O Show de Michael J. Fox

Michael, Michael; what in the world is going on? Don't get me wrong. I like MJF. But I don't like this show. It is poorly scripted, poorly shot and BADLY in need of a genuine sense of humor.

After the first three parkinson's jokes the rest of them just fell flat. Enough was enough already. I didn't know if I was supposed to laugh, feel sorry for him or what. For me, it just didn't work.

The characters in the supporting cast are not well defined. I don't know who the heck they are or what they're supposed to be. They just kind of wander in and out of camera view doing a fast and furious set of blackout jokes; kind of like a rude and crude vaudeville routine.

Speaking of rude and crude about one third of the "humor" was on the level of nine year old toilet jokes.

Your show is not for me, Michael. You're better than that. Or, are you?

"The Michael J. Fox Show" is about as generic a sitcom as its title. It sucks to admit this, since Michael J. Fox is such a likable talent, and solely on the basis of his returning to television, I *wanted* to like this new show -- but it just isn't that great, and barring a huge revamp of its approach, I doubt there will be much room for improvement.

It is a modern sitcom, which is to say it has been inspired by Modern Family with its talking head interviews, which don't flow very naturally with the procession of the storyline.

Obviously there's no dismissing the elephant in the room, which is Fox's battle with Parkinson's Disease, but...the show goes the opposite route, by embracing it and poking fun at it a little too much. We're supposed to feel comfortable with the sitcom put-downs and quips at his expense because he's cool with it, but that doesn't make them any less uncomfortable, to be totally honest. Honestly, they'd have been better having a couple jokes in the beginning of the episode, then moving on. Instead, they've worked the entire NARRATIVE of the show around his disease -- his character, Mike Henry, is a hugely famous broadcaster who had to quit at the peak of his career due to his Parkinson's struggles. Sound familiar?

The show keeps beating you over the head with this, which, I guess, I could put up with more, if the supporting cast - and writing - compensated. Neither does. From the promiscuous aunt character to the precocious teenager, these are all tired caricatures and none of them quite feel real.

Perhaps most disappointing is that in struggling to overcome all these obstacles he's faced with, Michael J. Fox isn't even given much to work with. He carried Spin City with his easy charm, but with this program he's basically the brunt of a lot of jokes about his physical ailment and playing an exasperated dad whose family is constantly ribbing him -- it's just not that funny or amusing.

I hope it improves, but frankly, they'd have to revamp the whole show and its format, I think, to overcome these problems. I'd be very surprised if this lasts beyond a single season.

Canceled BUT is it worth watching its one and only season? (available on the Internet etc.) In one short answer: No.

That doesn't mean that it was a bad show. Just mediocre.

It is inspired by the life of Michael J. Fox, with his disease (Parkinson's) and all, and it is basically a family sitcom. It has its own style of narration, with each member occasionally breaking the fourth wall looking at the camera and basically stating his or hers intentions.

There is no fake laugh track in this one, and for me that's a plus.

The premise was basically each kid of the family trying to outsmart each other and all of them their parents who were pretty smart themselves. That, and some secondary plots about M.J.Fox's job (an anchor in a TV channel) etc.

So, you can pass this one. It was occasionally funny, but overall was mediocre.

I really wanted to like this. My mom has Parkinson's, so I'm always thrilled to be tuning in to a Michael J. Fox appearance. He's inspiring and entertaining, and he does a lot for the cause. But this show is a clunker. It feels artificial, as though designed by a committee. All the kids are sarcastic and uninteresting, the adults are lifeless annoying, and there was no charm, no warmth, and no laughs. The whole thing is awkward and hectic, and shows no promise.

It isn't hard at all to watch him, despite the fact he clearly has all the symptoms of the disease. It isn't formulaic like most of the sitcoms he's been in over the course of his life. It's just bad. He carries himself with the same relaxing charm he's always had. He appears to have shown up ready to give a great performance, but the people behind the scenes really let him down with this charmless bomb.

I couldn't make it to the end of one episode, much less the second that aired right after.

Bummer.

Episode 1 = tried too hard, too big a role given to Parkinsons.

Episode 2 = tried too hard and humor a bit too contrived

Episode 3 = only one reference to Parkinsons but tight and subtle humor. Great chemistry between the characters and situations most of us can relate to.Michael J. Fox has the kind of talent that can't be suppressed and although his illness was a big part of episode 1 and less so by episode 2, by episode 3 (thankfully) the script writers realize that there is humor in almost any situation and they don't have to force each one.

The absence of a laugh track in the show is most welcome and anyone who tolerated the first two episodes and came to episode three with the attitude of "I'll give it the 5 minute test and change channels if it does not grab us" - as my wife and I did - prepare to be pleasantly surprised.

Trust me and watch the first two episodes with the objective of getting to know the characters then sit back and enjoy episode 3 and hopefully many more excellent episodes to come.