Miss Guided

Network: ABC; Genre: Sitcom; Content Rating: TV-PG (some adult content); Perspective: contemporary (star range: 1 – 4);

Seasons Reviewed: Series (1 season)

The high-wattage charm and charisma of Judy Greer goes a long way in "Miss Guided". Until now Greer has been always the wacky friend, never the leading lady and while this show might not be the romantic comedy movie revenge the talented actress deserves, it is a long-awaited star-turn. Whether the show or the star came first , only creator Caroline Williams and highly publicized producer Ashton Kutcher knows.

Did I mention it was produced by Ashton Kutcher? ABC couldn't stop themselves from beating us over the head with this, and just to help out the new star, Kutcher (sorry, isn't he going by just "Ashton" now?) even guest stars as a laid-back guitar-wearing hippie teacher who all the students love. Now that that's out of the way… Judy Greer stars as Becky Freeley a high school guidance counselor with an unrelentingly cheery, sunny-side-up disposition in the face of disappointing students who don't respect her and all the while being haunted by past humiliations in that very high school. She can't get past that even as a faculty member the politics and feeling of high school remain the same. She's still jealous of the beautiful, popular girl – now an English teacher played by Brooke Burns – and pining for the attention of the shop and Spanish teacher Kristoffer Polaha. Rounding out the faculty, the principal (Earl Billings) just doesn't care, in contrast to the vice-principal (Chris Parnell) who runs his little corner with an iron fist and a silent, ever-present student officer yes-man by his side.

Chris Parnell is without a doubt the funniest thing in the entire show. Actually, his performance and this character is almost in a different universe than the rest of the show. A little bit over-the-top, a little bit cartoonish, dead-on satirical. By contrast, everything around it is so bland. Inoffensive but utterly forgettable. Anything that can be identified as "jokes" are as broad as possible, with a spotlight shown on them.

Still, "Miss Guided" is worth a casual glance for the few laughs Parnell can generate and for Greer – if only to show that this unflappably adorable supporting actress, lacking any pretension of ego, can carry a show. It's such a refreshing change of pace from a few years ago when TV was uncomfortable making a woman the butt of the joke ("Less than Perfect"), but now thanks to Tina Fey and Kaitlin Olson characters like Becky Freeley can be humiliated with the best of the guys. Unfortunately, broad humiliation comedy alone isn't enough to carry a series, and that is most of what "Miss Guided" trades in.

* ½ / 4

You can't really miss with a comedy about high-school, and this show doesn't disappoint. It somehow does a better job evoking a real high school experience than other shows like "90210" or "Gossip Girl", and that's probably by focusing more on the teachers; "My So-Called Life" was the only show with a high-school milieu as seen from the kids' angle that I think came close to getting it. "Miss Guided" is a light, funny, smart way to spend a half-hour, a definite notch or two above programs of its ilk, something ABC seems to be showing a talent for lately with other efforts like "Carpoolers", "Notes from the Underbelly", "Pushing Daisies", and even though I'm going to get crap for it, yes, "Cavemen". Judy Greer has a deft comic touch and carries the lead well, but Chris Parnell as the assistant principal steals every scene he's in. Sometimes the episodes seem almost to be written more to his strengths than anyone else's. He's to this show what Alec Baldwin is to "30 Rock".

My wife and I really liked this show. It was a show we could both sit down and enjoy. Parts of it make you remember of how your high school was like and how you did not want to go back. I am sad this show was canceled, I was hoping for a shift from according to Jim and other reality shows that ABC plays.

I am not sure the reasoning behind it, I guess it went the way of other fun shows like arrested development. The network execs didn't want to give it more of a chance to see what it could do. Most shows don't work the first year especially with a writers strike.

The cast was a great cast and did really well together. I thought if it could go a second season then they could really get the show rolling.

Judy Greer and Brooke Burns turn in great comedic performances in the new Ashton Kutcher produced comedy "Miss Guided." The return to high school theme isn't exactly new, but it is funny and well executed. This was an unexpected treat. The visuals offer the physical comedy that Judy Greer does so well. Maybe it's her dance background, but she knows how to move. The dialog is quick with both obvious puns and and sarcastic wit. "Miss Guided" just proves how much of high school stays with us. In the show the high school legacy stays with Judy Greer's character more than most. Regardless of which side of the high school divide you lived through, the show has enough reality to be funny and enough irony to appreciate the other side.

Over the years there have been any number of TV shows about teachers. Either they go for drama or comedy. Some are clever and some are a miss. Miss Guided is as big a miss as you can get. The show features a collection of misfits who should never ever get close to a school. The humor is both cruel and unfunny. Whoever wrote this stuff must be trying to get back at a sarcastic teacher who humiliated him/her while they were a student. If this if his/her response it is a misfire, a mistake, and a misstep. Please, someone cancel this show now and let it fade into oblivion like Jezebel James. If you like humor try Two and a Half Man which takes some humorous pot shots at schools and teachers and everything else.