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The Carmichael Show - Wednesdays at 9:00PM & 9:30PM ET/PT on NBC
Premieres Wednesday, August 26, 2015 at 9:00PM & 9:30PM ET/PT

by Skees


Cast Details:

Jerrod Carmichael as Jerrod Carmichael
Amber Stevens West as Maxine
David Alan Grier as Joe Carmichael
Loretta Devine as Cynthia Carmichael
Lil Rel Howard as Bobby Carmichael

Jerrod Carmichael (Jerrod) plays the starring role, which is (clearly) named after himself. Carmichael is a stand-up comic based in North Carolina, and previously had a recurring role on the short-lived Fox series The Goodwin Games.

Amber Stevens West (Maxine) plays Jerrod's live-in girlfriend. She is best known for her role on the ABC Family series Greek, but has also had appearances on How I Met Your Mother, 90210, New Girl, and Criminal Minds.

David Alan Grier (Joe) plays the Carmichael family patriarch. Grier started out as a dramatic actor originally, even appearing on Broadway shows, but found his true calling in comedy with In Living Color. He briefly had his own sitcom in the early 2000s with DAG, and later appeared on the ABC series Life with Bonnie. More recently, he appeared in the series Bad Teacher, and has had plenty of movie roles along the way.

Loretta Devine (Cynthia) plays the role of the Carmichael family mother. She is best known for her starring role on Boston Public, and has also had regular roles on Eli Stone and The Client List. She has appeared in several other guest starring roles, including one recurring role on Grey's Anatomy.

Lil Rel Howery (Bobby) plays Jerrod's brother. He is mostly known for his stand-up comedy, but has appeared on the TruTV series Friends of the People.


Pilot Plot:

We have watched the first three episodes for review (the first two of which will air this week), and the plots of them are as follows.

"Pilot" (Airs August 26 at 9:00PM ET)

Jerrod Carmichael is living with his girlfriend, which shouldn't be a huge deal... except he has to figure out how to tell his parents about this. It's not going to be easy, but he has a few tricks up his sleeves to make it a little bit easier.

"Protest" (Airs August 26 at 9:30PM ET)

The Black Lives Matter protests have divided the family just in time for Jerrod's birthday, and things only get more divisive when Maxine and Cynthia decide to join the protests, leaving Jerrod and Joe with their own war back at home.

"Kale" (Airs September 2 at 9:00PM ET)

Jerrod decides to force his parents to eat healthy when they visit his apartment, but in the midst of it, a health scare occurs with his father. Now, he is trying to do whatever he can to see that his father takes care of his health so that nothing worse happens, even if nobody is interested in actually living a healthier lifestyle.


Analysis:


One other small side-note, it really feels weird seeing David Alan Grier playing the role of the father of two grown sons. It seems like it wasn't all that long ago that he was just a young and fresh face on In Living Color (though he was in his 30s at that time even), but now he seems to appropriately fit this role of a character who is said to be 60 years old... which is about how old he is in real life.


Conclusion:



Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 4/5
Funniness: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday, August 26, 2015 at 9:00PM & 9:30PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

NBC.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

The Carmichael Show Photo Gallery

Preview:

WGN America becomes the exclusive cable destination for TV's most popular procedurals, Elementary and Person of Interest, premiering Monday, August 31 and Tuesday, September 1, respectively, in the network's new "Prime Crime" line-up. Airing weekdays, back-to-back, starting at 7:00pm ET/6:00pm CT, the two hit crime dramas join fan-favorite Blue Bloods, in the new programming block that kicks off with a binge-worthy 100-episode event. Over the first two weeks, a total of 100 installments of Elementary and Person of Interest will give viewers the opportunity to watch these compelling series from the very beginning, diving into the cases and capers that have unfolded since their television debuts. WGN America acquired the exclusive off-network rights to the coveted dramas in 2014. The schedule of important dates are below:

Monday, August 31 (7:00pm-1:00am/ET)
Elementary debuts with six back-to-back episodes

