One of the big-deal sitcoms hitting the small screen this season is Fox’s Back to You, a newsroom comedy starring long-time heavy hitters Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton.
Grammer plays Chuck Darling, an ego-centric news anchor who finds himself back at the station he left ten years ago. That, of course, happens after he made it big and then screwed up and got fired. Heaton is Kelly Carr, his former co-anchor who stayed at the station and has carved out a nice comfortable life.
If you can’t guess where the comedy comes in–or what “amazing” plot twists come up–you haven’t watched sitcoms before.
My first thought on hearing about this show was Good Morning Miami meets Murphy Brown–a blending of the silly comedy of the former with the quality cast of the latter. Well, both of those shows had something that Back to You lacks: heart.
What passes for creativity in this show is little more than re-packaged stereotype and easy jokes. The too-young-to-be-taken-seriously news director (played by Josh Gad who is clearly channeling a Chris Farley character from Saturday Night Live). The sexy Latina weather girl (who is, perhaps the most appalling of all the characters so far–a definite step down for Ayda Field after being on Studio 60). The ever-hopeful next-in-line reporter who lost his chance at the anchor position when Darling came back. There’s even Fred Willard playing, well, the same character he always plays.
Both Grammer’s and Heaton’s talent is wasted on this show unless they get some much better writers. Writer/Producer Steve Levitan continues the downward spiral started by Stacked. He’s come a long way from Fraiser and Wings, that’s for sure.
That all said, I’m pretty sure this show’s going to be a big hit. If generic and downright bland crap like the blissfully now gone Yes, Dear can last for six seasons, something the Grammer and Heaton’s star power can probably go at least that long.
I’m also pretty sure I’ll be able to find something else to watch. Which, really, is kind of a shame because ‘Til Death fills out the second half of he hour and it’s a pretty good show.
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