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TV Show Reviews
"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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