Poor Man's Modern Family
So far, this show is a poor man's Modern Family but without the charm or any likable characters.
shareI tried watching Modern Family and just couldn't. It wasn't original enough for me and seemed like I saw it a billion times before. Basically because to me Modern Family is a poor man's Rosanne, Home Improvement, Everybody Loves Raymond, Family Matters, and this list could go on and on. There is nothing about it that separates it from the billions of sitcoms that have come before it. After watching so many in my youth, I am generally someone who doesn't like sitcoms because they offer nothing new. What stands out and sets 'Life In Pieces' apart is it's unique and original approach in having four separate and contained stories. In most sitcoms every short story would be an episode and drawn out, here it is directly to the point and offers a new approach that will undoubtably make for interesting challenges moving forward because of it's format and the amount of ideas they will need to come up with to sustain it. While similar to the crowd, it's format and ability of making each short story truly separate is what makes it stand out.
shareThe characters didn't grab me, but I'll give it a few more episodes to see if anything sticks.
Modern Family didn't grab me at first either - for many of the reasons you gave, but it grew on me when my wife started watching the reruns after I got home from work. Now, I'll give it a watch because the jokes are more subtle than in most sit-coms and it's one of the few shows out there not focused on a 20-something's sex life.
how odd the thing you say sets this apart is the very thing they are copying from the show you say you dont like, Modern Family
its so obvious this show is copying the structure of that show
maybe its the title cards that trick you to thinking its different
The Office. Parks and Rec. Community.
All those shows perfected the devices MF has ridden to the bank: constant camera deadpans. Flash interview segments with characters. Characters so naive you like them instantly.
Nothing new. In fact it's old. Really old.
And when the writing goes stale and you rely too heavily on the comedic devices you get--the last 2 (arguably last 3) seasons of MF.
It's a goof show but nobody is "copying" anything from it.
Rosanne is a poor mans "Married with Children..." and did most of the story lines before Rosanne had.
shareI tried watching Modern Family as well. I couldn't stand it.
There are some funny actors who just happen to be in the wrong roles. But there is just too much chaos going on and it is just too much work to watch it... it is exhausting to put up with the constant jumping from scene to scene...
When I watch a sitcom, I want to sit back and relax to watch it... I don't want to have to be fully rested and fully alert to enjoy it. They are for winding down after a long day at work... not to be a second job. :)
@Stiles: Couldn't have said it better myself. Good points. :-)
Oh yeah, and M.Family has ridiculous characters that who can relate to? Sofia Vegara's voice alone would be a c**kblocker. Manny is absurd. The only characters that might be someone you actually know are Ed O'Neil and Julie Bowen.
Compare Life in Pieces: at least all the characters seem like someone familiar, authentic, etc. - But then that's why there are 31 Flavors at Baskin Robbins; this is just my taste. :-)