Sons of Tucson

Tyler Labine is a funny guy and he was funny as the lead character in this awful attempt at reviving the Malcolm in the Middle franchise. It was produced by Justin Berfield (Reese in Malcolm) who is a talented young guy but he should have hired Linwood Boomer to run this show. Boomer, who created Malcolm, knows how to balance delicate subject matter with comedy, clearly Berfield has not yet learned this trick.

I watched all 13 episodes on Netflix and can see why FOX pulled the plug after just 4 showings. Aside from a talentless supporting cast (the kids were just plain bad actors) the show suffered from very unfunny plot lines. In one episode, the 11-year old has a long scene dancing in nothing but his tight white briefs in front of a web cam. It was disturbing and very creepy and not in the least funny. I'm sure every pedophile in America appreciated it.

In another episode the 6-year old is smuggled inside a sex industry convention and makes friends with a variety of porn stars and walks away with a gift bag containing "adult novelties." A first grader playing with a dildo and fruit scented lube. Funny, huh? Later episodes ridiculed a child with a speech problem, implied sexual conduct between very young children and pulled out every racial and ethnic stereotype in the book.

I can see why Labine jumped ship. As for Justin Berfield, I don't hold this show against him and assume it was a learning experience for him. He has produced some remarkable projects for someone so young and expect great things from him.

I'm a huge Malcolm in the Middle fan, and am actually amazed that show survived as long as it did, since most shows that are based around children as protagonists have a built-in shelf-life (i.e. they usually don't endure long after the main character has to begin shaving his/her face/legs). But while "MIM" had incredible writing, sharp timing/editing, unique characters and performances and above all a multi-layered sense of comedy that transcended generations (i.e. you could watch it with your kids feeling comfortable they wouldn't "get" certain jokes until they were older) Son's of Tucson had NONE OF THIS. It's evident they poached a couple of MIM's writers and tried to resurrect a formula of 3 embattled yet bonded brothers, but the result was just painful and embarrassing to watch for so many reasons. There's no danger of this ever coming back in syndication (even in Albania) so luckily it will most likely only live on in reviews like these on the internet...and the world is all the richer for it.

Gary, Brandon, and Robby Gunderson are brothers who traveled from Jersey to live in an investment home in Tucson, Arizona after their banker father was sent to prison. Ron Snuffkin (Tyler Labine) is a homeless slacker working at a sports equipment store. The boys hire him to pretend to be their father and avoid child services. It starts as a $200 job for a hour-long school meeting but soon becomes a deal for $300 a week and a place to stay. The boys stick Ron in the backyard tool shed. Glenn is Ron's longtime friend and Glenn's bossy wife Angela intends to keep them apart.

It's a lot of wild irreverent hijinx. Labine has always played this brash slacker slob type. This show is the embodiment of Labine's persona. The three boys deliver specific characters who bring chaos into this unusual family. This was canceled after four episodes with nine more in total. One of the things that early episodes missed is the heart. The anger and chaos can overwhelm the show. On a minor note, this show is missing a main female character to balance out the show. It has a few laughs but the audience was never big enough.

I find it interesting that the first review I read of this says that it's a Malcom In The Middle rip-off.The fool claims to be a huge Malcom fan and says he can tell they "poached" some of the writers from that show.He managed to prove he's an idiot and possibly a liar, all while thinking he was zinging this show.If he was really a fan of Malcom(or had ever paid attention to this show), he would have noticed that Justin Berfield(Reese from Malcom) was the executive producer of this show.Instead of talking about the obvious facts, he just makes up lies and feels like a big man.I have watched every episode three times and never once thought it was anything like Malcom.Thinking about it now all I can see that they had in common was that there were three boys on both shows.But then I paid attention to the show.Anyway, this was one of those few shows I watched from the very first day it aired.It's also the reason I stopped doing that.Not that I didn't enjoy the show but every time I get into a new show they start moving it around and then they cancel it.Which is exactly what happened to this show.While the premise is hard to buy into and there are plenty of plot holes, this show is really funny.They had plenty of guest stars and even tried to use Joe Lo Truglio as the wacky best friend.Unfortunately they decided to focus on the kids and Joe isn't seen much after the second episode.I won't waste time pointing out all the plot holes and things that don't make sense, there are too many of both.I will say that despite those small flaws, this is a funny show.Too bad it got cancelled.

This show is refreshingly hilarious. A dad for hire is a great concept with excellent potential for development.It is the future of the modern day family.

Regardless a few consider the boys on Sons of Tucson to be obnoxious and precocious, I believe they are no different from children on other shows. Honestly the days of Brady bunch and the Cosby kids are long gone. Even children in real life are like that nowadays.

A couple of episodes like family album and kisses and beads are below my expectations. Nevertheless, the show had potential (Now I have to use the past tense!). I enjoyed the feisty exchange between Angela and Ron very much. The dialogs are well-written.Kudos to writers. And Sarayu is super. No doubt, hands down, she is a winner.

It is sad that the network did not care to give it a fair chance.

P.S.: After watching all the episodes, I have to say this. I am a big fan of Sarayu. She has bright future. Looking forward to seeing more of Sarayu.