Originally Posted By utahjosh I tried watching, I really did. I didn't even finish the episode. The "Lunt" joke and the "vaginal Americans" line were just a little much for me. It seemed the writers were forcing the "edginess" and it fell flat. MJH still looked oddly like a teenager, too. I couldn't see her as an adult. And it wasn't very funny. I might have laughed once in the first 20 minutes.
Originally Posted By utahjosh Oh, and that laugh track was awful. When you begin the show boasting you are filmed in front of a live studio audience, you should mic the audience and get real laughter. Oh wait...
Originally Posted By magic0214 To tell you the truth, I loved it! I laughed a whole lot at the baby penguins thing...funny! I do agree, the laugh track sucks, but I love MJH and I have always loved her. She makes the show great. I thought Joey and the kids were good too. One of my favorite characters though is the Asian assistant. Very funny! Overall-4 1/2 60 in. TV's out of 5
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I definitely think the second episode was better than the first. Obviously, they had to set up the situation for the rest of the series in the first episode, but the jokes along the way just didn't seem as good. I'm hoping that this means that the writers were finding their strides, and it will continue to improve. As it is now, I would probably put it in the same category as Friends or Everybody Loves Raymond reruns: I will watch it if it's on and I will enjoy my time, but I wouldn't really plan my evening around trying to catch it. Honestly, I'm not sure if there's anything that could be done to change that status, but if it does improve, I'd definitely plan to see it ahead of time. As it stands now, it's a well-done distraction for a while, but not really a headliner.
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 ABCFamily, you posted that you were looking forward to reading our reactions to the series. That implies that you'll be following this thread. I'd like to ask you to respond to posters' observations here that it seems incongruous that a pointedly vulgar show is airing at 8pm on a channel that calls itself "Family" television.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan I watched the first couple episodes online. The show feels like it could have fit more or less into the old TGIF lineup on ABC, which isn't a bad thing. There's nothing wrong with a little sitcom escapism, not every show needs to be something heavy. Melissa Joan Hart has always seemed born to be on TV. She's likeable and familiar and has good comic timing. She's the kind of actress that, in the 1970s, would have been featured regularly on the ABC Tuesday Night Movie of the Week trying out a range of roles. She reminds me in many ways of Elizabeth Montgomery. It's really hard to judge a show like this in the first few episodes. It doesn't feel like the writers have fully found their bearings yet, hopefully they will soon.
Originally Posted By mele <<She reminds me in many ways of Elizabeth Montgomery.>> ! Take that back. The channel has to have the word "family" in it due to the contract (sales agreement?) with Pat Robertson. That's why it has decidedly un-family friendly programming. You'd think a man who was so intent on the channel being called "family" wouldn't want families being tricked into watching things that would go against his beliefs but logic isn't his strong suit.
Originally Posted By WDWdreamin So, this thread did make me inspired to watch the movie they were in together. Not very good, but I enjoyed it, because I like abcfamily movie type movies. I guess I should try the tv show now, but I'm scared from the comments on here.
Originally Posted By x Pirate_Princess x When I watched it on Tuesday, I didn't notice the laugh track. I rewatched it tonight (it was on after Two Weeks' Notice) and it was annoying, because i was aware of it.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>Take that back.<< But it's true! Not only did they both star in sitcoms playing witches living in the mortal world, but I can totally see Melissa Joan Hart in an updated made-for-TV "Lizzie Borden" movie. With John Stamos playing Mr. Borden and Fran Drescher as Mrs. Borden.
Originally Posted By WDWdreamin magic, I liked both episodes too. I probably won't set my schedule to watch, but I might catch up on abc.com
Originally Posted By ABCFamily Thanks for the feedback! ABC Family is actually a network that features shows about families. We actually don’t target little children. We definitely feel Melissa & Joey is a sitcom with lots of heart, but of course it’s up to parents to decide what they deem appropriate for their children to watch. Did anyone watch last night? How do you think the series is progressing?
Originally Posted By LPFan22 I caught the pilot and then part of the second show. Then I cancelled my series recording. I was hopeful but I'm just not getting hooked. I don't know what I was expecting but I didn't get as much from the show as I had hoped.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I've been watching, but I would agree that I'm still not 'hooked' yet. This week's espisode definitely had a lot of promise to it. I think if the other episodes are just as good (maybe a hair better), it will be a solid series. The most recent episode seemed to have some more serious undertones to it, which I think helps ground the characters in reality. It was still fun in the way that it dealt with it, but the relationship between Melissa and her niece seemed to be more realistic than what had been shown in the past. If they continue with realistic people and relationships in mildly-unrealistic situations, I think it will work well. I would also like to see some of the minor characters (like the bartender, grocery store lady, and sorority sister) become more regular charcters. Not nessecarily those people specifically, but the types that are there to move the plot along. It just seems like they show up long enough to make an episode, and once they have served their purpose they are completely ignored. I know the title of the show refers to the two main stars, but it seems like there's potential for a great ensemble cast. There's a ton of potential there (it's a great cast, and the writers seem to know what they're doing), but there's still something that just hasn't seemed to click yet.
Originally Posted By ABCFamily As with any series, the characters their relationships with one another will continue to develop, especially between Melissa and Joey and the kids. What did you think of last night’s episode? I hope you continue to tune-in!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Putting this show up against Glee is a bold move. I was busy this week, so I didn't catch either show, but I did make the effort to see Glee on Hulu. I might try to catch the rerun of the Melissa and Joey episode at 7:30 next week, but I'll be watching Glee at 8. I don't really know the general TV schedule too well, but I would guess that there's a ton of crossover between the target demographics of the two shows, and most folks will probably choose Glee. If M&J was on at just about any other time during the week, I would watch it, but it's just not in a very good time slot for a new show.
