Ever since the cancellation and final episode of the CW’s show REAPER I’ve been both looking forward to and dreading the premiere of the FOX sitcom SONS OF TUCSON. There are two words, that when put together form a name, that are the reason for me looking forward to SONS OF TUCSON and they are (or it is) TYLER LABINE.
One of the great things about REAPER was TYLER LABINE. His character, SOCK, could have easily been mistaken early on as a JACK BLACK knockoff. As the show progressed, however, the writers found a solid tone for SOCK that LABINE was able to bring out naturally and it became something that I felt he really owned. It was the light and frivolous banter of SOCK that made the more serious moments of the show easier to digest. After the second season of REAPER had wrapped word came out that LABINE would be shooting the pilot for SONS OF TUCSON and for us REAPER fans this was an early sign of the eventual demise of the show (as well as the smaller 13 episode order of the show).
I wasn’t happy to see REAPER go but my curiousity was at least tweaked for SONS OF TUCSON because of LABINE. When I heard about the premise behind the show, however, I started to walk that fine line of trepidition.
In SONS OF TUCSON we find TYLER LABINE playing the character RON SNUFFKIN. Within moments of the show open we know that he’s been living in his car after being thrown out by his ex-girlfriend, he owes some shady guy named TONY (played by JAKE BUSEY) $2000 and he works a retail job at a sporting goods store. He’s a man of questionable morals and it is these same morals that make him the perfect candidate for the GUNDERSON boys to pay him off to pretend to be their dad to get them enrolled into school. Why do they need this? Mom hasn’t been in the picture for a while and Dad is serving 25 for white-collar crime. Presumably the boys have a stash of Dad’s cash to live off of and don’t want Child Protective Services to know about their situation so they won’t be put into the foster care system and split up.
Now you know the premise and the reason why I was apprehensive about the show. It sounds like typical sitcom fodder at best, right?
After seeing the pilot I can tell you that the parts of the show don’t quite add up to a completely entertaining whole but the promise is there to actually become an interesting and entertaining 22 minutes of time wasted. LABINE does, in fact, play a character with the same wit and charisma of his former SOCK incarnation and he does so again in a completely natural fashion. The three kids playing the GUNDERSON boys (MATHEW LEVY as the ‘looks but not a thinker’Â BRANDON, FRANK DOLCE as the ‘brains’ brother GARY and BENJAMIN STOCKHAM as the ‘id’ and youngest brother ROBBY) work well together and balance each other out. The sub-plot of RON trying to get his hands on a tiny toy soldier collection from his grandmother ETHEL provided some of the more outlandish comedy and also makes me hope we see more of ETHEL and her home again it the future.
Years of experience have also taught me that you can’t really tell a show from it’s first episode. The first six episodes (if we actually get to see them all) are what really let us know about the calibre of the writing staff and how well they set up both the voices and scenarios for these characters. I’ll be keeping my eye on SONS OF TUCSON to see how well it shakes out and hoping the best for its future to see more of LABINE.
Now that we’ve gotten that bit of business out of the way let’s see what is in store for us with this week’s programming.
TUESDAY
FOX – 8:00 PM: AMERICAN IDOL may have it narrowed down to only 12 contestants but let’s face it folks, this is now a contest between CRYSTAL BOWERSOX and LEE DEWYZE (even though I’m rooting for ANDREW GARCIA for the upset).
ABC – 9:00 PM: I don’t know what to tell you about this week’s episode of LOST but I love that TVGUIDE refers to one of the characters this week as ‘the Locke Monster.’
FX – 10:00 PM: TIMOTHY OLYPHANT is sporting another badge on TV, but this time he’s a deputy U.S. Marshal in JUSTIFIED.
ABC – 10:00 PM: ABC begs and pleads the LOST crowd to give another certain show a chance with their recap special FLASHFORWARD: WHAT DID YOU SEE?
