[astrohip]

Carol's Second Act, new sitcom on CBS. The fourth of their four Thursday night sitcoms (follows Mom). Stars Patricia Heaton.

(wiki) After raising her two children and retiring from teaching, Carol Kenney embarks on a unique second act: pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor and beginning an internship at the Loyola Memorial Hospital.

My least favorite of the 500 sitcoms that premiered tonight. Hit every sitcom cliche, like a checklist. I like multi-cam sitcoms, and (usually) don't have a problem with laugh tracks, but it was noticeable and irritating.

It just didn't give me any reason to keep watching, or hope that it will improve. The characters aren't that interesting, they weren't that likable, and the ongoing joke is going to be the age of the lead. I'll leave the SP, but that doesn't mean I'll watch another episode.

I like Patricia Heaton, but I don't think this is a good vehicle for her. Don't see this one lasting.

But hey, YMMV. Someone liked it enough to green light it.

 

[TIVO_GUY_HERE]

Ya after 2 hits, she has a dud.

 

[Donbadabon]

I am sticking with it, but I agree on the points above. The characters just aren't interesting, and the shock of her being old can't be a running gag now that everyone knows, can it? That would get old quick.

 

[Family]

Horrible.

Why would Patricia Heaton do this?

 

[Flop]

What the hell was this? Only made it until the chief resident showed up.

 

[Beryl]

I didn’t try. The trailers were enough.

 

[That Don Guy]

I liked it better the first time I saw it...when it starred Bob Crane.

 

[dthmj]

I don't like Patricia Heaton. But I do like Lucas Neff. So I'll watch the second episode for him alone, but it's already on thin ice.

 

[Ereth]

Gave up about the half way point. No real humor there, in spite of the laugh tracks attempts to fool you into thinking there was.

 

[astrohip]

Killed the SP about five minutes into E2. Just not working for me.

 

[Donbadabon]

Ugh. I want to like this, since I like Patricia. But dang, that laugh track (yes, I know the difference) is just so loud.
I'm gonna give it one more to see if I can live with it.

 

[Mikeguy]

About 10-15% of redeeming content, but then, sigh, that rest . . . .

 

[scooterboy]

I also like Patricia Heaton, but honestly at this point I'm just so Heatoned out that I passed on this series. Between Raymond, Back To You, The Middle, and others, she's been on TV for 23 years straight (my only awareness of her previous to Raymond was playing a doctor on Thirtysomething).

I just came in to see if y'all liked it.

 

[astrohip]

Killed the SP about five minutes into E2. Just not working for me.

I had some time today, so I went back and watched the second episode. tl;dr Still not working for me.

They keep using the same trope--she's old, she does the wrong thing, it turns out to be the right thing, she's still old, they make old jokes, she saves the day by caring, good looking guy gets put in his place, she's old, more old jokes, the nurses really run the place... it's all stuff we've seen a hundred times, thirty years ago. This would have been a good, not great, sitcom in 1986. Today, it just falls flat.

SP stays deleted. I predict this will be one of the first shows cancelled.

 

[Family]

I had some time today, so I went back and watched the second episode. tl;dr Still not working for me.

They keep using the same trope--she's old, she does the wrong thing, it turns out to be the right thing, she's still old, they make old jokes, she saves the day by caring, good looking guy gets put in his place, she's old, more old jokes, the nurses really run the place... it's all stuff we've seen a hundred times, thirty years ago. This would have been a good, not great, sitcom in 1986. Today, it just falls flat.

SP stays deleted. I predict this will be one of the first shows cancelled.

I could tell thirty seconds in when the "audience" clapped after Heaton got off the elevator like she was the Fonz.

 

[Mikeguy]

I saw Patricia Heaton on a late-night talk show a week or two ago, and I could swear that the host complimented her on having a hit new show based on the ratings or some such. I was surprised, as I hadn't heard that but indeed had seen the show's first episode.

 

[getbak]

In terms of total viewers, the first two episodes were the lowest-rated of all the CBS Thursday night sitcoms, but other than them, it had more viewers than any other shows on Thursday except Grey's Anatomy and football.

I guess it all depends on how you look at it.

 

[ej42137]

I saw Patricia Heaton on a late-night talk show a week or two ago, and I could swear that the host complimented her on having a hit new show based on the ratings or some such. I was surprised, as I hadn't heard that but indeed had seen the show's first episode.

When your late night guest has a TV show, unless it's actually been cancelled, it's a "hit show". Anything else would be like telling a mother her baby is ugly.

 

[jilter]

I like her, but I saw her on Colbert before the show aired and there was a bit of arrogance about her. Justified? Perhaps, but non-appealing.
Watched the Pilot - meh. Too much to explore to go back. Unless it finds its voice and I hear otherwise from peeps.

 

[lambertman]

I'm still sticking with it, but I think the third episode might have been the worst so far.