Pilot Review: Man Up

Man Up (ABC)
Premiered October 18 at 8:30pm

Here’s the show about guys who just want to be guys that no one was clamoring for, brought to you directly after “Last Man Standing,” making it seem even more redundant and unnecessary. It’s hard to single out any one element of this show that works better than another since nothing works particularly well, and there isn’t much worth writing home about in terms of the show as a whole. Teri Polo is a peculiar case, because she’s a generally talented actress who doesn’t often have much to do in projects, which tends to make her characters especially uninteresting. The other two men don’t have stable women in their lives, which essentially just makes them into a trio we’ve seen before on so many other shows in the past. The one thing that did make me smile was the sight of all the grooms running out one after the other to chase Craig, Will, and Kenny away after Craig’s attempt at sentimentality with the guitar. I don’t think that it’s a good thing that the one part of the show I enjoyed involved the three main characters about to be beaten to a bloody pulp. Grant is a rather over-the-top personality, and I imagine he’ll serve mostly to emasculate the other guys and to be a constant thorn in Kenny’s side, reminding him that Brenda has moved on and is seeing someone else. Figuring out what Tobey Maguire what do, however random that may be, won’t help much. I don’t have any particular comments about the performers since no one stood out or made an impression. This is a show that didn’t need to be on, and I doubt it will be much for longer. I certainly won’t be watching again.

How will it work as a series? The title will likely present countless opportunities for our three heroes to prove just how masculine and macho they are. Will and Kenny will presumably move on from their current obsessions and try to find new ladies, to little to mixed avail. There are infinite possibilities here, but that doesn’t make them appealing in the slightest sense.
How long will it last? The pilot numbers weren’t terrific, and I think that airing right after “Last Man Standing” will hurt rather than help it. This definitely doesn’t feel like a show that’s going to have a long life, but until ABC decides to fill it with something else, it could eke out half a season or so.

Pilot grade: D-