Tuesday, September 1 (7:00pm–1:00am/ET)
Person of Interest debuts with three back-to-back episodes, followed by three episodes of Elementary

Labor Day Marathon, Monday, September 7 (1:00pm–1:00am/ET)
12-hour marathon features episodes of both Elementary and Person of Interest

When WGN America expands its burgeoning slate of high-quality original programming this fall with its "Prime Crime" lineup, it will become the exclusive cable home for two of TV's biggest hit dramas, Elementary (as we announced) and Person of Interest (which we also announced). The two popular procedurals, which will join fan-favorite Blue Bloods on weeknights in prime, will give viewers a binge-worthy opportunity to watch these series from the very beginning, diving into the cases and capers that unfold. In Elementary, Jonny Lee Miller (who plays Sherlock Holmes) and Lucy Liu (who plays Dr. Watson) are a modern-day crime solving duo that cracks the NYPD's most impossible cases; and in Person of Interest, Michael Emerson (in the role of billionaire Harold Finch) and Jim Caviezel (as CIA operative John Reese) prevent violent crimes before they happen with the help of an advanced surveillance system known as "The Machine." Taraji P. Henson, who currently stars in Empire, is a regular in the first four seasons of the series. In the teaser campaign the four main characters face off for the first time in a quick-witted test of who's the better twosome and why. Representing the two most significant acquisitions across cable in 2015, Elementary and Person of Interest continue WGN America's transformation as an entertainment destination with popular originals, including breakout hit Salem, critically lauded Manhattan and upcoming dramas Underground and Outsiders, both premiering next year.

Actor, comedian and host Jack Carter has died. He died on June 28 at his home in Beverly Hills, California, of respiratory failure. Mr. Carter was 93.

Carter was the first host of the variety series Cavalcade of Stars on the DuMont Network in 1949-1950. The show appeared under the banner of Saturday Night Revue, a package of two variety shows on a single evening. He hosted his own variety series titled The Jack Carter Show on NBC in 1950-1951.

He made more than 40 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. Some of his other television appearances included Texaco Star Theatre, The Colgate Comedy Hour, Stage Show, The Jack Paar Tonight Show, The Hollywood Palace, The Dean Martin Show and The Merv Griffin Show.

Carter's sitcom guest appearances in the 1960s included Hennesey, Make Room for Daddy, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Ensign O'Toole, The Joey Bishop Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mister Roberts, The Lucy Show, I Dream of Jeannie and Julia. His guest appearances in the 1970s included The Partners, Love, American Style, Bridget Loves Bernie, The Odd Couple, Big Eddie, Sanford and Son, The Love Boat, Carter Country and Archie Bunker's Place. He directed two episodes of Here's Lucy in 1971.

His later sitcom guest appearances included Gimme a Break!, Dream On, Kirk, Saved by the Bell: The New Class, Something So Right, Living Single, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Just Shoot Me!, Parks and Recreation, New Girl, Rules of Engagement and Go On. He played Arthur Spooner in the original unaired pilot of The King of Queens, but he was replaced by Jerry Stiller and his scenes were re-shot.

Survivors include his wife, Roxanne, whom he married in 1971; sons Michael Carter and Chase Carter; daughter Wendy Carter; and grandchildren Jake and Ava.

Television writer, producer and director Chris Thompson has died. He died in actor Tim Curry's home on June 26 in Toluca Lake, Los Angeles after a long illness. Mr. Thompson was 63.

Thompson's writing career began with episodes of Blansky's Beauties and Sirota's Court. He worked on Laverne & Shirley as a writer, story editor, executive script consultant, director and producer. In 1980, he created Bosom Buddies with Robert L. Boyett and Thomas L. Miller. He also worked as a writer on nine episodes and directed four episodes of the Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari sitcom.

