Round Two: Grandfathered

Grandfathered: Season 1, Episode 2 “Family Fun Day” (B)

With no previewed pilot to guide this installment, it’s good to see that this show is progressing in an expected direction and beginning to come out of its shell. Jimmy is going to be Jimmy for a while, blowing off family invitations then accepting them because he feels like he should, bolting because he can’t take it, and then returning once he realizes that it’s the place he has to be. I like that all of the supporting characters actually have personalities too, and they’re the ones who are making the show worthwhile. I’m not really talking about Annelise and Ken, whose attendance at the white party was a minor entertaining distraction. I’m much more impressed with Josh Peck than I was when he starred in “The Wackness” seven years ago, and I think it’s great that he has this energetic sense of family fun which he’s desperately trying to spread to his newfound father, and that he was hurt and bold enough to stand up and say something to him and call him out on not valuing the idea of family. I’m also pleased to see Paget Brewster, who I remember as far back as her role as Kathy on “Friends,” playing the forty-six-year-old grandmother struggling to connect with the admittedly absurd Vanessa, who, to her credit, is becoming a bit more believable every episode. This show could well work and end up being great, and I’m definitely going to come along for the ride since it’s more than fun enough already.