In the war zone that is the fall TV season, it’s important to pick out the gems hidden in the media mesh. Each week, A&E columnist Sebastian Torrelio will profile one new show and one returning show that share a connection, detailing how they may make those after-school hours more meaningful.
In 2012, Fox filled its Tuesday night prime-time block exclusively with half-hour sitcoms. That programming timeslot was led by “New Girl,” starring Zooey Deschanel, and, perfectly enough, “New Girl” remains the former lineup’s last vestige.
Why that is, despite “New Girl”’s steadily declining ratings over the last few years, can be attributed to the same idea that Fox hopes to revive its Tuesday schedule with this season: endless, unflinching charisma. By throwing familiar, friendly personalities into its new fall sitcoms, charm will lead the charge of a network trying to bring viewers back.
One of these new shows has a title so laughable that it might require a little concentration to take seriously. “The Grinder” is a new vehicle for both Rob Lowe, who has darted over television and movie screens since the ’80s, and Fred Savage, who’s been directing and producing for about that same length of time.
“New Girl” (top), now entering its fifth season on Fox, features Zooey Deschanel as a fish-out-of-water character who tries to fit into an established group of friends. “The Grinder” (bottom) is a new show on Fox which stars Rob Lowe and Fred Savage.
Lowe plays Dean Sanderson, an actor who plays a TV lawyer on a fictional legal drama named after his character, the Grinder. After the fictional show ends its run, Dean returns to Idaho to stay with his brother Stewart (Savage) until he can figure out his next calling. It turns out that calling might be actual legal practice, as he gleefully joins Stewart’s side as the fake professional the town adores more than what makes logical, or admissible, sense.
Savage hasn’t had a notable television role since his Emmy-nominated role as Kevin Arnold in “The Wonder Years.” It’s interesting, if not adorable, to see him back on screen again, especially as the frustrated sidekick to his brother’s life-invading antics. Lowe takes the relentless silliness of his “Parks and Recreation” character Chris Traeger and channels it into a spoof of celebrity dazzle, creating a natural leading man in the process.
Everything in “The Grinder”’s pilot works as an initial setup, especially the ensemble accompanying our two protagonists: William Devane as the siblings’ eager father and legal partner, and Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Stewart’s spousal sanity. “The Grinder” doesn’t lend much in the way of imagining what’s to come – the family seems cute and harmless as it currently stands, but what else could come of Lowe and Savage’s courtroom procedural playground?
For hints, turn to Fox’s veteran in the ring: “New Girl,” a show that, entering its fifth season, no longer has much relevance to its title. At the beginning of its run, the show appeared very similar in nature to “The Grinder,” in fact, Jake Kasdan, who directed “The Grinder”’s pilot, also works as a “New Girl” producer. Here was a fish-out-of-water character trying to fit into the apartment and lives of an already established group of friends using only her powers of quirk and near-unbearable optimism.
Over the first couple of seasons, “New Girl” had one of the best working casts on television. Nick (Jake Johnson), Winston (Lamorne Morris) and the infamous Schmidt (Max Greenfield) not only play off of one another, but also Deschanel’s Jess in a friendship quadrangle so intoxicating that it easily absorbs anyone who dares cross into the show’s fast-paced universe. From on-again, off-again roommate Coach (Damon Wayans Jr.) to Jess’ eccentric parents (Jamie Lee Curtis and Rob Reiner), anyone can fit into the hyperactive gang.
“New Girl” has mixed up the formula only a handful of times, with mixed response. Most of those instances had to do with some lead character’s romantic life, and on notable occasions, lead characters’ romances with each other. Although it has come fairly close, “New Girl” has never completely lost its glow in four seasons.
With story lines that bounce between delusional hilarity and deep-hearted sweetness, Deschanel and friends are today’s network comedy stalwarts, extremely similar in appearance to their debut, but with an incredible understanding of group charisma that can potentially drive them for a few more years down the road.
Fox comedies have made an incredible lasting potential out of low-key concepts and brilliant casting. “The Grinder” has some legwork to do before “New Girl” returns in the Spring season, but if it continues building on top of its many existing touches of absurdity, Fox Tuesdays could, maybe, make up for cancelling “The Mindy Project.”
Maybe.
– Sebastian Torrelio