He was the creator of The Naked Truth, Action, Ladies Man and the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up!, which starred Zendaya and Bella Thorne. His other sitcom writing credits included Hard Knocks (Showtime), The Larry Sanders Show, Dave's World, House Rules, The Naked Truth, Action, Ladies Man and Shake It Up!. He worked as a producer on The Larry Sanders Show, The Naked Truth, Action, I'm with Her and Shake It Up!.

We thank them for the laughs they brought us over the years. They will be deeply missed.

TV Land has given a pilot order to Teachers, based on the popular web series of the same name. The show revolves around six elementary school teachers who are trying to mold the minds and lives of America's youth, but they don't really seem to have their own lives together at all. From making their class help them stalk exes online to altering a grade because the art teacher is "kind of a b****," these teachers are certainly changing the world, one student at a time. Alison Brie (Community) is attached as an executive producer, and the stars of the web series, all named a version of "Katie" - Caitlin Barlow, Katy Colloton, Cate Freedman, Kate Lambert, Katie O'Brien and Katie Thomas - are all signed on to reprise their roles.

Barlow, Colloton, Freedman, Lambert, O'Brien and Thomas, who call their group The Katydids, are all from Chicago with experience at The Second City, The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York and iO West in Los Angeles. Their web series, Teachers, can be watched at TeachersWebSeries.com. Matt Miller (Chuck, Las Vegas) and Cap Gun TV are executive producers alongside Brie, and Jones and Keith Cox will serve as executive producers for TV Land. This is just a pilot order, so stay with us if TV Land decides to order this pilot to series.

CBS has announced season finale airdates that will include a one-hour series finale for How I Met Your Mother (as previously announced), the one-hour season finale for The Crazy Ones and a two-hour finale for Survivor, followed by the reunion special. First up is the final episode of How I Met Your Mother on Monday, March 31 from 8-9pm and later that night is the season finale of drama Intelligence at 10. The season finale of freshman sitcom Mom will be on Monday, April 14 at 9:30pm, while fellow freshman comedy The Crazy Ones will wrap up with a two-episode finale on Thursday, April 17 from 9-10pm. The latter and Intelligence are still waiting to be picked-up for next season, while Mom has already been picked-up. All of the other finales will be in the May sweep, with 2 Broke Girls on Monday, May 5 at 8. The rest include: CSI on Wednesday, May 7 at 10; Two and a Half Men on Thursday, May 8 at 9; Hawaii Five-0 & Blue Bloods on Friday, May 9 from 9-11pm; and the Tuesday dramas NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, and Person of Interest on Tuesday, May 13 from 8-11pm.

The next night will be the Criminal Minds season finale on Wednesday, May 14 at 9. The rest of the Thursday series will wrap-up on the last Thursday of the season on May 15, with Big Bang Theory at 8, The Millers at 8:30pm and Elementary at 10. The final Sunday of the season on May 18 will have the season finales of The Amazing Race, The Good Wife and The Mentalist from 8-11pm. Mike & Molly will be the only Monday series to have its finale on the last Monday of the season on May 19 at 9. With many CBS series ending early by a week or two, it is still to be determined what will air the subsequent week(s). And finally, Survivor will wrap-up on its regular night (Wednesday) for the first time in years, as it will not end on a Sunday like usual. The Survivor finale event will be on the last day of the TV season on Wednesday, May 21 from 8-11pm.

TV Land has announced that it will produce an animated episode of its hit original sitcom Hot in Cleveland. Animation Studio Titmouse, Inc. will create the art for the episode, which will be part of the fifth season of the series. The animated episode (appropriately titled "The Animated Episode") will see Melanie (Valerie Bertinelli), Joy (Jane Leeves), Victoria (Wendie Malick) and Elka (Betty White) as cartoon characters embarking on an around-the-world adventure. The magic starts at Elka's apartment, which before now has been a mystery to Melanie, Joy and Victoria...and they soon find out why. From there the women go on a psychedelic romp through pop culture hits, including scenes with homages to Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, The Walking Dead and Frankenstein. Stay with us for an airdate for this animated episode, but do not forget that the fifth season premieres Wednesday, March 26 at 10pm on TV Land with a "live" (tape delayed out west) episode.

