for 2020

Monday, October 15, 2018

ABC Fall Pilot Review: The Kids Are Alright - Premieres Tuesday (Oct. 16); FX Gets New Comedy for 2020

The Kids Are Alright - Tuesdays at 8:30PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at 8:30PM ET/PT

by Vincent

Set in the 1970s, this ensemble comedy follows a traditional Irish-Catholic family, the Clearys, as they navigate big and small changes during one of America's most turbulent decades. In a working-class neighborhood outside Los Angeles, Mike and Peggy raise eight boisterous boys who live out their days with little supervision. The household is turned upside down when oldest son Lawrence returns home and announces he's quitting the seminary to go off and "save the world." Times are changing and this family will never be the same. There are 10 people, three bedrooms, one bathroom and everyone in it for themselves.

Cast Details:

Michael Cudlitz as Mike Cleary
Mary McCormack as Peggy Cleary
Sam Straley as Lawrence Cleary
Caleb Martin Foote as Eddie Cleary
Sawyer Barth as Frank Cleary
Christopher Paul Richards as Joey Cleary

Michael Cuditz (Mike) is an American actor, known for portraying John Cooper on the TNT drama series Southland, Sergeant Denver "Bull" Randleman on the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, and Sergeant Abraham Ford on the AMC horror series The Walking Dead.

Mary McCormack (Peggy) is American actress who has had leading roles as Justine Appleton in the series Murder One as Deputy National Security Adviser Kate Harper in The West Wing, as Mary Shannon in In Plain Sight, and as Casey in the British comedy/drama series Loaded by Channel 4.

Sam Straley (Lawrence) is a young actor. Aside from a few guest appearances on Chicago PD, The Kids Are Alright will be his first major role.

Caleb Foore (Eddie) an actor, known for American Horror Story, Grey's Anatomy, and S Is for Revenge. This will be his first major starring role.

Sawyer Barth (Frank) is an actor known for films such as Super Dark Time, Bridge of Spies, and And Then I Go.

Christopher Paul Richards (Joey) is a young actor who has appeared in shows such as Me Myself and I, Billions, and Law & Order: SVU.

Pilot Plot:

"Pilot" (Airs Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 8:30PM ET)

Lawrence, the prodigal eldest Cleary son, returns home from the seminary and breaks the news to his family that he's dropping out for good, leaving Mike and Peggy upset and wondering why. Meanwhile, Timmy decides he wants to audition for a children's theatre production but when Peggy finds out where it's being held she forbids him from participating. Elsewhere, Eddie tries to keep his girlfriend a secret after Frank finds out and tries to blackmail him.

Analysis:

The Kids Are Alright is a perfectly fine show. It's the kind of show that anyone who tunes into the hyped Roseanne spin-off The Conners could leave on without finding much to complain about. These ABC family single-cams have achieved a base level of consistency at this point that you can't complain too much. They are a well-oiled machine, and they can comfortably rise to the level of "pretty good" without breaking a sweat. I could watch hours of these shows, even a lower-middle fare like The Kids Are Alright, and be happy, but with a show like The Kids Are Alright, I wouldn’t be taking much away from the time I spent with it, either. Unlike other ABC sitcoms like black-ish, Speechless, Fresh Off the Boat or even early seasons of Modern Family, there's not much here that feels like it's trying to be or say something of note. That's fine - not every show needs to. Shows like The Goldbergs and American Housewife aren't really, either, and they're doing perfectly fine, adequate work, and bringing in big audiences. But unlike those shows, The Kids Are Alright isn't particularly unique or have a "style" about it that distinguishes it from the rest of television. And that may be the series' greatest misstep.

The Kids Are Alright's success will likely live or die by the success of the rest of the ABC line-up. If the rest of the line-up holds up and The Conners is even a quarter as popular as the rebooted season of Roseanne last year, it will do fine - this is not a show that you feel the need to turn off if you are watching the rest of the line-up. However, it's also not one you would go out of your way to watch. And that may prove to be a problem. ABC's line-up is still doing well, but there are starting to be some cogs in the machine. Modern Family is slowly fading (though still doing well), The Goldbergs and black-ish are solid anchors but aren't quite the forces they were a few years ago, and obviously there is still a lot of doubt and uncertainty about the future of The Conners and the Roseanne brand name. Speechless and Fresh Off the Boat aren't doing so hot in the new TGIF slot (at least in live numbers), and American Housewife doesn't look to be "anchor show" material, at least not yet. ABC really needs to start building a future, and The Kids Are Alright isn't the type of show you do that with. It's...well, alright. The cast is alright, the jokes are alright, but it's hard to see too much to get excited about here.

