8 Best TV Shows Similar to Chico and the Man

The suburbs may seem like bright, safe places, but there’s rot under those perfectly manicured lawns. I know, I know, this probably will come as a shock, but it’s true! And Based on a True Story Season 2 is daring to drag it all into the light. I am, of course, having a bit of fun here. Filmmakers, authors, poets, playwrights, and TV showrunners have been taking shots at the suburbs since the beginning. Maybe your first encounter was the worms in the soil shot in Blue Velvet. Perhaps it was the original Stepford Wives that clued you in. The when of it may be in question, but you’ve been treated to the thesis of darkness behind those bright white picket fences, guaranteed. So, Based on a True Story Season 2’s vision of the upper middle class American suburban life isn’t exactly groundbreaking. What’s to the series’ credit is that it knows that. Its heart doesn’t lie in pulling back the curtain on middle age (or just before) married with kids and a four-bedroom, two-bath life. Instead, it just uses that oft-played trope to have a blast. That’s not to say it is empty of message or meaning. It still has plenty to say about “life these days”. It just does it without the air of self-congratulatory “Can you believe how transgressive we are!” that one can often detect in similar tales of suburban decay. Continue Reading →

In one of A Man on the Inside creator Michael Schur’s previous series—The Good Place—there’s a moment when one character explains that, as humans, we all know that we will someday die. That means we all walk around a little sad, even during our happiest moments. That kind of melancholic joy is where his newest series dwells. It’s a show with lots of laughs, excellent characters, and the pervasive knowledge that there is an end somewhere out on the horizon. For most of A Man on the Inside’s characters, that end feels close indeed. That’s because the action primarily focuses on a Senior Living facility in San Francisco, Pacific View Retirement Community. That’s where private investigator Julie Kavalenko (Lilah Richcreek Estrada) sends her newest hire, Charles Nieuwendyk (Ted Danson). The mission is simple enough. Someone stole a necklace from Evan Cubbler’s (Marc Evan Jackson, doing WASP with a side of withering contempt as only he can) mother Helen (Danielle Kennedy). He wants it back and the thief hauled in. Charles, lost in many ways after the death of his wife, sees it as an opportunity to honor his daughter Emily’s (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) request he finds something to spark his passion. Julie thinks she can’t find anyone his age nearly as spry or capable of using a phone. Stephanie Beatriz and Mary Elizabeth Ellis discuss fashion and wallpaper. Specifically, how pastels and neutrals are great for both. (Colleen E. Hayes/Netflix) In other hands, this could be an invitation to a bunch of jokes about how older adults are weird and/or gross and/or dumb. Thankfully, Schur and his collaborators Emalee Burditt and Morgan Sackett are not other hands. While there are some “this person/these people are weird” bits, they’re personality, not age-based. The show doesn’t pretend the bulk of the cast isn’t seniors but they don’t use that to other anyone. That’s not surprising given Schur plays in the same kind of “humane, but hilarious” sandbox as Bill Lawrence (Scrubs, Shrinking), although Schur typically trends gentler and less ribald. Continue Reading →

Sometimes, there’s nothing wrong with a television show or film from a creativity or execution standpoint. Sometimes, it just has bad timing. It’s still unclear which--or how much of each--is true of St. Denis Medical after screening the six episodes (1-5, 7) provided to critics. Certainly, the series’ choice of the mockumentary with interspersed talking heads format does suffer for timing. There’s little to no freshness left in the approach made storytelling structure du jour back when the American incarnation of The Office entered its imperial era in 2006. While by no means ubiquitous, the subsequent critical and/or ratings successes of shows like Modern Family, Parks and Recreation, What We Do in the Shadows, and Abbott Elementary have made the subgenre’s pleasures familiar. That doesn’t mean it can’t work. After all, both Shadows and Abbott continue to be two of the more consistent pleasures on TV. But it does give a new show playing in that sandbox a bit tougher time. That acknowledged, the format still can give great performers an excellent stage. So St. Denis Medical’s sweet and pleasant but not hilarious vibes suggest that the familiar—perhaps tired—subgenre isn’t the only issue here. Of course, there might be a gulf between what appeals to this critic and what the show wants to do. At this juncture, it seems to be looking for a slower, gentler pace. A show that’s less a joke machine and more a “love and learn with laughs” style throwback. Lead nurse Alex’s (Allison Tolman) stymied efforts to get to her daughter’s musical in the pilot, capped by a milkshake and pep talk from veteran doctor Ron (David Alan Grier) supports this. Continue Reading →

