Die Millers

A disappointing waste of a talented cast. Margo Martindale and Beau Bridges are two terrific actors that who have been handed dialog that makes them come off as bad actors. Quick! Get new writers! I could not believe that hateful fight scene between Margo and Beau. Divorce isn't a particularly funny subject but it's going to need special handling when the script is centered around a couple who has been married for more than 40 years. When Debra's parents decided to divorce, on another sitcom with Raymond in the name, after being married a long time the writers didn't stoop to adding venomous conversations between the two partners. The Millers writers obviously thought the mutual attack scene was funny. I found it sad.

Quick! Get new writers - please!

Nathan Miller (Will Arnett) is a self-obsessed local TV reporter who is shocked by his parents Carol (Margo Martindale) and Tom (Beau Bridges) announcing that they're getting divorced. Now his parents split up to live separately with him, and his sister Debbie (Jayma Mays) and her husband Adam (Nelson Franklin) and her daughter Mikayla (Lulu Wilson). Nathan is best friend to his cameraman Ray (J.B. Smoove).

This started awkwardly with the parents splitting up. It's just more annoying than funny. The show is better off to start off after the split. Also for a separating couple, the family keeps hanging out together. The family does grow on me. I love Martindale and she's terrific as the bossy matriarch. The old couple's constant fighting fades more to the background. It is a little uneven. There are some likable laughs. The awkwardness starts to fade. Then the second season tries to bring in Sean Hayes to do a bad recurring role. It's one more mistake that the show doesn't need.

I was really looking forward to this show because of the great cast, but it just didn't seemed to catch on with the the first couple of episodes so I supposed it might get cancelled. After the holidays I gave it another chance and in the last couple of weeks and I saw two episodes worth watching. With the focus off the mom/dad haranguing, I saw a sitcom with scenes and line deliveries which kept me laughing. One of the episodes involved the sister's hidden diary, but I thought better of tonight's episode about Nathan stealing his mother's rants to fuel his own TV segments. It certainly had some real belly laughs. Lately it seems the pacing and use of the supporting cast is improved. No hamming or mugging from anyone, just enough well timed involvement to keep the laughs coming. It is easy to see the cast is loaded with talent and let's hope the scripts are worthy of them.

It's a perfectly watchable show. The writing is not too shabby and it is actually pretty funny. J. B. Smoove again proves he can't act or speak, but other then him the acting is good. For the second season they decided that they needed a gay character and that kind of messed up the show.

Some of the reviews here are ridiculous. This is one of the best TV programmes on telly. People cribbing the fact that they have seen the concept before when it's rare to see something unique. The writing is witty and snappy and in Arnett and Smoove it has possibly the two best comedy actors around. Ignore the IMDb score and ridiculous reviews this is an excellent programme, the jokes are clever and there are some nice tie ins with previous jokes. In one scene Nathan (Arnett) gets home to find his best mate Ray (Smoove) in his apartment with Nathans mother, Ray says he is staying in Nathans for a few night and Nathan asks what is wrong with his apartment, Ray says he had a big lady back and he wants to give the memory foam mattress a chance to forget, excellently delivered by the two mentioned actors. Watch a couple of episodes and thank me later