The TV Column

'Irreverent' Carmichael Show cranks out laughs

NBC’s promising new sitcom, "The Carmichael Show," stars (from left) co-creator Jerrod Carmichael, Amber Stevens West, Lil Rel Howery, Loretta Devine and David Alan Grier.
NBC’s promising new sitcom, "The Carmichael Show," stars (from left) co-creator Jerrod Carmichael, Amber Stevens West, Lil Rel Howery, Loretta Devine and David Alan Grier.

Whoa! Wait. NBC has actually sneaked a funny comedy into the lineup and we almost didn't notice.

It's been so long since the network had anything truly amusing that when The Carmichael Show debuted last week, I found myself writing about other stuff to the neglect of even mentioning the series.

Not so funny sitcoms? How about Outsourced, Perfect Couples, The Paul Reiser Show, Whitney, Up All Night, 1600 Penn, Go On, Welcome to the Family, Sean Saves the World and The Michael J. Fox Show?

And that's not including The Odd Couple, which is enigmatically still on the air.

But it's not too late to check out Carmichael. NBC, which is airing the sitcom in back-to-back doses, debuted the first two episodes last week and will return at 8 p.m. Wednesday with the next two of the six-episode order.

Running series back-to-back is a traditional method of "burning off" a tryout that's not deemed worthy of stretching out over six weeks. It's like gritting your teeth and ripping the bandage off in one tug. In this case, I assumed the show was being used as filler before the new fall schedule kicks in Sept. 21. Hopefully not.

The series, rated TV-PG, is being labeled "irreverent" by NBC. That's usually code for tacky and coarse, but I found that not to be the case. In fact, The Carmichael Show can boast that rare laugh-out-loud moment or two.

Inspired buy his own colorful family, the series stars comic Jerrod Carmichael as, well, Jerrod Carmichael, a role he evidently was born to play.

The rest of the ensemble features Amber Stevens West as Jerrod's therapist-in-training girlfriend, Maxine; Lil Rel Howery as Jerrod's hustler brother, Bobby (who's just divorced); and the scene-stealing David Alan Grier and Loretta Devine as Jerrod's parents, opinionated truck driver Joe and overbearing, Bible-thumping Cynthia, who have been married 38 years.

Grier and Devine are worth the price of admission all by themselves. I've been a fan of Grier's (he has a master's of fine arts degree from Yale School of Drama!) since his days on In Living Color, and Devine has been a stand-out in everything from Waiting to Exhale to Grey's Anatomy.

As the young folks are wont to do these days, Jerrod and Maxine have "taken the next step" in their relationship -- moving in together. Or, as Cynthia puts it, "living in sin."

Here's the parental exchange after Jerrod breaks the news.

Cynthia: "Living in sin! Just nasty. The Bible is pretty clear on that one -- put a ring on it!"

Joe: "Look at you, all holier than thou. Actin' like we didn't have sex before we got married!"

Cynthia: "That wasn't me!"

Joe: "Oh, yeah. Damn."

In an NBC interview, Carmichael says, "The series is rooted in real characters and real frustrations and real fun moments with my family. A lot of the humor is based on my stand-up [routines], but most of it is just finding the funniest moments in real-life situations. It's just saying a thought and exploring it.

"We have David Alan Grier and Loretta Devine! I hope people understand how magical this is. It's an honor to watch them work."

The entire cast clicks instantly, and the dialogue is delightfully snappy. If there's an early weak link, it's Carmichael himself, whose main function is to react. He comes off stiff on occasion.

That said, he can only improve and let's hope NBC gives him the chance.

Stand-up tradition. As one critic put it, The Carmichael Show will remind many viewers of Everybody Loves Raymond, and carries on a long tradition of TV shows that have been built around stand-up comics.

Rolling Stone recently came out with a Top 12 list of such programs. Is your favorite among them? Did they leave anyone out? Here they are in descending order with their stars:

12. The Bernie Mac Show (2001-2006), Bernie Mac.

11. Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005), Ray Romano.

10. Mork & Mindy (1978-1982), Robin Williams.

9. Chico and the Man (1974-1978), Freddie Prinze.

8. Ellen (1994-1998), Ellen DeGeneres.

7. The Bob Newhart Show (1972-1978), Bob Newhart.

6. Louie (2010- ), Louis C.K.

5. Roseanne (1988-1997), Roseanne Barr.

4. The Cosby Show (1984-1992), Bill Cosby.

3. It's Garry Shandling's Show (1986-1990), Garry Shandling.

2. Sanford & Son (1972-1977), Redd Foxx.

1. Seinfeld (1989-1998), Jerry Seinfeld.

The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:

mstorey@arkansasonline.com

Style on 09/01/2015

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