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"Mr. Robinson" review by Suzanne 8/19/15
Airs on NBC Wednesdays 9/8c

I like the actors in this show, but it's just not a funny sitcom. It's one of those that you watch, and you keep waiting for a good joke, but it never comes along. Every possible joke is telegraphed; you can see them coming a mile away. I don't know why TV networks even bother putting this kind of show on the air. It's just not worth anyone's time.

Craig Robinson plays a singer in a local band who gets a job as a music teacher in his old high school, in order to impress one of the other teachers, played by Meagan Good (whom he dated in high school). Of course, TV never does school right, so there's no mention of how he could possibly get even a substitute teaching job so easily, without a college degree or credential (it varies by state as to how much schooling you need), or how they could just offer him a full time job. Let alone how he seems to just teach "off the cuff" like it's the easiest thing in the world, never mind having lesson plans or curriculum to follow, or having to answer to parents, or how many classes he teachers. Or, for that matter, why they need a substitute, and what happened to the teacher he replaced?

However, it's a sitcom, so any type of sense or reality doesn't really matter. All that matters is whether it's funny or not, and it fails in that regard, utterly.

It's a shame because the actors are good, and the premise is a fine one. Peri Gilpin (Roz from "Frasier") is wasted here as a stern principal with a wild past. The main actor, Craig Robinson, has an easy and jovial manner, but even he can't make the material any better.  Spencer Grammer (Kelsey's daughter -- another "Frasier" connection!) plays one of the teachers who's a stripper by night. She's a fine actress and deserves better material than this. Well, they all do. The other characters are frequently annoying, though.

I would say that it's perfect for kids because it's their level of humor, but the material is more adult and not something small children should watch.  I've seen some other reviews that compared it to "Welcome Back Kotter" (another show about a teacher going back to his old school) but that was Shakespeare compared to this show. It was much funnier.

Skip this one, and I'm sure it will be canceled soon enough. I can't believe they canceled "A to Z" and some of the other good NBC sitcoms, yet this one somehow gets on the air.

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Page updated 8/19/15