Thursday brings two new 9 p.m. sitcoms that caused me to feel embarrassed for their creators. Watching these shows is like watching flop sweat condense:
“The Crazy Ones” (9pm CBS) is an ad agency comedy masterminded by David E. Kelley, who once masterminded the funny lawyer show “Ally McBeal.” It stars Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar, who were super-funny in “Mork and Mindy” and “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” respectively.
... Kelley seems in a more experimental mode these days: his low-rated TNT medical drama "Monday Mornings" was the most straightforward, non-quirky show he's done in forever, and now he's trying a more overt comedy, but doesn't seem quite sure how to do it — or if he wants to — even with Williams at the center. …
... a mixed bag at best. …
... watching Mr. Williams return to the kind of improvisation-style routines that made him famous in the 1970s is bittersweet, like watching Jimmy Connors play tennis again: they are still impressive, but audiences can’t help recalling how much more elastic and powerful they were at their peak. …
... based strictly on the pilot, this account remains up for review. …
“The Michael J. Fox Show” (9pm NBC), from “Cougar Town” writer Sam Laybourne, stars Fox as a TV newsman -- afflicted with the same condition Fox suffers -- who decides to return to the TV game full time – just as Fox has.
... more likable than funny …
... in its early outings, Fox's show is either bland or disappointing. …
It doesn’t take long to realize that something is off … The show is more concerned with making Henry a saint than it is with making him funny. … [If the show] is going to make an impression, it needs to get smarter fast.
... Early in “The Michael J. Fox Show,” the central character — who is not exactly Michael J. Fox, but close enough — tells his wife of an appearance on the “Today” show: “I’d just be a feel-good story to them.” And therein lies the nagging problem with a series that, given Fox’s heroic struggles against Parkinson’s disease, many people will be rooting for, and would cheer harder if only it were better. …
Returning tonight:
Big Bang Theory (8pm CBS)
Elementary (10pm CBS)
Glee (9pm Fox)
Grey’s Anatomy (9pm ABC)
Parenthood (10pm NBC)
Parks and Recreation (8pm NBC)
Two and a Half Men (9:30pm CBS) If “X Factor” gets beaten by a “Big Bang Theory” repeat, what are we to expect when “Bang” returns tonight with new episodes?
Thursdays, Aug. 15-Sept. 19, 2013
(18-49 finals; repeats in grey; prior weeks in parentheses)
4.0 (3.8) (---) (---) (---) (---) NFL NFLN
2.2 (---) (1.5) (---) (2.0) (1.6) Big Bang Theory
2.0 (2.2) (---) (---) (---) (---) X Factor
1.7 (---) (1.3) (0.9) (1.8) (1.4) 2½ Men
1.3 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Million Second Quiz
1.2 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Dads
1.0 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Brooklyn Nine-Nine
1.0 (0.9) (0.8) (0.6) (0.7) (0.8) Elementary
0.9 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Grey’s Anatomy
0.9 (0.7) (0.7) (0.8) (0.7) (0.9) Project Runway
0.9 (0.9) (1.1) (---) (1.2) (1.2) Wipeout
0.8 (2.2) (---) (1.4) (---) (---) College Football
0.8 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Scandal
0.8 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Valerie’s Story
0.7 (0.7) (0.6) (---) (---) (0.5) The Daily Show
0.6 (0.8) (0.6) (0.7) (0.6) (0.7) Childrens Hospital
0.6 (0.6) (0.4) (---) (---) (0.4) Colbert Report
0.6 (0.5) (---) (---) (---) (---) Ridiculousness
0.5 (0.4) (0.3) (0.5) (---) (0.5) Conan
0.5 (0.6) (0.4) (0.4) (0.4) (0.6) The First 48
0.5 (0.4) (0.4) (0.3) (0.4) (0.4) House Hunters
0.5 (0.5) (0.3) (0.3) (0.5) (---) House Hunters Intl
0.4 (---) (0.3) (0.4) (0.5) (0.5) Airplane Repo
0.4 (0.3) (---) (---) (0.3) (0.4) Chef Wanted
0.4 (0.5) (0.4) (0.5) (0.4) (0.5) Impact Wrestling
0.4 (0.3) (0.5) (---) (---) (---) Tamar & Vince
0.3 (0.4) (0.3) (---) (---) (0.5) Anger Management
0.3 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Supermarket Superstar
0.2 (0.1) (0.2) (0.2) (0.2) (0.3) Next Top Model
0.2 (0.2) (0.3) (0.2) (0.2) (0.3) Vampire Diaries