After six about 20-minute episodes of the Shane Gillis-Steve Gerben-created sitcom Tires, one can begin to understand why Netflix would want to work with him. He has a certain charisma and some acting chops. In one scene during the first episode, Gillis’ character, also named Shane, tries to snow a very unhappy reporter. In the sequence, Gillis has to convey to the audience that he doesn’t mean a word he’s saying and is using the moment to humiliate his boss and cousin Will (Gerben) while playing authentic convincingly enough that one can see why the reporter might fall for it. It’s not an easy lift, but Gillis makes it work. The story is fine enough for a hangout comedy. Will is a failure whose father owns several tire stores. Either as punishment or because it’s where he can do the least harm, Dad has exiled Will to manage one of the two lowest-performing branches of the chain. Physically slight and coded as a kind of nerd, Will doesn’t fit in with the mechanics, including their seeming ringleader, Shane. To save the shop and his job and earn his dad’s affection, he spends every episode of a “marketing” idea that derails spectacularly.  Catch a glimpse of Steve Gerben. (Netflix) The bad news is that, despite a sound enough premise, everything the show says or tries has the shape of jokes without actually including a laugh line. It’s the essence of humor without any of the pesky chuckles. Continue Reading →

Netflix’s new romance limited series offers a thoughtful, warm adaptation of the 2009 novel. The hook of author David Nicholls’ 2009 novel is irresistible. Readers catch up with two former classmates who are something more than friends but not quite lovers on the same day, July 19, every year from 1988 to 2008. It’s no wonder it has managed two adaptations in the 15 years since its release—first as a 2011 movie directed by Lone Scherfig from a script by Nicholls himself and now as a limited series created by Nicole Taylor, with only one Nicholls’ script among the fourteen episodes. Dexter Mayhew (Leo Woodall) is handsome, charismatic, and just rich enough not to worry about making a plan for his future. Emma Morley (Ambika Mod) is also quite attractive—although she can’t (or won’t) see it—and from a working-class background that makes her feel as though she can’t pursue her clear goal for the future: to become a writer. They travel in different circles, but on the night of graduation, they end up falling into her bed. While they kiss plenty, it never goes further, Emma preferring to chat despite her massive and evident crush on Dexter.  Continue Reading →

When Frasier premiered in the fall of 1993 it had massive shoes to fill. That's probably an understatement. Its parent show, Cheers, was a critical and commercial monster in a way that can only happen when there are only three shows for two hundred million people to choose from. It was nominated for almost two hundred Emmys over the course of its eleven-year run, and its series finale aired to 90 million people (40% of the country’s then population) three months before Frasier’s start. So yeah, expectations were pretty high, and Frasier ended up pretty much meeting them all. While never as popular as Cheers (nothing has been as popular as Cheers since Cheers), it was nevertheless a solid commercial hit that carved out its own identity and won more Emmys than its parent show over the course of its own eleven-year run. A lot of that success was rooted in Frasier’s ability as its own, independent show with its own characters and rhythms instead of being Cheers 2.0.   Continue Reading →

It takes a little while to find Beef’s groove. This critic assures you that this is not the classic of the streaming age, “give it a few episodes” warning. By the end of the first episode, you will know if the series is for you. However, everything about the show feels overwhelming in the first eight to ten minutes. Continue Reading →

Before he passed away at the age of 46, Philip Seymour Hoffman starred in 52 feature films. Starring roles, character pieces, chameleon work—he left a legacy nearly unmatched in both quality and quantity. Now, with P.S.H. I Love You, Jonah Koslofsky wafts through the cornucopia of the man’s offerings. Continue Reading →