What’s this show called … Mike & Molly?

Good for Chuck Lorre for not resting on his laurels. After scoring solid results with shows like Grace Under Fire, Cybill, and Dharma & Greg, Lorre (somehow) hit the mother-load with Two and a Half Men. And if that wasn’t enough, four years later he landed another winner with The Big Bang Theory. But you have to figure that at some point even the greatest creative minds must stumble.

Apparently Lorre can handle it; this season saw the premiere of his newest creation, Mike & Molly, which is thus far averaging a solid 11.5 million viewers per episode. While I’m not a fan of either show he has on the air right now — and Dharma & Greg’s the only thing he’s ever done that I could sit through — there’s something about the success that Mike & Molly‘s enjoying that intrigued me to check it out.

Billy Gardell (Mike) is like a less abrasive version of Kevin James. Don’t get me wrong, Gardell’s not as funny, but I could definitely feel the vibe he had going. Certainly he was more enjoyable here than as Officer Hoyne on My Name Is Earl. And I really liked Mike’s “shares” at the beginning and the end of the episode at his over-eaters support group. It’s a nice variation on the voice-over employed in a lot of sitcoms today, and Gardell just does a good job of it. Too bad he’s a delusional Cubs fan (1908!), but I found Mike to be a pretty likable character.

Molly is played by the talented Melissa McCarthy, a veteran of both the Gilmore Girls and Samantha Who?. What I found unfortunate was her family; Swoosie Kurtz is obviously an acting force, but her mama Joyce — and Molly’s sister Victoria, played by Katy Mixon — is a tad too nonjudgmental. I’m not saying that Molly should be judged, but I felt as if the writers were so afraid to go the route of the cliched, “judgy” family that they went too far in the opposite direction. The result? A family dynamic that didn’t quite click for me, even as they were talking about Molly’s dead father.

And speaking of families, Reno Wilson’s a solid actor stuck in a bad part as Carl. Playing Mike’s partner/ the third wheel detracts from a lot of what he can do, reducing him at times to the whiny guy who doesn’t like change. It seemed either the wrong casting choice for a small part, or bad writing for a bigger actor.

And while we’re on the subject of “bigger” actors, why is Mike & Molly’s “thing” that both characters are overweight? I didn’t see what that added to show. I understand that it’s the reason that Molly and Mike met, but as a plot point it seems unnecessary. They’re cute together, and both actors are funny enough to make the show go without the in-bad-humor jokes about weight. That kind of felt like an initial hook that either wasn’t necessary in the first place, or has run its course. I understand that neither actor can slim down overnight just because weight is superfluous at this point, but at least it could be made superfluous in the scripts, right?

And I want to mention that I loved David Anthony Higgins — better known as Craig Feldspar on Malcolm in the Middle — as Harry, the fan in the bleachers that Mike, Molly, and Carl all sat next to. Awesome glasses, Craig!

Not a bad show. I think there are far too many unnecessary fat jokes for me to want to tune in regularly, but Lorre’s definitely scored yet again.

Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Apr 18, 2011 @ 14:00 EST5EDT