TV Week Cover

New CBS shows settle in, pending public review

Matt LeBlanc in Man With a Plan
Matt LeBlanc in Man With a Plan

And now we come to the final week of new programming for the 2016 fall season. It's all CBS.

It seems like forever ago that the first new fall show hit the airwaves, but it was only Sept. 19 when the new season officially kicked off. Now, thanks to the delay caused by Thursday Night Football, CBS is left to wrap things up with three new series this week and the time slot debut of several more.

Wrap things up, that is, until the new shows start to fail (as some always do) and the networks begin calling in the subs off the bench.

Here's what's ahead for CBS this week.

First of all, having debuted on Sept. 19 after The Big Bang Theory, the new comedy Kevin Can Wait will settle into its regular time slot at 7 p.m. Monday, followed by the new sitcom Man With a Plan at 7:30.

The Big Bang Theory will do the same at 7 p.m. Thursday, followed at 7:30 by the new comedy The Great Indoors.

Meanwhile, Mom returns to the CBS schedule at 8 p.m. Thursday. It will be Season 4 for the comedy starring Allison Janney and Anna Faris.

Mom will be followed at 8:30 by the Season 2 debut of Life in Pieces starring a large ensemble headed by James Brolin and Dianne Wiest.

Premiering at 9 p.m. Thursday will be Pure Genius, a new medical drama from Parenthood and Friday Night Lights writer and producer Jason Katims. It stars Augustus Prew and Dermot Mulroney. More on this series in Thursday's TV column.

Now, let's take a look at the two new CBS comedies that finally arrive this week.

Man With a Plan stars Matt LeBlanc (who will forever be Joey from Friends for most of us) as a sort of Mr. Mom in for a rude awakening once his wife returns to the workforce after being a stay-at-home mom for 13 years.

LeBlanc plays Adam Burns, a macho, easy-going contractor in Pittsburgh, who had been operating under the misguided impression that his three kids were perfect little angels. Liza Snyder plays his wife, Andi, who knows full well what Adam is about to discover now that he's taking care of the children on his own.

Naturally, Adam is shocked by how tough it is to wrangle three messy kids who seem to be addicted to Wi-Fi.

There's 13-year-old Kate (Grace Kaufman), a master manipulator who is initially pleased that "Daddy Fun Times" are becoming the norm.

Middle son Teddy (Matthew McCann) can't keep his hands out of his pants (it's a recurring joke) and the precious and adorable youngest child Emme (Hala Finley) is dreading the beginning of kindergarten.

Nonetheless, with the helpful advice of equally stressed parents Marie and Lowell (Jessica Chaffin, Matt Cook), Adam takes charge, reads the kids the riot act and, because he's a "man with a plan," hilarity ensues.

Or at least CBS hopes.

LeBlanc, 49, earned a Golden Globe and four Emmy nominations for playing a fictional version (let's hope) of himself on Showtime's Episodes, but before that, the disappointing failure of the Friends spinoff Joey darkened his resume.

LeBlanc then said he was taking a short hiatus from acting, but it lasted from 2006 to 2011.

Now he's back with a family comedy about reversal of gender roles. Is that still fertile ground for laughter? Man With a Plan serves as a safe, suitable vehicle for the lovable LeBlanc. Comedy has not been re-invented here, but viewers should feel comfortable and at home.

The Great Indoors stars Joel McHale (Community) as Jack Gordon, a rugged, globe-trotting photojournalist for the magazine Outdoor Limits who's forced to adapt to changing times.

When the Chicago-based magazine goes online-only, Jack gets pulled from the field and assigned to be the boss of the young online team of digital "journalists."

The Great Indoors is about the age-old battle of the generations. It's Gen X vs. Millennials (those born between 1982 and 1995), and the under-30 crowd comes off as eager, but also entitled, coddled and wimpy.

Here's the gang:

Stephen Fry plays Roland, the founder and publisher of the magazine.

Susannah Fielding portrays Brooke, Roland's daughter. She's Jack's former flame and his current boss.

Christopher Mintz-Plasse plays nerdy Clark, the "online content curator." He knows all about the pending zombie apocalypse, but has not been out of the city.

Christine Ko is "social influencer" Emma. She views Jack as an ossified antique.

Shaun Brown plays the "digital conversation specialist" Mason, who also has spent little time outdoors.

Chris Williams plays Jack's best bud Eddie. He runs the local bar and helps Jack understand the kids.

Again, this is familiar stuff, but the cast is pleasant and the comedy passable.

Style on 10/23/2016

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