My Boys

There have been many sitcoms about mixed-gendered groups of friends (e.g. Seinfeld, Friends, etc.) and most of them centre on the relationships between the individual characters, and the group as a whole. The group of friends formula has worked so well because people can relate and make comparisons between TV characters and their own friends. We can't forget that this is a "formula" and so there have been many failed attempts at getting the chemistry right between characters and sad attempts at spin-offs (e.g. Joey).

My Boys is a new version of the "friends formula" and it works! The story lines centre around a group of friends (mostly men) in Chicago and the protagonist is PJ - a tomboy working for the Chicago Cubs. When I first saw the previews for this show, I thought, "Please, not another 'Friends' spin off!" I decided to give "My Boys" a try and was pleasantly surprised.

The relationships between PJ and her friends are interesting because of the fact that guy-girl dynamic is not overtly sexual as it can be on other shows. PJ and "her boys" are genuinely friends, not men and a woman who hang out with each other because they secretly want to be together. It's refreshing to see a sitcom where the female character and her male friends aren't trying to pursue a sexual relationship with one another (or where the back-story was that they did in the past and it failed).

On top of the great dynamics between the characters, the story lines themselves are funny! I don't want to spoil any of the story lines here but there are some pretty hilarious scenarios between PJ and men who aren't part of her group of friends - because she isn't your typical female (i.e. acts like "one of the boys"), some of the guys she comes across are baffled by her.

"My Boys" doesn't attempt to be edgy or over-the-top (like "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" - which I love by the way). It's just a good, solid comedy with interesting characters and story lines. Hopefully the writers stay true to this and don't attempt at turning the show into something it's not (another "Friends"). There's a lot of potential material for this kind of premise. Stay tuned!

Oh my gosh! I love this show! It has great one liners and is really in its own league. You can't compare another show to it and say it sucks cause it isn't a girlie show. It's called My Boys for a reason and it shows it in each episode. I've followed each episode and find myself laughing every time. I believe it's more family friendly than some shows out there, not every episode is based on sex, maybe gender but not the nasty. It may have it's corny moments but it has a relate-able cause that makes sense to some or maybe a lot of people outside of baseball. It's something I look forward to every Tuesday it's on. It makes me laugh, you may just find yourself with the same feeling.

This show will more than likely be called "Sex and the City" for guys, but after 4 shows, it holds up beyond such a comparison. I would call it "Sex and the City that your boyfriend/husband will actually watch without wanting to pull his eyes out", but I don't think that would fit on a billboard promoting the show. No pretense, well written and acted, down to earth relationship comedy that is not forced like most of today's sitcoms. Plus, no laugh track! And who doesn't need a little Jim Gaffigan in their lives?

Give this one a shot. Unlike network TV, you know that TBS will allow all of the episodes to air and give the show a chance to breathe and grow.

I don't know what this guy was talking about...but i love this show.

Maybe it's because i can relate to it more than some people. I love Chicago, the cubs, and i'm a lot like PJ in a someways. I have guy friends just like her and they can be that crazy sometimes.

Also, i see this show as a more down to earth, get real type of show. The characters are just like someone you could meet on the street without it being a "reality" show. But it's enough of a sitcom that when you sit down and watch it you don't get depressed like when you watch those CSI shows.

I wouldn't say this show is the BEST SHOW of all time because it's not, but for a good witty comedy that I enjoy watching it gets an A plus. I'm glad TBS picked it up for another season, i'm def. looking forward to it.

I'm very excited about this show!! I love the first two episodes. Witty, pretty and sporty. I've been in withdrawals since HBO has nothing new or (even renewed) this season. The network stuff is mostly flat (except Thursdays) and tries too hard now to be like HBO, then each show ends up as another rehash of either Friends, Thirty Something or XFiles.

In this new comedy series, the actors are all fresh, not yet famous faces, but well versed in TV appearances. The writers are also fresh and seemingly not jaded, while both the directors have excellent resumes that juxtapose each other well with TV drama and comedy experience.

PJ is the girl that is just one of the guys. She's easygoing, sporty hip, smart and sexy in an ungirly kind of way. She's kind of a tomboy Kate Hudson. PJ (Pamela Jo, Paula Jean?) hangs with the guys mostly and also works in a guys world (sportswriter for the Chicago Sun Times), PJ does have her girlier best friend, Samantha, on the side (she doesn't really hang with PJ's "boys" it seems) who probably will do the advertising for all the hipster clothing (and apparently plug internet dating sites).

I assume the poker games happen every week, so it's a way to keep track of the time going by?

All the"boys" characters are okay so far--real enough (believe me) and two of them cute enough to keep me watching. I hope each guy character does not get too contrived or personalities get too over the top to fall into typical sit-com guy stereotype (it may be too soon to tell though). OK, so the brother character is that already, but...I still laughed. PJ's bro, Andy, is also the most recognizable and experienced of the cast so he may be there as the grounding force of the group.

So... certain things still often can happen to a girl that hangs with the guys--especially when a couple of them are pretty hot. There should be enough material there to spread out over many seasons and I think they've made a good establishing start of it. I look forward to the next 7 shows and if material gets thin, I can probably get plenty enough for another season out of my journals!!!

I hope there are enough girls like me out there that can relate enough to keep this show going and enough guys out there that can hang as well.

Husband had one comment though--he wonders if the show will play too much on the sexual tension/unrequited lust that is the nucleus of, for example, The Office, and he hopes the show doesn't rely so much on that between PJ and Bobby. We want to see PJ keep movin' on and thru experiences, but not just a tomboy Carrie, please.

I also the love all the underground music references such as the Waco Bros. Nice to have a good forum to turn people on to something better than mainstream music. There is always the danger of sliding that bar too far ( I quit liking U2 and REM around 1988), but it's a good thing that people figure out there is more music out there than the Billboard Top 100 and classic rock.

My Boys has great potential--it's my new favorite show.