CBS drama Elementary is headed to WGN America starting in 2015, which has acquired exclusive off-network cable rights to the series. WGN America has the rights to all seasons of the critically acclaimed drama after each season has aired on CBS network. Starring Jonny Lee Miller as detective Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson, Elementary is a modern-day drama about a crime-solving duo that cracks the NYPD's most impossible cases. Following his fall from grace in London and a stint in rehab, eccentric Sherlock escaped to Manhattan, where his wealthy father forced him to live with his worst nightmare - a sober companion, Dr. Watson. The series also stars Aidan Quinn and Jon Michael Hall. Elsewhere on WGN America, original series Salem is premiering April 20, 2014, and original series Manhattan will premiere in July 2014. WGN America will have three seasons of Elementary episodes to air next year and will likely air it once a week before airing it multiple times a week the following year (when regular syndication begins, which includes local stations on weekends), should CBS renew the series in first-run. CBS drama Person of Interest will also join WGN America in 2015, while comedy Raising Hope joins next fall (2014).

WGN America has announced that the network has acquired the exclusive cable syndication rights to the drama series Person of Interest in an agreement with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. This deal marks the first time WGN America has purchased the exclusive cable window to a syndicated series. The deal also marks the premiere for the series in syndication. Person of Interest is set to premiere on WGN America in fall 2015. We will have more info on this closer to the premiere but it will also enter local broadcast syndication on weekends in fall 2015.

Person of Interest stars Jim Caviezel, Emmy® Award winner Michael Emerson, Academy Award® & Emmy® nominee Taraji P. Henson, Kevin Chapman, Sarah Shahi and Amy Acker in a thought-provoking crime drama set in New York City, with all of its multifaceted elements of justice — cops, criminals and corruption. In this action-crime thriller from J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions (Star Trek, Fringe, Lost, Alias) and creator Jonathan Nolan (The Dark Knight trilogy), a presumed-dead former CIA agent John Reese teams up with a mysterious billionaire, Finch, to prevent violent crimes by using their own brand of vigilante justice. Reese’s special training in covert operations appeals to Finch, a software genius who invented a program that uses pattern recognition to identify people about to be involved in violent crimes. Using state-of-the-art surveillance technology and national security data siphoned off the United States intelligence agencies’ threat matrix, the two work outside of the law using Reese’s adept skills and Finch’s unlimited wealth to unravel the mystery of the person of interest and stop the crime before it happens. Reese’s actions draw the attention of the NYPD -- including homicide detective Carter (Henson) and Lionel Fusco (Chapman), a compromised cop whom Reese uses to his advantage. With infinite crimes to investigate, Reese and Finch find that the right person, with the right information, at the right time, can change everything. From Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Bad Robot Productions and Warner Bros. Television, Person of Interest is executive produced by Abrams, Nolan, Greg Plageman (Cold Case) and Bryan Burk (Star Trek, Fringe, Lost, Alias). Kathy Lingg (Revolution, Fringe) is co-executive producer.

TV Land has closed a half-hour workplace comedy script deal with multimedia studio Electus, an operating business of IAC. The script revolves around a 30-something woman as she navigates the executive ranks among her old-school male counterparts while her 20-something male assistant tries to make it amid his female-dominated peers – two fish, a big corporate pond, and very little water. The untitled script will be written and executive produced by Jon Sherman (Frasier) with Electus' Chairman and Founder, Ben Silverman and Jimmy Fox also executive producing. In addition to the Electus project, TV Land also recently announced a sitcom pilot, Jennifer Falls, starring Jaime Pressly, and a second for a single camera show, Younger, written by Darren Star. This December, TV Land will debut its newest original series, Kirstie, which stars Kirstie Alley, Michael Richards, Rhea Perlman and Eric Petersen. TV Land's other original sitcoms, Hot in Cleveland, The Exes and The Soul Man, just wrapped their summer seasons.