Out of Practice

I've seen this show four times now, I missed episode two, and I LOL every week! I really think that by the end of season two this could be the best comedy on TV. The writing is sharp, the cast is first rate, and the show is just funny. It gets better every week. Actually, it gets better by the minute because, unlike most sitcoms, the jokes are actually part of the story and build on themselves as the show goes on. So it's definitely worth it to stick around for the full half hour. I'm hooked! Henry Winker plays the dad, Stockard Channing plays the mom and they are great together. The kids are played by Christopher Gorham, Paula Marshall (what happened to Cupid?) and Ty Burrell and they're all hilarious.

I attended a taping of the sixth episode of OUT OF PRACTICE last night. Because the first episode has not aired yet they showed us that one before the taping so we would be familiar with the characters.

Bottom line: This is the show to watch.

I was fairly skeptical, because I find most (if not all) current sitcoms to be completely unbearable. However, this one is the exception. VERY funny AND smart. An interesting sidenote: the first episode that they showed to us last night before the taping did NOT have Jennifer Tilly in it; it had some blonde girl. Apparently once the show actually got picked up they decided to cast Tilly in that role and only recently went and refilmed those scenes with her. Therefore, the version that airs on CBS next week will obviously be different than the one we saw last night in the TV studio.

I've seen every episode of this show it is great. From the start all the actors have you believing they are a family. (a dysfunctional one) The writing isn't ground breaking but it's better than the shows you have to sit through before this one airs. When they argue it's not just cheap shots for laughs. all the characters seem thought out. and the actors are very talented. Christopher Gorham, Paula Marshall, Stockard Channing, Henry Winkler, and Jennifer Tilly fit the characters they play. The show moves around enough that you don't get Bored. Most shows all scenes take place in one or two rooms. I guess it's cheaper that way. One problem is believing that Ty Burrell could attract the women his character is supposed to.

I was so happy to see this comedy on TV. It has the wit of Fraiser, and since Kelsey Grammar is the director, I guess that makes sense. Both Henry Winkler and Stockard Channing add a great sense of experienced talent to the show, the new talent who plays Ben, the brother and sister - have great timing, as well.

The lines are so well written.

However I will warn you, some of the lines fly by fast. It is a little hard to understand the relationships at first viewing of this show. But once you understand it, it makes for a great comedy. It would help new viewers if the producers in the opening - did a " Hi my name is ben and this is my family" and explain all the dynamics before the show starts each week. That way someone new does not turn it off since they don't get it, especially since some of the humor is educated humor.

I strongly recommend giving this show a watch and a chance

I LOVE this show!!! I saw previews for it all summer & I thought it was going to be so stupid...but then I watched a few episodes...

Now, I am NOT a sitcom fan. I find most of them so boring and dumb. There are a few I've genuinely loved, like Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond. Out of Practice is a classic in the making.

First of all, the pairing of Henry Winkler & Stockard Channing is BRILLIANT.

Second, the humor keeps me in stitches. Last week I was watching from my gym, where there are about 20 TV's to choose from, and you can plug in headphones to the machine you're using and pick which TV to watch from. I was watching this show & laughing so hard I had people looking at me like I was crazy. I've never seen such great use of irony as a comedic vehicle before. The humor is simply brilliant.

Third, at first glance the characters in the show are pretty generic...the divorced parents, the womanizing son, the "underachieving" son, & the lesbian daughter. But the character development becomes apparent in just a few episodes & each one brings life to the show.

Fourth, being a lesbian myself I REALLY like a gay character being more than comic relief in a show. I relate a lot to this particular aspect of the show because of how MY family reacts to me being gay. In my experience, the reactions from the parents and the siblings are dead on. This being said...I don't think the GENERAL public is ready for a gay themed storyline being this prominent in a sitcom. The majority of the public simply wouldn't understand them & would even see such a prominent gay storyline as "in your face". I REALLY want this show to last several years, so my only piece of advice to the directors would be to cut back on all the lesbian references. Plus, I'd like to know more about the life of the daughter, besides the fact that she's a lesbian.

The bottom line is that this is a great show and is worthy of a look. I honestly think this has the potential to be a GREAT sitcom.