Reed Between the Lines

Reed Between the Lines is a quality program, once you take into consideration it is on BET. That being said, the show is just OK. This show has the potential to be on the level of shows like the Cosby's or My Wife and the Kids. The first thing that is apparent is you have Malcolm playing a grown up Theo and Traci is recycling Joan from Girlfriends who just changed careers again. The weakness of the show can be traced back to its writing and direction. Why would you have, Traci play a psychologist who in the workplace acts goofy and silly when she should be a serious professional and let her co-stars get the laughs. She picks the wrong times to be channeling Lucy/Carol Burnett. I do not mind her being silly when she is at home but not in the work place. Another concern is the youngest daughter is at times the smartest one the show. That does not fit when one parents is a MD and the other a PhD. That is the fault of the direction the show when it goes for cheap laughs instead of good humor, but the show is on BET I guess they are doing the best they can do. I hope they realize it before it is too late.

I have watched 4 episodes of this show and I just don't like it. The characters have no chemistry, it's like the none of the actors met before the first rehearsal. The children, who should be the highlights of the show, are dreadful to watch. Even the youngest daughter has no real appeal, as cute as she is. The blended family choice was a stretch and serves no purpose, especially if it's going to be swept under the rug like a dirty secret (I didn't watch the pilot episode so until IMDb had no idea that it was supposed to be a blended family). This show seems too forced and even all the celebrity guest stars can't save it. Nice try but the image of this show needs to be revamped if they want to survive.

The problem with most reality shows is that they LACK REALITY! The problem with viewers is that they LACK THE PATIENCE FOR REAL IN-DEPT ACTING that is not overly dramatized, in other words if the show is not paced to provide a full hour of laughs over irrelevant stuff they will turn away from it! What makes this show so entertaining is that the family is portraying an REAL AVERAGE lifestyle of a REAL FAMILY. The Cosby show featured a black family with a income of at least $400K a year, whereas this show is based on a family with incomes of $200K down to $35K a year; any family can relate to this show and its setting. The cinematography of this show is very good, writers for this show presents the audience with situations that can be related to by the average American, black and any other race.

Of course this type of show rarely survives past one season, because, as I stated earlier; viewers have been spoiled into laughing over shows that depict irrelevant issues. Today's viewers do not have the patience or training to watch and support, or find entertaining, a show that deal with real life situations and teaches moral lessons.

Props to all who help produce this show, it is a wonderful tool to teach the young children, even teenagers to young adults, about life and lessons to learn from it. It is a wonderful FAMILY VALUES SHOW, and that is something that we are missing on television today and something that we desperately need.

after so many series about family , it is a real challenge to discover something new. parents, children, friends, nice dialogs. at first sigh - only versions of same thing . again and again. in this case the secret ingredient is the honesty. not the humor, not the dialogs, maybe not the performances. family problems in cruel light. few drops of irony, usual situations, great problems and easy answers, the love not in pink nuance but comfortable to discover everyday crisis. a modern series who has the art to use old recipes in wise style. and that does it an adorable TV series. because it has this kind of charm useful for every viewer not only as entertainment but as inspired reflection of his life.

I've only seen two episodes but plan to watch more! I grew up with the Cosby show and have lamented the lack of positive images of blacks on TV since it went off the air. People should really give it a try. It's subtle, but fun. I know I'll grow to love it even more! Good start and nice to see our favorite black stars get cameos! I had grown weary of the offerings on network TV, especially since we have such a beautiful black family in the white house. I think now there will be more attempts at shows like this. Before it was reincarnated as the CW, WB had some nice shows: Girfriends, Half and Half, and One on One... My kids and I enjoyed the lineup! The writing was clever and the acting superb. We've missed those shows. Well done BET!