A few months back I discovered the cult classic "Arrested Development" and was fascinated by the hilariously idiotic Gob Bluth, masterfully played by Will Arnett. After rushing through Netflix's recent revival of the show I was looking for a sort of replacement for Arrested Development. My first try was the short lived Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret. I enjoyed Will Arnett's incredibly vulgar character, but as I mentioned the series was short lived and I found myself looking for a new replacement rather quickly. Checking Netflix, I found "Running Wilde", but was simply unable to sit through an entire episode of the dull comedy.
Positioned next to Martindale is Beau Bridges, who plays Will Arnett's father, Tom. Though I've never liked him as much as I do Martindale, Bridges has recently been on quite a few shows I watch recently and he's grown on me. From playing Peter Franklin's father on Franklin & Bash to the annoying Agent Kramer on White Collar, Beau Bridges has done a hell of a good job maintaining both good TV and film roles. In The Millers, Beau Bridges plays a sort of older version of Forest Gump. He is not smart… as a matter of fact some may call him the King of Stupidity (some do actually.)
The Millers has a classic comedy story line. Old parents come into a young person's life and wreak havoc. While the story itself, is not unique, I found it to be fairly enjoyable. When I first started watching I expected Will Arnett to be the funniest character, but so far I have found the funniest characters on the show to be Carol and Ray (J.B. Smoove). While I have seen Martindale excel in drama roles on the Americans and Dexter, I have never before seen her in a comedic role. The Millers is the first show that I have really seen her comedic side shine. J.B. Smoove, on the other hand, I have only ever seen in comedy roles. He plays his often stereotypical jokester, which is quite fun to watch. While I think most of the show will focus on the scenes between Martindale and Bridges, the scenes between Martindale and Smoove are simply golden.
In the past few weeks, The Millers has gotten quite a bit of bad press (Not as much as FOX's "Dads") for being a "dumb comedy", but people should really give it a chance and decide for themselves. While it may not be the most cerebral show that has ever aired, so far it's an enjoyable show. I know I'll be watching it this season.
Rating: Solid B - The show isn't amazing, but it's enjoyable.
The Millers premieres on CBS on October 3, 2013. Be sure to come back here to SpoilerTV to let everyone else know what you thought.
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