Sean Hayes is back! One of the stars of Will and Grace is now the lead actor in a sitcom of his very own. Fans of his character of Jack McFarland will almost certainly want to check out this new incarnation, where he plays Sean, a single father who—again—happens to be gay. It’s explained in the pilot that Sean tried to live the traditional life, but his marriage to a woman was doomed to fail. That leaves him raising a 14-year-old daughter, Ellie, while trying to juggle the demands of his hectic career and the pushy advice from his domineering mother, played by Linda Lavin.
This new sitcom has some of the wackiness of his prior show, but the chemistry is not there yet. Sean is not as flamboyant as Jack was, which often happens when a supporting actor becomes a lead (think Joey from Friends and how bland that character became when he was spun off into his own show). You key into some sitcom stereotypes as you watch. His daughter is more grounded and down-to-earth than he is. His mother is similar to Charlie and Alan’s mother on Two And A Half Men. His boss is unreasonable. His two main co-workers are typical, too. One is insecure and a little obsequious. The other is sassy. Yes, it’s like that.
I got the feeling as I watched that this style of sitcom is a thing of the past. I felt the same way as I watched each of Kelsey Grammer’s post-Frasier sitcom attempts. In the pilot. Sean’s boss demands that everyone works overtime, which gets in the way of Sean’s promise to his daughter that he would be home in time to have dinner with her that night. And then the “fun” begins. Maybe.
Thomas Lennon, best-known from the cable comedy Reno 9-1-1, is the stiff boss. He can be hysterically funny, given the material, but there’s no evidence of that here. Linda Lavin’s role as Sean’s mother is about 85% pushy yet stand-off-ish, with a 15% that is suddenly caring and loving toward the end of the episode that seems out of place with the rest of her portrayal. I could almost hear the “network suits” telling the writers to make her more likable. Newcomer Samantha Isler plays the generic daughter, who will probably end up teaching her father more about life than vice versa.
Whether this show will succeed will depend almost exclusively on the appeal of Sean Hayes. There’s no doubt he had that appeal on Will and Grace. I have my doubts that that appeal will translate very well as he takes on the lead role on Sean Saves The World. NBC has programmed it on Thursdays at 9, followed by The Michael J. Fox Show (in Canada, both shows will air on Wednesdays on Global). Together, they could attract viewers who are nostalgic for NBC’s Must See TV, but I think Fox would be the stronger show to air at 9, and let Sean be the backup show at 9:30. I think more people will be willing to tune in for Fox’ new show than Hayes’.
TV Gord’s verdict: Watch it while you can!