Image Credit: Monty Brinton/CBSHow long do you give a sitcom to get past a narrow premise and branch out into more diverse and arguably more interesting/funny storylines? That’s the question looming over CBS’ new sitcom Mike & Molly, which spent the majority of its pilot last night focusing obsessively on the weight of its two lead characters, who meet-cute at a local Overeaters Anonymous gathering. Molly (Melissa McCarthy, formerly Gilmore Girls‘ quirky chef Sookie St. James), is a fourth grade teacher who can’t command a room of rowdy children without using her outside voice, and Mike (Billy Gardell) is Chicago police officer with a secret interest in ichthyology (fish). Each is blessed with honesty and a self-deprecating sense of humor, so it’s not hard to understand their instant attraction. After a brief flirtation and one awkward conversation with some curious fourth graders, they’ve got a first date lined up, which will lead us to episode two, and of course their inevitable coupledom.
In the pilot, the eponymous characters got upstaged by the supporting cast, particularly Molly’s big-boobed, big-haired, stoner sister Victoria (Katy Mixon) and her sassy mother (Swoosie Kurtz), who substitutes pudding for milk in her baking without any caloric consequence. There was toilet humor: Mike and his partner Carl (Reno Wilson) were not above trading jokes with “balls” and “farts” as punchlines. There was slapstick: A table collapsed underneath Mike just as he was trying to ask Molly on a date to the aquarium (what are the chances!?). And it all felt like a little much crammed into a single half-hour. But there were high points, too. I liked the cute way Mike managed to ask out Molly while taking a police report, and it was a pleasure to see the delightful McCarthy back on the small screen. But the question that remained for me at the end of Mike & Molly is the question I now turn over to you: How long can this show sustain itself on such a slim premise? Will all the laughs come in the form of cheap fat jokes? I don’t doubt that Billy Gardell is a funny guy, I just wonder if he can make me laugh without it being at his own expense.
Did you watch Mike & Molly? What did you think?
How long can this show sustain itself on such a slim premise?
Was that pun intended?
ROFL!
I like the show it real. Now that it has been established that the couple has a weight problem and both are working on losing weight, they should add some none weight episodes to the show. Work in every so often the couple going to weight counseling and weight issues. It isn’t written anyplace that over weight people can’t have a life. And no I am not fat but I could be at any given time.
Maybe it will EXPAND. After all this was just how they meat/meet.
FAT CHANCE
Ha Ha Ha .. Fat people what a great idea to make fun of Fat people Ha HA HA… I feel like having a Pop Tart.. Ha Ha Ha … Fat people what great writing
Plenty of shows have built around high-concept, one-joke premises over the years: “Bewitched”, “The Golden Girls”, “3rd Rock From the Sun”, “Gilligan’s Island”, and “The Nanny” to name a few. If done well and the writers are imaginative enough, a series can have years of life in it.
you were doing so well until you mentioned the Nanny…. LOL
Dharma and Greg? Uh-oh…
Fat guy skinny wife
Fat guy skinny wife
Fat guy fat wife….America isn’t ready for this yet.
Er. Heard of this little show called Roseanne?
Did you forget about Roseann and Dan?
They were a good couple and the fat jokes were rare.
See my other comments. There are certainly a large share (whoa, another fat joke) of us fatbutts who are attracted to the type of mate that we were when we we socially acceptable(thinner).
Well, I wondered the same thing with Big Bang Theory – another show with a single joke as the core premise. Fundamentally, they’re both shows about people who are learning to relate to one another, which, if done well, works. I thought the pilot was cute – and maybe not appointment television for me, but worth a few more episodes at least…
I had the same idea.
I thought the same thing
But it’s Fat people, don’t you get it.
Same:)
If it wasn’t Chuck Lore I’d be done, but I have to give him the benefit of the doubt that he’ll have me laughing soon enough.
i believe its done by the same people as BBT as well.,… I saw it… it was alright, but I mean if two and a half men made it past the first season (also by the same people as BBT but nowhere near as good), this show should. I agree= the fat jokes can only go so far… but its at least worth watching a few eps.
watched for 5 minutes and turned it off…then erased the series recording on my dvr. didn’t find it funny at all and thought it was kind of demeaning.
I agree completely. I think i gave it 10 minutes – but turned it off. I’m overweight and didn’t find it funny at all – I felt made fun of.
boo hoo! get over it.. its only a show..
Yeah, if you can’t laugh at Fat People who can you laugh at, such a high concept show like this is great for everyone!
Ah, get over it fatty.
I am also overweight and I did not take offense at all. I identified with the characters. I was not in love with the first show but I will give it a few more episodes to decide if it stays on the DVR schedule.
For a fatty, you don’t seem too Jolly.
I struggle with my weight and I found a connection with the characters. Nice to know I’m not the only one feeling this way. Didn’t care for the mom and sister, too far out there for me but Mike & Molly seemed very real and I connected with them.
I guess Joe is fat if he found the show demeaning
and if he is…???
Yeah John! Know what I hate, people who make assumptions. You sound like an odiot so you must be on the Jersey Shore
Even if he’s fat, he still has one over you re: the brains department. What an idiotic comment.
I found it a bit uneven. Some of the jokes, most of the ones coming from Mike’s partner, were quite funny. I love Swoozy, but she was ill-used last night, as was the trampy, annoying sister. There’s some promise here but we’ll see.
Maybe Joe is someone who doesn’t like cheap jokes at people’s expense.
I can understand why some large people might find the show a tad offensive. There’s a fine line between laughing with and at someone. Some of the jokes crossed that line. Huge does a beautiful job in exploring this issue. This show worries me a bit.
