So last week I told you all about how I was excited about checking out Melissa & Joey. Then, what did you get from me? Nothing. No review, no thoughts, nothing. Radio silence.
Shame on me.
To be fair, I hadn’t put my thoughts together last week, and I was going to write yesterday, but it was my birthday, so I took the day off. But here I go, my initial thoughts on the series.
May I first say that it cracks me up that they advertise it as the hottest comedy on TV? Yeah, that’s because Hot in Cleveland just ended and nothing else has started yet. Just sayin’.
Not that I don’t like the show. I’m actually enjoying it. I like the comaradarie between Mel and Joe, and the kids really aren’t that bad either, though I don’t think they’ve really been featured enough to tell. For an ABC Family series, I’m surprised about how risque some of jokes are, but that’s certainly to its benefit.
I just wonder how long a show like this can last. We’re not in the day and age anymore where people want family sitcoms in front of a live studio audience (let alone ones that tell us that at the beginning of the episode). And how long can they go before they start falling into the typical sitcom storylines. So far so good, but we’re at episode three.
Plus, we seem to be in overdrive. Just last week, Joe’s marriage fell apart and this week he’s having trouble dating (a dating slump, as the advertisements told us) because he’s a nanny? I’m not sure how much time progressed (perhaps they should have told us) but that seemed awfully fast. And honestly, the idea that he was laughed at for being a nanny seemed rather unlikely. More so, I’d say he should have been scoffed at for being a nanny of teenagers. Now that’s something surprising.
A couple other nitpicks:
- How could they spend so much time discussing the teenager’s bad haircut without showing it to us? You’d think they could at least do that if we were to assume it was that bad. Plus, my guess is that next week, it will be pristine and perfect all over again, perhaps even the same length.
- Someone needs to either tuck or untuck Joe’s shirt. This one thing hanging out is kinda strange.
- I appreciate that Mel is in politics, but I kinda wish she’d push the cocktail dresses aside and start wearing more sensible clothes. It’s hard to believe she can’t afford a private school for the kids when she’s always dressed to the nines.
The refreshing aspect of the show that I wasn’t expecting, though, is Rhonda. Throughout the promotion of the series, I don’t think I ever saw her face, but her relationship with Mel is both fun and comical. The syncronized phone calls were great in the pilot, and I appreciate her presence anytime she’s around. She’s someone I continue to watch out for.
So the show’s cute, and I’m enjoying watching it. But will it last? Only time will tell…
Raked 
Happy belated birthday!
I caught ten minutes of an ep last night. I wasn’t impressed, but then even I know 10 minutes isn’t a fair sample. I’ll check it out if it’s on hulu.
Melissa Joan Hart looks took forced. She’s overdressed, too much makeup – it’s not that I want her to look younger, just normal (like you said, not always dressed to the nines).
Yeah, I wouldn’t mind seeing her in jeans like a normal person. To be fair, Joe always looks nice if you consider that he spends the day cleaning. But she’s always over the top.