Starring: Tyler Ritter, Jack McGee (“Common Law”), Laurie Metcalf (“Roseanne,” “Getting On”), Joey McIntyre (“The Hotwives of Orlando”), Jimmy Dunn and Kelen Coleman (“The Newsroom”)
Genre: Multi-camera comedy
Premiere Date: Thursday, October 30, 9:30 p.m., CBS (CTV in Canada)
Direct Competition: “A to Z” (NBC), “Gracepoint” (Fox), “Scandal” (ABC), “Reign” (CW)
Premise (in 140 characters or less): A Boston-bred, Irish Catholic family has odd ways of eliciting affection for the youngest son, a 29 year-old gay man contemplating a change.
Initial Reaction: Do you love “The Millers?” Are you a fan of gay jokes? Overbearing mom jokes? Jokes about “The Good Wife?” If the answer to any of the above is ‘yes’, you’re in for a treat! Otherwise, “The McCarthys” is about as formulaic – and dated – as it gets.
Conclusion: To level your expectations, let me let you in on something you couldn’t have known without attending PaleyFest: the audience was about as enamored by “The McCarthys” as it was by last year’s surefire hit, “Dads.” Remember, “Dads?” Or better yet, have you attempted to forget all about “Dads?” Good on you! I’ll never forget the awkward silence and long sighs elicited by the audience that bared witness to “Dads.”
Like “The Millers,” “The McCarthys” is another step backwards for CBS. It amazes me that a network which had a hand in “The Big Bang Theory” and “How I Met Your Mother” is blind to the fact that they’re still producing multi-cams like it’s 1997. “The McCarthys” is awful. The likability of Ritter, and the strong comedic force honed by Metcalf won’t save this generic, ill-conceived sitcom from one of two outcomes: quick cancellation, or a long run in obscurity.
Watch Live, DVR or Skip?: Skip this one, and watch an “Everybody Loves Raymond” rerun instead.