NBC Thursdays @ 9pm ET
Sean's a divorced dad who's trying to juggle it all. From his overbearing boss and offbeat employees at work - to his pushy mom and weekends with his teenage daughter at home - handling it all is no easy task. So when Ellie, his 14-year-old bundle of joy, moves in full-time, it's a whole new challenge. From keeping his boss happy, his employees motivated and enduring his mother's tactless "advice" to raising a smart, grounded and healthy kid, it's going to be a growing experience, to say the least. But if anyone can swing it, it's Sean.
It's truly remarkable that the live studio audience format has persisted as long as it has. The sound of an invisible crowd cueing you on when to chuckle is patronizing and unnatural. But other than the old-fashioned CBS, most networks have wisely moved past it. Then why did NBC insist on having one for its new comedy, "Sean Saves The World"? It must be because their star, Sean Hayes, is most widely known for his live studio audience comedy "Will & Grace".
Speaking of "Will & Grace"... It's always interesting to watch an actor so famous for one role try to break out of that mold and into a new character on a new show. Sean Hayes sidesteps that problem here by simply playing the same character on a new show. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Jack MacFarland is such a beloved character that I'm sure many people are happy to see him back on their screen. The biggest difference between Jack and fictional Sean is that "gay" is no longer his defining characteristic -- but that speaks as much to our current culture as to the material itself. He's no longer just the sassy sidekick; he's now a respected professional, a struggling father, an exasperated son, and a good friend.
In "Sean Saves The World", Sean is a constantly-flustered online retailer who only becomes more panicky now that he's raising his daughter full-time. He carries the entire episode with his unflaggingly manic energy, proving as adept with physical comedy as with a well-timed, self-deprecating joke. The supporting cast is excellent as well. Linda Lavin ("Alice") plays his droll mother Lorna with a dry wit and commanding presence. Newcomer Samantha Isler is a surprisingly tolerable child actor who has terrific chemistry with her on-screen dad. Megan Hilty, Hayes' costar from "Smash", here plays his coworker and loyal friend Liz, who hates their new boss. And Thomas Lennon ("Reno 911!") plays that horrible boss with a deadpan humorlessness.
"Sean Saves The World" isn't perfect -- the shifting focus between the family-comedy and workplace-comedy halves of the show was a bit clunky in this first episode -- but with an entertaining star and a strong supporting cast, it actually shows much more potential than may have been apparent in its old-fashioned packaging.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw_JcIAaxIw[/youtube]
