Life on a Stick

I remember not really having much of an opinion about this show. Just that the male leads were insufferable dorks, that it was nice to see Robey back on network television and that Amy Yasbeck never looked hotter. The one thing that kept me watching this dreck every week was Saige Thompson. I really liked her angst-ridden, girl-next-door against the world character. She seemed like the sort of girlfriend I could have had in high school, if only I had found her. This would have been a much better show if it had been called "Molly Callahan Against the World" and starred Saige as a post-modern Clarissa dealing with teen angst and confusion issues. I hope we haven't seen the last of her.

Life on a Stick was a short-lived multicamera comedy on FOX. Only five episodes aired before cancellation though the full 13 episode order was eventually shown in a number of countries. The show was one of many failed attempts by FOX at extending the family comedy brand established by That '70s Show and while it featured a number of veterans behind the scenes it can easily be seen as by-the-numbers at best.

The major plot line revolved around the romance of Laz and Lily, two young out-of-high-school workers at a mall food court hot dog counter/restaurant. It's not a case of will they/won't they, it's fairly telegraphed like the Eric/Donna romance on That '70s Show. Instead the conflict comes from Laz wanting a relationship while Lily wants something casual.

Laz's best friend Fred also works at the restaurant and is your typical "wacky" guy. Laz is the oldest sibling in a family where the mother and father each have a child from their previous marriages as well as one child together. Laz is the child Rick, the father, while the middle sister, Molly, comes from the mother Michelle's previous marriage. The shared child is Gus who doesn't figure much in the show.

As with Laz/Lily, Molly has a romance runner with Jasper, the boy she likes but who is dating at the time they meet but she stays close as a friend hoping things change. Many plots also revolve around the parents seeking approval from her or her being embarrassed by them.

You would expect pranks and hijinks around the hot dog setting, and there are some, but mostly it's a wasted opportunity. Perhaps the episode where a competing mall food court establishment sings to attract customers and annoys the gang enough to want to fight back shows where they could have gone more to distinguish the sitcom setup. However the show sticks more to the relationship comedy formula.

In the end it's a very throwaway show. Laz is played by Zachary Knighton, nowadays known best from Happy Endings, and some of the other actors are of the "where do I remember that guy from?" type. If there's any breakout actor/character it is Rachelle Lefevre as Lily, but that's not saying much given the general blandness of the comedy.

This sitcom is a fairly obvious joke about sitcoms. Very graduate school meta humor. And so, so lame.

You've got the precocious little boy. The doofus dad. The sexy mom. The angsty teen. The doofus young male and his dumb friend. The pretty girlfriend. All of them firing out quips in the midst of pure zaniness. Gosh darn it, if only the FONZ could grab his water skis and put us out of our misery, it would be PERFECT here in Sitcom Land! The worst part is all of these people could do at least slightly better. Except Amy. Amy Yasbeck is a charmer, and a thousand times smarter and better than her material. She delivers her "lines" very professionally, without a hint of justifiable, teeth grinding fury over an agent with worse judgment than the captain of the Titanic.

OK, OK...here's my claim to fame. I would like to coin a new phrase to describe this show's delivery style. It has a bizarre and perhaps refreshing way of using one-liners or zingers as a way of displaying or developing a story or scene by the sole use of one-liners or "zingers".

The "action" is developed almost exclusively by setting up an endless array of punchlines into one long, connected line. The characters reveal their sardonic personalities by minimalist snippets.

You might think it is one-liner heaven or hell. It's a matter of opinion. The whole feeling is surreal, post-modern and a panoply of pastiches and almost stifling to experience.

After 30 minutes, one comes away with the feeling that we've just seen 10 hours of one-liners in virtual time.

Not sure if it will work with most people because one might become weary because of it continually peaking.

You decide....if this "Zing-Com" is worth the time.

One could say that the show has "doomed" written all over it after already having an abruptly changed time slot for the season premiere. In the ads for the upcoming show, you saw unfunny little bits of working in fast food (a hot dog stand... who'da thought?), but the show surprisingly didn't have as many scenes in the food joint as the title suggests.

This kid lives with his parents after graduating High School, and his parents are leaning towards kicking him out. Sound familiar? Yeah, a bunch of shows have done this before a long time ago. Nevertheless, the re-married couple agree to have him stay in the house as long as he "hangs out" with his step-sister. Sounds like a deal to me. Wasn't this supposed to take place at a Hotdog stand? He has a buddy too... and you can guess how he is. Yup, the kid probably has less brains than the hot dogs he serves, and it's not funny at all. Think "Bill & Ted" after 12 years of Special Education curriculum. Mixed in with the Apu of Fast Food management and a love-interest and you've got yourself a TELEVISION SHOW! Rock on! Other than that.. between the 4-minute commercial breaks, we're left with about 18 minutes of laugh-tracks and all-around "meh" television. This will leave you wishing American Idol Result Night was an hour long again. This show MIGHT have worked in the early-/mid-90's, but not today in the land of giant elimination/reality shows and teeth-gritting dramas. Even among those genres, I've always wondered if a genuine 30-minute sitcom could still stand tall. I was wrong.