The Neighbors

I signed up for an account with IMDb just so I could show support for this sitcom.

It seems like 99% of the sitcoms out there are bent on using sexual, crass humor to attain and retain their audiences. Most new sitcoms that come out, you can hold your breath without passing out before a crude joke breaks. It gets old.

So when a show comes out with a fun premise and actually makes me laugh WITHOUT being crude and crass, I enjoy every moment of it. Because inevitably it will get bad reviews and be canceled after (usually) one season-- if that.

So here's my take, in a nutshell:

The character are fun. Simon Templeman and Toks Olagundoye are hilarious as alien parents. Great delivery and timing, and Toks can do just about any accent under the sun. Watching them (and the rest of the cast) tackle "normal human" trappings has thus far been creative and fun-- and CLEAN. Which to me just makes it more classy. Supposedly I have a good sense of humor, so I'm hoping that others can find the humor in this show as well. It's still early, but I feel like there's a lot in the tank for growth in the characters. And the amount of "normal human" trappings they can explore are so vast, I feel it can last for a while.

For example, they just took on the subject of sex. Yes, they could have gotten pretty crass. This episode was, to be honest, the one that would have me either continuing to watch the show (if they did it with class), or turning it off. Throughout the episode, I felt they handled it really well, which was (again) refreshing.

Granted, this isn't the type of sitcom that's going to run for a decade and all that, but it's a breath of fresh air and I am discouraged that it's only getting (at time of review) a 5.4 out of 10. Sadly, though, I'm not surprised.

I know this review doesn't help with in-depth analysis, but I hope it at least sheds some light on a sitcom that doesn't (at this point) follow in the footsteps of the same old tired, dirty, trite junk that seems to bombard us from every angle.

The Weavers (Jami Gertz, Lenny Venito, Clara Mamet, Max Charles, Isabella Cramp) are a Jersey family who moves into a gated community. Then they find out that all the neighbors are aliens from another planet. Every one of them picked a famous sport star name. The leader is Larry Bird (Simon Templeman) with his wife Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Toks Olagundoye) and their kids Dick Butkus (Ian Patrick) and Reggie Jackson (Tim Jo).

I love the aliens and the crazy hijinx they get into. They're ridiculous and loads of fun. It doesn't try to be too serious. The aliens look at the world in a totally different way and every once in awhile, they teach the Weavers lessons of their own. There is also a teenage love story between the grumpy Weaver girl and the wide eyed boy Reggie Jackson. That too is fun. It was canceled after two full seasons. It's too bad since it's one of the funnier shows around.

Where this show is so new I'm inclined to keep this short and sweet: I'm unsure why some are rating this show so low, as it seems to have been quite clearly written and designed for fun. I'd like to suggest more cynical viewers lower their proverbial gun barrels and take pleasure in a show that simply wants to be silly, creative and a little bit cheesy...as opposed to the barrage of deep message-laden pseudo-preachy programs that we're currently bombarded with.

I found the pilot a bit shaky in spots, but I can't recall a pilot of any program where this wasn't the case. The characters were well-portrayed; I found the acting particularly strong given the subject matter. It also had a decent spectrum in relation to how it will relate to adults and younger viewers; hence the steady-fire logic of visual and vocal quips that kept things rolling along nicely.

I'm trying to be as vague as possible as I'd rather entice people to check it out, instead of spoil it by trying to summarize or describe it adequately in text. It's a situational-style sitcom with Sci-Fi overtones. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and clearly has a lot of fun in the production. I found the writing particularly clever in many spots, and laughed out loud on many occasions. I can only hope the humour and writing stays strong throughout the season, because if that starts to weaken, it may deflate the whole concept altogether. Nonetheless, I've found it to be a decent breath of fresh air so far.

As a fan of the Coneheads, this familiar premise held some hope for me, but I was prepared to be disappointed. However, within the boundaries of where a show like this is aimed, this was a very funny show. No audience laughter and no talking to the camera were welcome assets.

We laughed out loud several times. The jokes moved quickly and were a pleasant mix of the surreal and absurd. The cast was solid and I especially enjoyed the fact that Jami Gertz was the only actor I was all that familiar with.

Looking forward to more and hope that they can sustain the comedic tone established in the pilot.

When i have spotted the promo's of this show, i thought it was so random, childish and unattractive. It turns out i was WRONG. The pilot was likable and the further episodes kept getting better and better. The dialogues were fine and i think the overly-sophisticated English would really contribute to young viewers their vocabulary. However, the only thing that bothered me is that even tho they are all in a closed community, it seems a bit odd that the aliens have mastered the English language but they are unaware of everything that takes place outside of their community. But still, i have seen progress through the episodes and it might be worth for you folks to try it out as well. I can assure you that you will not be disappointed. Take it from someone who is very selective on what to watch. This show. A 7.0 from yours truly.