A pleasant surprise, and a fine demonstration of how talented actors can elevate the material they've been given.
Which is not to say that Better With You is crappy material. I think it's reasonably well written; I'd give it a solid B on that front. But the show's real strength is in its cast, most of whom are TV veterans.
Our focus is on three couples at different stages in their relationships. Vicky and Joel (Debra Jo Rupp and Kurt Fuller) have been married for 35 years. Their older daughter Maddie (Jennifer Finnigan) and her boyfriend Ben (Josh Cooke) have been together for nine years, and are just the teensiest bit defensive about their choice not to get married ("it's a valid choice!"). Younger daughter Mia (Joanna Garcia) surprises everyone by announcing that she's engaged to Casey (Jake Lacy), who she's only been dating for 7 1/2 weeks.
I'm happy to see Finnigan and Cooke together again; I'm one of the small handful who admired their 2005 flop sitcom Committed. Fuller and Rupp are skilled pros who know exactly how much spin to put on a punchline, or precisely how far to lift an eyebrow. Garcia has been on the road to stardom since her long run on Reba, and Lacy finds some terrific variations on his dimwitted boyfriend character.
This isn't a show that wants to reinvent the sitcom; the rhythms and subject material are familiar stuff. But the familiar can be a lot of fun when it's done this well, and there are just enough surprises to keep things interesting. The show fits well with ABC's other Wednesday comedies (it's scheduled between The Middle and Modern Family), and it's certainly an improvement over last year's effort in the timeslot, the dreadful Hank. Worth taking a look at, and ABC will repeat the pilot on Friday night.
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