Matt LeBlanc will forever be etched into my memory as the guileless hunk Joey on Friends (1994-2004).
I never saw the spin-off series Joey (2004-2006). No one did. This was the era when networks acted like the schedule was a chess match, so you never knew when anything was airing: "Oh, you put Will and Grace at 8:30? Fine, we'll put That 70s Show on at 8:30. Moving it to 8:00? Ok, we'll just move That 70s Show to 8:00. Running scared, moving it to 9:00? Well, see how you like the competition of North Shore! And moving it to 9:30 won't help!"
But, 15 years after Friends ended, and with a more stable set of streaming services, I was curious about Matt's series Man with a Plan (2016-2020).
Matt is still a hunk, but he oddly looks like Joey with white hair rather than a real 53-year old.
The Wikipedia page is not promising. Not only is the critical reception horrible -- 21% approval on Rotten Tomatoes, 36% on Metacritic -- but the page comes with a geneological chart. Who has such a complicated family tree on a sitcom? But I'll try to summarize:
Adam (Matt) owns a blue-collar construction company with his brother Don (Kevin Nealon, whom I hated on Saturday Night Live back in the day).
Adam's family consists of wife Andi and kids Kate, Emme, and Teddy (Matthew McCann, aged 12-15).
Don's family consists of wife Marcy and grown son Mikey (often mentioned but never appearing, like Norm's wife on Cheers).
Adam and Don's Dad Joe ( 1970s action star Stacey Keach) lives in a trailer in Adam's driveway, along with his wife (Swozie Curts). He has a home nurse, Funchy (Ron Funches)
Adam's neighbors are Rudy (Tim Meadows) and his wife, a building inspector. Ok, I see the plot complications arising.
Lowell (Matt Cook), a math and science whiz, also works at the construction company. I can't imagine in what capacity.
Not much beefcake here except for Matt, and with all the husbands and wives hanging around, I doubt that there is any gay representation, either.
Apparently fans thought that Lowell was gay, so the writers quickly introduced a wife to quash that rumor. Can't have any of those pesky gay people in this blue-collar utopia!
Still, I've done so much research, I might as well watch the first episode, just to see.
Scene 1: The family at breakfast. Adam tells 12-year old Teddy to stop masturbating. He denies doing it, but Adam says: "You had both hands in your pants, moving around down there like you're making origami." Mom suggests a family motto: "No hands in pants at the breakfast table."
I'm out.
A family comedy with masturbation jokes?!
ReplyDeleteIt's been done. In general, the rule is, jokes about male masturbation are acceptable, provided
Delete1. No public masturbation.
2. The conclusion is the wholesome one: Masturbation is normal, but best done in private. It is acceptable to have one character (usually a grandfather or a priest) say how bad it is for you. Ideal situation would be for the sad or big brother or uncle or older male cousin to explain why it's normal, but a woman can as well.
3. Teenage male masturbation has more leeway. Once the boy starts high school or turns 13, whichever comes first, masturbation jokes have more freedom to talk about porn (but not circle jerks).