Yes, Matthew Perry is still very funny in case you're wondering. I was - that's why I tuned into "Mr. Sunshine." How would the schtick from "Friends" and a few uneven movies travel? Well, it seems. It does and he is still a very compelling character actor who always seems on the verge of either a nervous breakdown or a smart-assed quip with a face that is as comedically expressive as any actor working today.
Premise: a manager of a large-venue sports arena has to cope with his advancing middle-age, his insane (and very funny) boss, and various oddities of people, places and things - like roving elephants and a posse of clowns.
The pilot wasn't laugh aloud funny but it was clever in parts, fast-paced, and never had me wondering what else was on my Tivo. Perry is listed as a multi-slash on this one (writer/producer/etc.) and it did seem to posses some of his fey sense of humor. Which is why it works and why it won't probably won't last.
Comedies like this - oddball, arrhythmic, and tonally unique aren't normally on ABC but rather usually run on Fox for 13
episodes and then you're left wondering what happened to it after it's canceled and why there can't be a channel dedicated to just these types of shows - or maybe now IFC is that channel.
So once this show is given the hook The Slash can trot it over to IFC where it probably truly belongs with reruns of "Freaks and Geeks" and new offerings "Onion News Network" and "Portlandia" - two very funny shows that don't seem to fit anywhere else.
Allison Janney plays Perry's boss - a woman who composes songs that start "Hello, all you black kids..." or words to that effect and arranges to give herself a trophy while promoting child issues. "Why do I like kids so much," she muses to the assembled. "Maybe it's because I never had any." This while her son (the very funny Nate Torrance) is sitting in the audience with burned hands from his recent disastrous kitchen experience rolling meatballs.
Janney can do physical comedy too. When some clowns, who Perry enlists to chop up the ice in the arena that won't melt, come through the door during the award ceremony, Janney grabs a kid and uses him like a shield (and club) to thwart the threat - see, she is afraid of clowns (who isn't?) and these clowns have ice axes. Janney is really fantastic in the role - her "West Wing" days long behind her, this is perhaps the best I've seen her since.
There are other, various actors to be enjoyed, including James Lesure, Portia Doubleday, and Andrea Anders - don't worry, you'll probably know them when you see them even if you don't recognize their names. There's also a quick and funny turn by Jorge Garcia (the heavy dude from "Lost") who plays a maintenance man - not sure if he's a regular or not.
A weakness of the show is the lack of characters beyond Perry and Janney who are funny or odd. "Friends" had six talented comedic actors - "Modern Family" is chock-a-block with genius characters and actors. This show, so far, only showcases two. Pushing the other characters harder could certainly elevate the episodes every week.
ABC is banging the show hard - the pilot was slotted in right after "Modern Family" - still the funniest show out there. So, I'm gonna watch it for as long as it lasts. And I'll certainly enjoy it again when it shows up on IFC in reruns soon.
