9JKL does Not Review Well
After logging out of my Hotmail account, the newsfeed window on MSN featured an Insider article, “RANKED: The 25 best shows on TV this fall you should watch.”
Great, I thought, I wondered where the new Mark Feuerstein comedy, 9JKL would rank.
It didn’t.
A simple Google search brought up several options for reviews.
A couple are featured below. A few more results emerged, but like, Rotten Tomatoes did not have a review yet as the show does not premiere until October 2nd on CBS.
The overall view seems to lean on nice set up, but bad delivery.
We’re nearing a stage or a wave where perhaps dirty jokes are passé, Two Broke Girls where those type of jokes flew back and forth has been replaced by 9JKL and perhaps the writers are hoping to retain some of the Girls viewers.
Though they have a good lead in to start with the The Big Bang Theory on Monday night, it will change once Thursday Night Football comes to a close and the shows bookending 9JKL, Me, Myself and I and Kevin Can Wait are added to the lineup. Kevin Can Wait is the only one where there are ratings available and they weren’t great according to Variety. This may be part of the reason for the drastic casting change in Kevin’s wife from Erinn Hayes to the familiar King of Queens co-star Leah Remini. This casting and story change could either pick up Monday night or pull it further down the ratings hill taking 9JKL with it.
The potential lift could come from Me Myself and I, which did land on Insider’s top 25 list, ranking at number 20. SNL alum. Bobby Moynihan and comedic vet John Larroquette lead that show and could keep 9JKL above water.
Daniel Fienberg very cautiously jumps into a review-making note that he is the lucky viewer of not-yet-aired pilots and that stories could adjust some from the airdate. His response is brief. The gross humor is not appealing and he interestingly makes a case for David Walton and Liza Lapira who may have signed up for, yet again, another failing sit-com where he feels they deserve more.
9JKL is not Two Broke Girls and the surface jokes leave a bad taste in reviewer, Mitovich’s mouth. He points to a potential “charm”, but was immediately turned off by the “crassness” of character in John’s parents. These two are the undeniably talented actors Gould and Lavin. He’s hoping the show and the actors themselves put their comedic skills and humanity to good use and perhaps change the tone of the show for the better.
The only positive review is the recently promoted actor Albert Tsai, a Critic’s Choice Award nominee in 2014. Apparently, this 13-year-old could steal the show, or at least make it float a little longer.
Overall, on a more positive note, 9JKL may highlight comedic actors for future work where they are the star and not continuously supporting the lead and put more eyes on Tsai, which will be beneficial for the young actor career wise.