Conclusion:

The Kids Are Alright is...alright. It's watchable, the cast is likable, and there are some funny jokes scattered about. But it's not particularly memorable, and the show's ho-hum concept may prevent it from ever becoming something to the likes of ABC's strongest family sitcoms. It's not a bad addition to the line-up, but it's also nothing to write home about.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 3/5
Funniness: 3/5
Overall: 3/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at 8:30PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

ABC.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

The Kids Are Alright Photo Gallery

Preview:

Breeders, a new comedy series starring Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard, has been ordered to series at FX. The 10-episode first season will premiere on FX in 2020 and is being produced by FX Productions, Avalon Television and Sky Original Productions. Breeders exposes the parental-paradox that it is possible, in the very same moment, to love your child to the horizon of the universe, while being apoplectically angry enough to want to send them there. Martin Freeman stars as a caring father discovering he's not quite the man he thought he was.

Academy Award(R)-nominee and double Emmy(R) Award-winner Simon Blackwell (Veep, Back, Peep Show) is Showrunner. Breeders is created by Blackwell, double Emmy Award and Directors Guild of America-winner Chris Addison (Veep, The Thick of It, The Hustle) and Emmy and Bafta(R)-winning Martin Freeman (Fargo, Sherlock, Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War, The Hobbit, Cargo, Ghost Stories), who stars along with Daisy Haggard (Hang Ups, Episodes, Black Mirror). Executive producers are Blackwell, Addison, Freeman, Richard Allen-Turner, Rob Aslett, David Martin, Jon Thoday and Michael Wiggs. Breeders was commissioned for Sky by Zai Bennett, director of programmes, and Jon Mountague, head of comedy, with Josh Cole set to be the commissioning editor.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Wednesday, October 20

The Goldbergs - "An Itch Like No Other" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
With Beverly’s encouragement, Mr. Glascott moves in next door to the Goldbergs and slowly goes from friendly neighbor to cluelessly intrusive. Adam and Murray become increasingly disgruntled while Beverly comes up with a plan to occupy Mr. Glascott’s time with a new friend, Mr. Woodburn. Meanwhile, Barry lands in urgent care with a case of poison ivy in a compromising area – his rear end. Erica and Geoff are called to task to take care of Barry and his ridiculous demands – inadvertently testing their parenting skills and patience with one another.

The Wonder Years - "The Lock In" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Dean is reluctant to attend the annual church lock-in until Kim tells him it’s where she got her first kiss. He enlists his friends to help him pair up with Keisa, but his plans are thwarted when he instead gets paired up with the pastor’s daughter, Charlene.

The Conners - "Trucking Live in Front of a Fully Vaccinated Studio Audience -- East Coast" (ABC, 9:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Lights, Camera, Action: “The Conners” is going live for both the East and West Coast broadcasts of the season four premiere episode. This iconic TV family continues to deal with the current pandemic while navigating breakups and newfound sobriety, all while planning an upcoming wedding.

Home Economics - "Giant Jenga, $120" (ABC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Tom spirals when Connor dates a woman who broke his heart at summer camp. Then, family game night becomes an all-or-nothing competition between Marina and Denise.

Superstar - "Robin Williams" (ABC, 10:00PM ET/PT)
The new episode recounts his life through Robin Williams’ own voice, describing “the spark of madness” which defined his life. From his early days in the San Francisco Bay Area comedy scene to his meteoric rise on “Mork & Mindy,” the one-hour special explores the experiences that made Williams into a one-of-a-kind talent and reveals what gave voice to the characters in his mind. It also chronicles the creative force driving critically acclaimed films like “Good Will Hunting” and “Dead Poets Society,” as well as fan favorites such as “Aladdin.” The special explores his personal struggles, including substance abuse and depression, and his battle with Lewy Body Dementia before his tragic death in 2014. “Superstar: Robin Williams” features interviews with famous comedians and actors who knew and admired Williams, including Margaret Cho, Howie Mandel, Lewis Black, Jimmie Walker, Paula Poundstone, Gina Hecht and Pauly Shore, as well as Barry Levinson, director of multiple films starring Williams including “Good Morning, Vietnam.” The program also contains interviews with Williams from the ABC News archives, in which he opens up about his life and the highs and lows of his distinguished career.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 18)

Wednesday, October 20

Rami Malek (The War at Home) - Watch Rami on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Issa Rae (Insecure) - Issa appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Billy Bob Thornton (Hearts Afire) - Billy Bob is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Jamie Foxx (Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!/The Jamie Foxx Show) - Jamie appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) - Nick is a guest on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Trevor Noah at 11pm.
Leah Remini (Kevin Can Wait/The Exes/Family Tools/The King of Queens/Fired Up) - Leah guest hosts The Wendy Williams Show, so check your local listings.
Debra Messing (Will & Grace/Ned & Stacey) - Debra talks about her latest project: how self-care can change the world on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
Ron Howard (Arrested Development/Happy Days/The Andy Griffith Show) and Clint Howard (Gung Ho) - Ron and Clint discuss their new book, The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family, on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Amy Sedaris (No Activity/BoJack Horseman/Strangers with Candy) - It's a TV exclusive with sister and brother duo Amy and David Sedaris appearing together for the first time on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Jeremy Sisto (Suburgatory) - Jeremy talks about FBI on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
David Eigenberg (Sex and the City) - David talks about NBC's Chicago Fire on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) - Nick talks about Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.