Unfortunately, I only saw about 4 episodes before the show was moved around, canceled or lost. But this show had a lot of things that made "Arrested Development" so popular - though perhaps a degree of anarchy that killed it. Mike White ("School of Rock", "Orange County", "The Good Girl") writes/directs with the usual blend of wit, irony and character-based storytelling. Jason Schwartzman does his best "I Heart Huckabees"-meets-"Charles In Charge" as Ben, a grad student studying the Shackleton family. The Shackletons - with "Mom" played by a neurotic Molly Shannon - are a mess. Ben attempts to bring in sanity and heart. Whether he had any chance, remains to be seen. This show didn't get off the ground, but it deserved a chance. It had enough talent to grow a heart - it just needed another half-season.
Plus, if you haven't seen the episode with Jack Black as a drug counselor, you're missing a great piece of work. Hilarious.
Please bring this to DVD - at least the treatment given to other short-lived series like the nice package of "God, The Devil and Bob" or (the dream), something like "Freaks and Geeks" or "Firefly".
Plus, if you haven't seen the episode with Jack Black as a drug counselor, you're missing a great piece of work. Hilarious.
Please bring this to DVD - at least the treatment given to other short-lived series like the nice package of "God, The Devil and Bob" or (the dream), something like "Freaks and Geeks" or "Firefly".