NBC – 10:00 PM: SARAH realizes that dating a nearly 40-year-old barista may not be all it’s cracked up to be on PARENTHOOD. There’s a news flash.
WEDNESDAY
ABC – 8:00 PM: The abomination that currently carries the SCRUBS name finally has it’s season finale. Too bad it took this long.
ABC FAMILY – 8:00 PM: In honor of St. Patrick’s Day ABC FAMILY presents INDEPENDENCE DAY.
TLC – 8:00 PM: Watch for 60 minutes and you’ll learn nothing new in THE SECRET LIFE OF TIGER WOODS.
FOX – 9:00 PM: AMERICAN IDOL spends one hour letting us know who gets the boot this week. Marvel in the awkward ensemble medley singing and guest singers before witnessing one persons pain in the last ten minutes.
HIST – 9:00 PM: The MonsterQuest team is so bad ass they don’t just go after one sasquatch, they go after an entire pack of them! Put THAT in your pot of gold and smo… oh, wait, that doesn’t work at all.
COMEDY – 10:00 PM: The 14th season of SOUTH PARK premieres tonight.
THURSDAY
ABC – 8:00 PM: After a production shake up and major retooling FLASHFORWARD returns in a two hour special that only hopes to get the ratings the premiere did.
NBC – 8:30 PM: ANDY SAMBERG guests as a park ranger on tonight’s PARKS & RECREATION. Have I mentioned how much better this show is this season?
SLEUTH – 9:00 PM: I only bring up that this network is airing THE 40-YEAR-OLD-VIRGIN because the simple fact that they are is the only mystery I can find in this pairing.
BRAVO – 10:00 PM: KELLY bares for PLAYBOY on tonight’s THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK CITY. Curiosity may have killed the cat but it won’t be enough to get most guys to buy this issue.
FRIDAY
DISNEY XD – 7:00 PM: Can someone please tell me how I never knew that there was a “THE THREE INVESTIGATORS” movie of any kind made? After reading them in Junior High (middle school to some of you) I’m going to at least DVR THE THREE INVESTIGATORS AND THE SECRET OF TERROR CASTLE just to see how they tried to translate this to a modern audience. I’m sure it is going to hurt to watch but I’ll do it anyway.
NBC – 8:00 PM: Tonight on WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? former Friend LISA KUDROW travels to Belarus to learn about her family history (while no one watches).
SYFY – 9:00 PM: The title of CAPRICA tonight is GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE. I should have really seen that title coming.
SATURDAY
FOOD – 5:00 PM: CAKE BOSS marathon!
DISNEY – 7:30 PM: SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS jumps from the Disney Vault and onto your television. C’mon, it’s a classic.
HIST – 8:00 PM: Do you think notorious outlaw Jesse James was hiding loot? A team does as they go in search of JESSE JAMES’ HIDDEN TREASURE.
E! – 8:00 PM: HALF-BAKED will always be the film that to this day makes me say, “Abba-Zabba, you my only friend.”
SUNDAY
MTV – 8:00 PM: My faith in humanity falls a little more with SPRING BREAK 2010: FIST PUMPIN’ Top 20 WITH JERSEY SHORE.
TLC – 8:00 PM: Witness the marvels of LIFE around us for two hours with this amazing nature series.
A&E – 9:00 PM: A health scare happens for SHANNON on tonight’s season premiere of GENE SIMMONS FAMILY JEWELS.
FOX – 9:30 PM: Let’s see if SONS OF TUCSON is able to improve on the formula or flounder in mediocrity.
AMC – 10:00 PM: If you haven’t seen BREAKING BAD than get the box sets and start DVR’ing it with tonight’s season premiere until you get caught up. You’ll be glad that you did.
A&E – 10:00 PM: I’m not really sure what to say about KIRSTIE ALLEY’S BIG LIFE. It’s both fascinating and a train wreck and really puts me at a loss for words.
– Will Wilkins was shot in front of a live studio audience.
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