Run the Burbs

Really only checked this out because the guy from Kim's Convenience is in it. Casting is decent but I think they need to recast the daughter in the show. Her acting seems weak even for this show. Humour was ok but didn't laugh out loud to anything. Will give it another shot by watching episode 2. Maybe things get better and I'm wrong about certain casting.

So I streamed the first two episodes of "Run the Burbs" on The CW. It was pretty decent.

The show presents a unique perspective on modern family dynamics. The Phams, a Vietnamese family, redefine suburban life through community, humor, and togetherness. As leaders of local events and cul-de-sac heartthrobs, they tackle challenges with a strong bond.

Although the humor can be hit or miss, I didn't find it as engaging as Son of a Critch, another CW comedy show from the Great North. Additionally, some of the characters and situations the family (or "Phamily," I should say) gets into bother me sometimes.

However, I am still intrigued enough to give another episode a chance. The suburban escapades of the Phams may ultimately hit their stride and win over many American "Phamilies."

EKRating: 🙂 (It's Alright)

Run the Burbs is an interesting take on the hyphenated Canadian experience. It is unique in a way this focusses not just on the fact the co-leads are both culturally different but the tiny quirks that each of them have and has a lot of nuance. It is a sitcom. They are not stereotypes of specific ethnicities which was such a relief to see. They are an amalgamation of their cultures which is a beautiful thing in itself. I am glad that they show an intercultural family as happy and not as full of strife and only buffoonery for the sake of the audience.

I annoyed to see some of the reviews here. I felt like they didn't quite understand the show but realised it their own experience and it is valid. I am just happy to see people just having fun and a good time instead fighting against racism or colorism or some heavy topic. There is a time and a place for those things. I hope they provide a comedic and nuanced take on these things a bit later. The writing can be dull in the first few episodes and it is funny to see some white characters as one-note caricatures but brings the writing a bit down at times.

It is entertaining!

CBC is in such a huge rush to replace Kim's Convenience. They keep creating diverse comedies with weak writing & weak casting. It took two years to write, develop & cast Kim's Convenience.

They missed an opportunity to make a much better show. Moving from Toronto to the suburbs is a huge adjustment for people living the DT Toronto lifestyle.

There was plenty of humour that can be found in transitioning from city life.

They need to spend more time casting & finding better comedy writers. The show requires a solid adversary for Phung.

Conflict drives the comedy. This show is so obsessed with trying to portray a conflict-free idealized diversified world; it fails to deliver any laughs.

There are too many one dimensional characters who do nothing to drive the comedy.

I like Andrew Phung. Run the Burbs is not very funny. It's a huge miss.

The first episode sort of just left me meh. But gave episode 2 a chance, and as the various characters started to build, each episode became more interesting. The first episode just tried ramming all the various characters in your face, and just felt like a bad SNL skit, but as the episodes progressed started to see the various layers of the characters showing up.

It's not a perfect series yet, but I am more interested now to see how each episode will turn out and willing to give the series a shot.

From a performance standpoint, I think the widowed grandfather is pretty cool. I was a bit skeptical with the wife and the daughter but they both have good enough to handle the range. It will be interesting as the season progresses on the changes that can be expected in these 2 characters.

In all, the laughs aren't like rofl, but there are some pretty good chuckles but it's more to see the how the family grows through the series.