Round Two: The Michael J. Fox Show

The Michael J. Fox Show: Season 1, Episode 3 “Art” (C)

Michael J. Fox is a nice guy, and that makes me want to keep watching this show. I’ve resolved to give a few shows that didn’t quite do it for me in episode one a second shot, and this is technically the third installment since last week’s pilot consisted of two episodes. While this was markedly better than episode two, which featured Mike’s embarrassing interaction with his attractive upstairs neighbor, it’s not all that much more appealing. Mike’s work life isn’t being showcased at all, and instead it’s all about his family and what’s going on at home. Some parts of the storyline didn’t quite convince me, however, namely the advice given to the two Henry boys by the older men in their lives. Graham frequently using his dad’s token line to get himself out of trouble with his sister and his aunt was over-the-top in a big way, and Ian listening to Harris’ opinions about relationships with women was a bad idea from the start. Eve’s new photography was obsession was irritating, and her nonchalant attitude towards nude photography was silly. I think that Betsy Brandt was perfect for the role of Marie on “Breaking Bad,” but comedy doesn’t seem to be her strong suit, and that’s a shame. Katie Finneran ends up being the one burdened with what are supposed to be the funny scenes, and she does as well as she can given how tangential and out of place her character feels. This show might eventually get good, but I’m not strongly compelled to stick around to find out.