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Next to “‘Til Death,” “20 Good Years” is my least favorite new series of the season.
It’s a laughtrack-happy sitcom, from writers Marsh McCall (“The Naked Truth,” “Just Shoot Me,” “My Big Fat Greek Life,” “Modern Men”) & Michael Leeson (“All in the Family,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Odd Couple,’ “Grand,” “IQ,” “What Planet Are You From,” “The Tuxedo”), about a pair of sixtysomething pals – a judge and a surgeon – who vow to live every day as if it were their last. It stars two actors who have worked on much better projects - Jeffrey Tambor (“The Larry Sanders Show”) and John Lithgow (“The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai”).
NBC now televises very few sitcoms - and because of their 30-minute lengths, sitcoms need partners. “30 Rock” and “20 Good Years” make for one of the worst pairings ever. “Rock,” a smart and subversive effort from “Mean Girls” screenwriter Tina Fey, strikes me as a much better match for the dry mockery of “The Office.” “My Name Is Earl” -which trafficks in the kind of sitcom wackiness one would expect from the creator of “Yes Dear” – would be a much better match for the broad antics of “20 Good Years.”
But what matters Herc’s opinion?
Ain’t It Cool fixture MiraJeff says:
What’s it called? “Twenty Good Years”
What's it about? Two life-long friends decide to throw caution to the wind and leave behind their personal and professional responsibilities so they can do everything they’ve always wanted to do now that they’re 60 years old and have only 20 good years left, or more likely, 20 mediocre episodes.
When's it air? The series premieres on Wednesday, October 11 at 8:30 pm following “30 Rock.”
Who's responsible? Creators Michael Leeson and Marsh McCall deserve credit for going after an underserved older audience.
Who's in it? John Lithgow (“3rd Rock From the Sun”), “Jeffrey Tambor (“Arrested Development”), Heather Burns (“The Groomsmen”), Jake Sandvig (“Veronica Mars”) and special guest star Judith Light (“Who’s The Boss?”).
MiraJeff’s Thoughts: This wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected it to be, namely thanks to Lithgow’s voluminous energy. I always found him a bit too highbrow and preening on 3rd Rock but I have to say I like the man-child character he plays here, especially opposite Tambor’s stifled Judge. Their dialogue works well bouncing off each other and their chemistry seems pretty natural. The pilot does a good job of establishing the depths of their friendship and the lengths these guys are willing to go to get a laugh, although I certainly didn’t need to see Lithgow in a Speedo. Light is always welcome in Sitcomland although she isn’t given much to work with here. She plays Tambor’s whip-holding girlfriend but it remains to be seen whether she’ll pop up in future episodes. I’m guessing no but to explain why would be to ruin the surprise. Sandvig leaves little impression as Tambor’s male-model son, but I did like the spunky Burns as Lithgow’s pregnant daughter. It'll be interesting to see if the writers can keep the concept fresh, considering Tambor pretty much raises all the questions for us in the pilot. Lithgow wants to go hang gliding over volcanoes and shoots gorillas in the outback but I'm guessing these two guys won't suddenly becomes Action Bond and Adventure Jones. More likely they'll do lots of crazily stupid (and boring) things such as jump in some cold water, which is the pilot's big climax. We get it, the ocean is cold in the winter, but is hypothermia really the best way to make a couple of old guys feel alive again? Here's to betting they'll both get a couple of girlfriends who are 20 good years younger than them and maybe a case of Viagra for sweeps. Again, the pilot isn't bad, but I'm afraid it could get a whole lot worse. Needless to say, I don't think this thing will be on the air next year, let alone in a few years, but that's what most critics said about Yes, Dear, although to be fair, I actually kind of liked that show.
Grade: C, same as this fall's other "promising" new sitcoms, "Til Death" and "The Class." Goes to show you the dire state of the modern sitcom. If it weren't for "The Office," the only thing on TV we'd have to laugh at would be Katie Couric's ratings. Burn!
Entertainment Weekly says:
… You remember Jeffrey Tambor and John Lithgow from better shows. Might wanna keep it that way. …
USA Today gives it one and a half (out of four) stars and says:
… Loudly and ludicrously out of control, Twenty Good Years seems to think men in their 60s are amusing only when they're screaming. … everything about the show seems designed to misuse its stars and erase our memories of the better work they've done. …
The New York Times says:
… “Twenty Good Years” is a much more old-fashioned sitcom, with a grating laugh track and one-two punch lines. It is a male version of “The Golden Girls,” but with weaker writing, and older viewers are not saps. …
The Los Angeles Times says:
… a loud, limp situation comedy … The enterprise threatens to runs perilously close "grandma on a skateboard" comedy — making an older person act like a younger one in order to elicit Big Laffs. But such a strategy just makes older actors seem even older. ...
The Chicago Tribune says:
… The writers may have spared us the expected Viagra jokes in the first episode, but nearly every other gag falls flat; even Lithgow’s almost heroic hamminess can’t save the day. Despite the lame tone, a laugh track is slathered all over “Twenty Good Years” like fake-tan lotion on a Hollywood starlet. Let’s all say it together: Death to screechy laugh tracks! …
The Washington Post says:
… What they go through is not only funny but also often touching, resonant and, if you happen to be part of the same generation, a trifle terrifying. Both actors are at the top of their game; they're like a Hope and Crosby for our time -- richly and royally hilarious. …
Variety says:
… somehow thrilling, a throwback that stands apart by daring place these "Golden Guys" front and center. Even if the material is a trifle slight, pairing of John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor brightens matters, serving up smiles if not outright guffaws. …
The Hollywood Reporter says:
… if "Twenty" proves anything, it's that even gifted performers can't conceal the flaws of a truly uninspired script, though they can distract from them here and there.…
8:30 p.m. Wednesday. ABC.
What book about Stanley Kubrick could possibly be worth $200? How about The Stanley Kubrick Archives ??
Alan Moore's Lost Girls!!
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