FAM

by Sonia Aviles

by Sonia Aviles

Fun, quirky, and easy going but is it a hit or miss?

CBS new tv series The Fam is a comedic sitcom about a charming couple, Clem (Nina Dobrev) and Nick (Tone Bell), whom seemingly have a normal, run of the mill life. Set in the modern day, the show opens up with an overly excited Clem, jittery about her engagement announcement with the in-laws. It’s clear that this is a happy day, however, when Clem and Nick head back home, they are in for a fun surprise. In comes Shannon (Odessa Adlon); Clem’s goofy and free-spirited half-sister whom she hasn’t seen in years and their cop father, Freddy (Gary Cole) who hasn’t exactly won father of the year, reuniting as a family again. From there every episode is a glimpse into this family’s life and their funny circumstances. The Fam aims to be about everyday life that most viewers could relate to; parenting, dealing with funny antics from teenagers and finding the time to nurture a romantic relationship while taking on the parenting role. An awkward family reunion, a sweet sisterly bond, and lots of funny moments is the perfect combination for a comedy tv series, but will all the funny antics and quirky moments be enough to keep this show alive?

While each episode seems to breeze through in 20 minutes, the script makes it hard to relate to each character on a personal level thus making every episode a bit of a task to get through without feeling disinterested after a while. This tv show isn’t meant to be deep or dramatic, but every good tv show has characters that the audience can relate to, that is essentially what gives any tv show life. However, the lines that were given to each character, aren’t exactly things that people would say in real life, therefore people can’t relate to the said character as much. Words like “Gucci” and the like only seem to cringe-worthy and aiming too hard to relate to the 14 or 15-year-old teenage audience but not really the grown adult audiences that are most likely the average viewership.

On top of that, the actual adults in this show, try too hard to be young and “hip” instead of being young and original. Everyone is unique in their own way, adults and teens alike, so why not show that instead of dragging these actors into cliché punch lines and stereotypical circumstances? The only redeeming aspect of the show is crazy, over the top little sister who is portrayed as the stereotypical teen, whom of course steals the spotlight in the show. Outside of that, this really is the tried and tired comic routine and walks on the typical line that most comedy shows walk on these days. There is stereotypes, drug references, and cheesy punch lines, which waters down the potential premise of this show and does the amazing group of actors no justice.

Currently, it has a 40% on Rotten Tomatoes with only 5.8 stars on IMDb. Potential is there but doesn’t quite hit the nail on the head…yet. Overall, The Fam can be just a relaxing Television show to unwind or doze off to, if given the chance, the Television series might just redeem itself later in the season.

Cast: Nina Dobrev, Odessa Adlon, Gary Cole, Tone Bell

Creator: Sonia Aviles

Airs Thursdays at 9:30/8.30 p.m. ET/CT on CBS