Tuesday, September 29, 2009

TBG TV: Brothers


When/Where: FOX – Fridays at 8:00 PM

10-Word Premise: Bickering Black family (is there another kind?!) under one roof.

Starring: Michael Strahan as the charming Black guy; Daryl "Chill" Mitchell as the smart-alecky Black guy; Carl Weathers as the "can't tell if he's crazy or wise" Black guy and CCH Pounder as Big Momma.

The Best Thang: Strahan's acting is somehow not the worst thing about this show. Hell, he's actually respectable – all things considered. But, it's the seasoned comic timing of Mitchell that makes "Brothers" just barely watchable. He does all he can – including a few too many gags about his own disability – and it's morbidly entertaining to see someone work so hard to make something out of this mess.

The Worst Thang: The FOX network not only exiled "Brothers" to Friday nights, but they're unloading their 13-episode order as fast as they can with back-to-back shows from 8:00 – 9:00 PM. A lot of the going-in reviews expressed astonishment that the esteemed CCH Pounder would lower herself to appear on a sitcom, but whatever alluring ju-ju she had on "The Shield" isn't evident here. She has no chemistry with Strahan and Mitchell (her own children!) and exhibits varying degrees of emotional expression simply by yelling slightly more or slightly less.

The Verdict: After the series premiere, I turned to Mrs. Bootleg and said, "Well, at least we can face the Black caucus and tell 'em we tried…".

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