It’s the Upfronts?: Worst Week

Posted by Dan September 9th, 2008 at 11:36am In General

I think this is the last time I can get away with using “It’s the Upfronts” as a vehicle for introducing new shows — given that it’s September. But if you are wanting for information on new shows, I suggest visiting one of the lovely fall season calendars made in this week’s TV Blog Coalition.

This is a show called Worst Week — an American remake of a show called “The Worst Week of My Life.”

The way I see it, the show has a few things going for it:

• It’s a single-camera sitcom, which (for some reason) makes everything seem a bit funnier even when it’s not.
• The leading man, Kyle Bornheimer, is kind of cute-ish in a bulldoggish sort of way.
• Some genuinely funny (I’m tempted to append the word ‘funny’ with the ‘ish’ suffix, but that seems excessive) moments in the preview. Mostly, it’s the cast working hard to sell some mediocre material.
• A sort of refreshingly charming tone.

Then there are some things working against it:

• First and foremost, the show is being marketed as a comedy power hour with Two and a Half Men. That fact alone sort of ruins all hope.
• It seems like a sitcom version of Meet the Parents — and I kind of hate those ‘series of disasters’ style comedies.
• Bornheimer is no John Krasinski.
• I have a feeling that this show might get lost in translation a la Coupling.
• How the hell are they making this a series?  It seems like a feature film.

I kind of feel bad for Kurtwood Smith, who plays the father. From Robocop to That Seventies Show, he’s made his fortune on the fact that he has a mean face. I guess he can always feel good that he’s a steadily working actor, but to know that most of your roles involve furrowed brows, diabolical scheming and bitter exchanges must be a bit of a downer.

Maybe I’ll give it a shot and dare to dream that it could be decent — but the last thing I need right now is another show that I’m not terribly invested in but refuse to stop watching (looking at you, Eli Stone. If Johnny Lee Miller — and for that matter the entire male cast — weren’t so hot you’d be gone in a minute.).