If he were an “odiot” from the Jersey Shore…I don’t think he could spell “demeaning.” Just sayin’. I couldn’t stand more than 5 minutes of this show either. S. Kurtz and Molly M. deserve more.
Glad you people only take 5 minutes to know you hate something. Your significant others must be so happy. Could be worse I guess, you could be one of the many morons that don’t even watch a show, yet “can’t stand it” anyway.
Nah, it takes less time than that. From the art direction in the set you see above to the been-oh-so-done premise, I already know that this series is going to be in a genre of comedy we’ve all seen before, and that wasn’t good TV the first time.
I’m with you! canned laughter and bad writting 5 minutes was our limit too
It was AWFUL, as a Gilmore Girls fan I thought I’d check it out. UGH, the mom and sister were beyond bad. Hard to believe good actors would be involved, and writers actually get paid for this script??
have to be bad writers. that they had to resort to making a comment about dahmer. how crude was that? more than crude, no respect for the boys, men he killed or their families.
Agreed. I happened to catch the last five minutes where he was asking her on a date and it was so pathetic and that laugh track was horrendous!
if you ONLY caught the last 5 minutes then YOU are NO JUDGE. I have watched both epsiodes and they are great. I have not laughed at a show so much in a long time. Everyone said that ALL IN THE FAMILY wouldn’t last because it was about old folks but it lasted forever. I hope they continue it.
I though this show was okay. there were some parts of it that were kind of cute. Swoosie Kurtz as the mom was very good. and the others on the show did a good job with their roles too.
Eh. I liked it ok, but I dunno — the 5,000-pound beat cop thing just doesn’t make sense, and when it strayed into the “my father left my mother for a prostitute” thing in front of a bunch of little kids I was sort of grossed out.
I thought it was cute. I chuckled at the fat jokes. I do hope that they expand it a bit more, though. King of Queens is a good example of that. There were some jokes at “Doug’s” expense, but much, much more. I will keep watching it for awhile. We’ll see.
I loved it. I thought it was great. Give it time, the pilot only introduces the characters. Think about other sitcoms…not a whole lot of sitcoms have great premises. I mean who would have thought a show about a boozing womanizer and his brother and nephew would have lasted, but 2 and a half men is still on air.
My thoughts exactly Teresa. I can’t wait for week 2 personally! For the record, I’m fat and found the jokes quite amusing. Offensive? Walk down any street or thru any mall in any city and you’ll be offended trust me.
i agree fizzy and i think there are some lessons in there about trying hard to lose and being undercut by “loved ones” such as the mother. it’s odd to me that some people found this “demeaning” when we watch reality shows about the biggest loser for years. this show can be great in showing what obstacles overweight people can have and it’s not just they’re lazy or what other labels some people may give them.
I’m overweight, and while I was less than impressed with some of the jokes (not a big fan of bathroom humor), some of them were hilarious ones that I could completely relate to. Plus, I have a sense of humor about my weight too, so some of the things said were very reminiscent of what I have said before.
I particularly felt for her when she was exercising and her mom and sister were eating sweets. I have so been in that position. It’s terribly hard to lose weight when everyone around you is waving tempting food in your face, especially when it’s a family member who will have hurt feelings when you don’t try what they made.
Funny, funny. I think the wieght thing is the start of the show. It’s just the way they meet. I’m sure it will branch off into other areas just like every other sitcom. Bill Gardell is hysterical
I thought it was refreshing, especially after watching 2 and a half men, which is over-rated smut.
I liked Mike AND Molly.
Two and a Half Men jumped the shark last year, it’s dying a slow death this year.
It jumped the shark in the pilot, with the most tired, played-out concept ever. And it never rose above it (at least, in the episodes I watched, which were admittedly few: see above).
Bravo! My thoughts exactly, ecept I change channels whe 2 1/2 men come on.
I really liked the show too. I think the characters are totally relatable to everday Americans and i’m really happy that CBS decided to air a show with average looking people in contrast to the unrealistic phyisque filling up television. i’ve read on every television blog site that the show does expand in further episodes.
The show has a lot of potential and I, for one, am not going to give up on it.
I watched it, then couldn’t remember a single time I laughed. The fat jokes got old, ‘mike’ is a very dull and boring guy, and ‘molly just seems too good for him. I’ll give it another try but after that it’s no dice.
I liked the show, it was exactly like the previews. A lot of times you see the previews and they pick the ONLY funny parts out to use and the rest of the show blows. But this was not the case with “Mike and Molly”. So far, I plan on watching it every week! Keep it funny and keep it coming!
Twitter: SimplyAshez
I loved Melissa McCarthy in Gilmore Girls and watched Mike and Molly just to see her on the screen again. I found it enjoyable but do think it will get old after a while.
100% agreed! I love Melissa McCarthy and she is why I watched it. I will give it a try because I want her to do well.
Same here. I loved Sookie and wanted to see if she brought the same fun to this character. I’ll tune in again.
it was good in parts…as stated above, the sister was one of the best parts(I love her in anything anyways…) But in all honesty, the cheap jokes (I get the fat ones, but the gay ones didn’t need to be in there)just reminded WAY to much of “Two and Half Men”
Not too good.
But at least the jokes weren’t of the “fatty fall down” variety (like, say, any of Kevin James’ work in movies lately).
Maybe you missed the part where he broke the table and fell down.
or the part where his cop partner was trying to get down the stairs & told the 2 big guys going up to “take a breath already”…that was funny!!!
You guys are right. I did miss those. Yikes.
I thought it was funny. I think as time goes on it will only get better. Look at some of the most popular pilots they are not great.