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drunkwasabeherder t1_j8h1zq9 wrote

I was looking forward to this.

a. I enjoyed the original and this was using the same premise but updating it, so not purely a reboot.

b. I like Melissa Rauch.

c. I love John Laroquette.

I only got through two episodes and really didn't laugh and gave up after that. I really wanted to enjoy this and was disappointed.

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ThePhantomOfBroadway t1_j8h46kw wrote

It does get better actually, there is some really great scenes between Melissa and John and it’s starting to find its heart again. I think where it is still a work in progress is finding it’s comedy style; the original was absurd and it worked but this I think they are trying to start semi-normal before really leaning into the craziness the first series got away with. Also, they do need to revamp a few of the characters but that comes with every new series.

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Photodan24 t1_j8ica3x wrote

Harry Anderson was a very special comedian/actor and you can't just recreate magic (no pun intended) like that. In the couple episodes I managed to get through, John Larroquette was carrying the whole show.

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fishwrangler t1_j8idrqq wrote

The first season (two really) of the original was touch and go too. I just recently rewatched it with my daughter.

Finding the right costars to make that chemistry can take time. Markie Post didn’t join as a regular cast member until the 3rd season.

Give it some time.

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FotographicFrenchFry t1_j8ityus wrote

Ensemble shows always take time to get good. The first season is always going to be rough because ensemble shows rely on the friendships of the characters.

Production of the first season, the actors are (usually) meeting for the first time, or getting to know their characters relationships with the other characters. The actors themselves still need to get to know each other behind the scenes.

That's why second and third seasons are usually when ensemble shows (think the various Star Treks) start to hit their stride. The characters' chemistry on screen and their friendships finally start to mirror the real friendships made behind the scenes.

For example: Riker and Troi in TNG had all this established backstory and an implied previous relationship, but the first two seasons, it felt like they barely knew each other when they interacted. But as the time went, and friendships built, their on-screen chemistry matched an implied genuine friendship off-screen. Same thing with Picard and Dr. Crusher.

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ascagnel____ t1_j8j2rsj wrote

> Ensemble shows always take time to get good. The first season is always going to be rough because ensemble shows rely on the friendships of the characters.

Sitcoms in general need 10-15 episodes to "find" their characters. Smaller show orders often translate that to a full season today, which is one of the big reasons I think the format has waned.

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FotographicFrenchFry t1_j8j4nkk wrote

This is true. Longer show orders just also generally meant a longer time for the cast and crew to be around each other. When it takes 5 or 6 months to record 22-26 episodes instead of 2 and a half or 3 months to film 10-15 as you pointed out, it just limits the building of those relationships.

Going back to my Star Trek reference (because I'm an obsessive), the movies were always better when they had to use a smaller budget in more creative ways.

I think now that shows have become more expensive to produce, the money gets pooled up to pay actors instead of using them to extend episode orders.

Much of my POV in this is also coming from watching That 90s Show recently, which I thought had a decent first season. And much of what I've mentioned (at least in the case of this show) can be chalked up, in-universe, to the fact that it was Leah's first summer there. So much like the actors themselves, the character is just getting to know a lot of these other people for the first time.

I'm sure that Season 2, with an "extended" order of 16 episodes, is going to be even better, because the friendships were already starting to form. When we hit their "next summer", I guarantee that the show will take off even more.

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ascagnel____ t1_j8jfr7m wrote

"How I Met Your Father" is in the same state. HIMYM was a hit, but it's first handful of episodes are pretty uneven, although it hits stride a little early, with "Okay Awesome" (S01E05); HIMYF didn't really nail its characters until episode 8 or 9 of its first season (totally normal for a sitcom, but a near-death-knell for a 10-episde first season).

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Mindless_Toe3139 t1_j8ispo2 wrote

Laroquette is the best in The Tenth Kingdom which is where I know him from.

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