New CBS Comedy Shows

Mom: Season 1

Whoever thought of the casting here is an absolute genius. Allison Janney has been away from the tv screens for far too long after the end of The West Wing and Anna Faris who over the years has starred in less than stellar comedy films, finally lands a role that is worthy of her talent. Bonnie (Janney) is a recovering addict having experimented with all sorts of things, Bonnie’s daughter Christy (Faris) ended up as someone similar and is on a path of the 12-step recovery programme, whereas Christy‘s daughter Violet (Sadie Calvano) reveals that she’s pregnant with her idiot boyfriend Luke (Spencer Daniels). History does seem to repeat itself in this family, as the three generations of women who share very similar DNA work to make the best of their less than ideal situations. Janney is full of hilarious one-liners in every single one of her scenes, Faris does her usual brilliant work, and together they help the dark comedy script come to life. Various issues regarding addiction, their regrets and past mistakes surface whenever a mother and daughter pairing takes place, and the snarky comedy surrounding such issues mostly works. It’s far from a silly show that wants to be offensive for the laughs. Instead there are moments of smart exploration regarding having to bring up children (Christy has another kid - a younger son named Roscoe (Blake Garrett Rosenthal)), as a cash-strapped single parent who also needs to lead a life of her own. There is also a great use of its guest stars - so far we have had Oscar-winning Octavia Spencer grace the screens with her one stand-alone episode and Justin Long seems to be in for an arc that should last for more than a few episodes. Thanks to its bold premise and deeply flawed characters who have plenty of crazy alcohol/drug-fuelled stories to tell, Mom is a show that never gets boring.

The Millers: Season 1

No this has nothing to do with the comedy hit of 2013, We’re the Millers. With The Millers, a tv series which debuted this season, we see Margo Martindale, who has been shown a lot of love lately thanks to her remarkable supporting turns in deadly serious shows like Justified and The Americans, going for a lead role in a comedy show and mightily succeeding. The titular Millers refer to a family unit made up of the parents Tom (Beau Bridges) and Carol (Martindale), their children Nathan (Will Arnett) and Debbie (Jayma Mays), Debbie‘s significant other Adam (Nelson Franklin), as well as their kid Mikayla (Eve Moon), with Nathan’s colleague Ray (J. B. Smoove) also popping up from time to time. It’s a well-formed cast of familiar names and faces, and the loud, energetic and appropriately over-the-top Martindale is a real highlight (leave it to her to make all the sex jokes), whereas the more relaxed Bridges provides the perfect level of disdain and frustration towards his wife although having depended on her for so many things, he becomes completely incapable of taking care of himself around the house. Each week is a look at how this family goes about putting up with one another, with conflict mostly arising from the bossy, controlling matriarch who is always right and will be damned if anyone has anything else to say about that. Tom wants a divorce from Carol after all the years of putting up with such a monster, and so it’s up to the children to somehow keep the peace and quiet around their houses. Carol is staying with a recently divorced news anchor Nathan who is clearly her favourite child, with Tom living with Debbie and her family, although this separation hardly ever keeps everyone apart, and it’s only when the Millers are all in the same room that we get plenty of laughs.

The Crazy Ones: Season 1

Robin Williams is a comedy god and anyone in doubt of his infinite repertoire and abilities need to check out his new show. As an advertising executive running his own company with his daughter Sydney (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Simon Roberts is a bit of a wacky, impulsive, eccentric piece of work - which is what makes him so good at his job. His endless creativity, his crazy ideas (hence the title), as well as his energy that never runs out, he does require some reeling in and taming by his more grounded, sensible daughter. Fast-talking, dead-on impressions, outstanding improvisation, are all within Williams’ firm grasp of the show’s comedy material, although he alone doesn’t hog all the spotlight when it comes to delivering the gold. The world’s favourite vampire slayer is rather good at playing for laughs, and the rest of the cast, made up of James Wolk (Mad Men, Political Animals, Lone Star), Hamish Linklater (The New Adventures of Old Christine, The Newsroom), and Amanda Setton (The Mindy Project, Gossip Girl) are all excellent. The show relies heavily on extended sequences of comedy starting with one idea and sticking to it, with the cast playing around with the same theme for several minutes. It depends on the hyperactive Williams interacting with various supporting members of the cast to make them well-rounded and for the most part they succeed. It does, at times, have a tendency to go completely overboard, and off-tangent, and this method certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste. Some might find it repetitive and frustrating, but the range at which the cast smoothly performs is undeniably fun to watch. Even at the age of 62, Williams has still got it, and with the show’s full-season renewal, bringing the number of episodes of the first season up to 22, there is every opportunity here for him to go wild and hopefully the best moments wil make the cut and be shown on the television screens.