Family Affair

How come there are so many bad comments about such a great show? This show is a remake of the 1966-1971 series, & I think this new version is as good as the original. The only 2 surviving members of the original series, Kathy Garver & Johnny Whitaker, ever made guest appearances on this new show.

"Family Affair" may seem rather dense and insipid, but I thought it was really good. The only thing that was bad about it was the premiere, because it dragged out for an hour and brought everything together. After that the show turned out to be a breeze.

To remark such vile comments on a show which hasn't even been developed yet, is beyond me. We need to to be given the chance to explore these characters and story more before given judgment on how the original series was, because not all remakes follow the original concept, but instead try to give us a different and unique view on the modern ways and world of today.

This show has been marvelous so far, and I do enjoy Tim Curry as Mr. French. He gives the show hope and does a splendid job.

One day I was watching an episode of Family Affair and about 3/4 of the way through, something odd happened. Tim Curry said something mildly amusing and then, in the background, I heard something that while not a real laugh, was definitely a chuckle. I checked to see if I'd missed a character in the scene. Who made that noise? , I wondered. I then realized that this show had a laughtrack all along. I didn't even know it was a comedy.

It actually took 3/4 of an episode for even the LAUGHTRACK to laugh....once. I have never seen that before.

If this is a sitcom and I'm still not convinced it is, it has to be the least funny one I have ever seen in my entire life. I am not kidding. It's like adding a laughtrack to the Days of Our Lives or something.

Too bad, because Tim Curry can be one of the funniest actors, if he had good material to work with. Not the case here...Here he looks really bored and ashamed of himself.

For those of you (like me) who remember the first "Family Affair" you probably groaned when you heard of this "remake." So, apparently, did a lot of professional critics. Well, I have good news for you -- FORGET its a remake, watch it for itself, and you will find a refreshing, touching, funny show!

Yes, I admit it didn't start out too hot -- sappy story lines, 6-year-olds mugging too much, slapstick humor, and too much laugh track. But no more! After now 6 episodes, its gotten better each time! The story lines now manage to achieve that rare mix of being simultaneously touching and sensitive, yet funny (sometimes laugh-out-loud, other times amusing). Uncle Bill (the rich bachelor, Gary Cole) is learning to parent his nieces and nephew. Mr. French (the butler, Tim Curry) is learning to adapt and now keeps harried but effective control of the household. Sissy (the 14-year-old niece, Caitlin Wachs) is learning, in a gentle way, that she really does need someone to look after her. The two 6-year-olds are cute but thankfully have had little screen time lately.

The cast works quite well together. In particular, Curry is perfect as the butler, and Wachs is a delightful young actress who brightens each scene she is in.

The storylines indicate the writers now realize this show shouldn't be a "remake" but an opportunity to underscore how today's families may be unconventional yet still function and care for each other. If they keep it up, this will be a great show! For those of you with kids, its safe to let them watch. For those without, you don't realize you're watching a G-rated show.

Forget its a remake. If you watched it earlier and didn't like it, give it another chance. If you've never watched it, don't judge it until you've seen it! I think you're missing a GREAT show!

Last night I felt as if I were viewing a train wreck happening in slow motion when I chanced upon the premiere of this remake. "Family Affair" in it's original form was not so endlessly wonderful that it deserved an update but it still deserved a far better fate that this dreary attempt. It was doomed from the onset with the creepy bantering over Bill Davis's (Gary Cole) love life with today's Mr. French (Tim Curry). Both men are talented actors woefully miscast in this show which makes me wonder who greenlit this awful idea. The children are insipidly cloying and uninteresting, the sexual innuendo jokes vile and the entire premise utterly absurd. In fact, the only character with any dignity or class or even believability was the long-suffering Mrs. Beasley. Nothing on earth could compel me to tune in to watch this dreck a second time. Should be put out of it's misery so the actors might move on to better (hopefully, but you never know in Hollywood) projects.