Partners - General Discussion

[Kromm]

Editor's Note:

Discuss Partners here.

 

 

Surprisingly it didn't suck.  Oh it's got lots of generic sitcom plugin aspects, but Kelsey Grammer as an asshole is actually pretty fun, and while Martin Lawrence's nice guy part played could have been done by a block of wood, it worked next to Grammer.  It's been quite awhile since I recall any kind of Legal-oriented sitcom, so if it bothers to stay focused on that rather than doing generic sitcom plots, it could be worth risking a few braincells watching.

 

Worst part?  The annoying mondo-generic scoring.  

 

Oh... Martin looks kinda... fat.  In the face.  It's kind of weird.

[rubaco]

I actually thought it did suck, and I'm a huge Kelsey Grammer fan. (But, full disclosure: I'm not sure I've ever bought him in any role besides Frasier.)

 

I only laughed twice, through both episodes (the "air quotes" around "the law," and when Kelsey said, "Did you just leave me at the altar?"). I wanted to like it, I really did. Sadly, it's a miss for me.

[teebax]

It's a miss for me too. I saw the jokes coming a mile away, so I found nothing funny about either episode. I wanted to love it, as a fan of both Grammer and Lawrence, but it didn't work for me. I am glad to see Thelma getting work though.

[Iamsweetdee]

Well, its definitely not Fraiser or Martin, but I like those two so will give a wait and see to determine if they settle into the roles. However, did they get rid of Martin's daughter already? 

[Kromm]

Well, its definitely not Fraiser or Martin, but I like those two so will give a wait and see to determine if they settle into the roles. However, did they get rid of Martin's daughter already? 

To me the key is that they can't really soften Grammer's character that quickly, and they need to really focus on the legal stuff/procession of clients.  Wacky-case-of-the-week would actually be a GOOD thing, not a bad one, because the worst thing a show like this could do is be generic and fall into a pattern of typical sitcom wackiness around family plots and office stuff.

 

I'm okay with Martin and Kelsey's relationship mostly being exchanges of quips.  

 

I dunno.  Many of the jokes could have indeed been better/less telegraphed.  The soundtrack/music drove me batty.  But I actually thought the overall premise had the advantage of being original (at least for a sitcom as opposed to many Dramadies that have done "fancy lawyer fallen low" takes).  I also appreciated that as down as many characters were on Grammer's character's ethics, that the show had the guts to balance that a little by showing he's actually good at his job, around that.

[Brooklynista]

Meh. I was really underwhelmed. I hope Thelma didn't choose this over HBO's Getting On.

[teebax]

Meh. I was really underwhelmed. I hope Thelma didn't choose this over HBO's Getting On.

OMG - I hope not. I loved her in Getting On, although she wasn't on it that much. I checked IMDB, and they don't have the Season 2 details up yet, so I don't know if Telma is doing Getting On or not. 

[Iamsweetdee]

I hope Thelma didn't choose this over HBO's Getting On.

 

She was only in the pilot episode of Getting On. 

[Trooper York]

Why did this show have to use sacred Catholic symbols to mock the Catholic Church? This was a disgrace and this dismal piece of shit can not fail fast enough.

[Kromm]

Why did this show have to use sacred Catholic symbols to mock the Catholic Church? This was a disgrace and this dismal piece of shit can not fail fast enough.

Can you be more specific? I must not have been paying attention if I missed this.

[Trooper York]

Well I don't know. Did you notice the Rosary beads that they had tied to the bed and implied that they were used in sex play? Did you notice the small suitcase which had a chalice and pyx which is the sacred container that holds the host. Grammer picked up the lid and then slammed it down. 

 

Ask yourself this question. Would they have done that with a Torah or a Koran or the sacred articles of any other faith?

 

This is not a criticism of you by the way. The attack on Christian symbols is so prevalent in entertainment that it always passes without acknowledgement. You know that if there is a priest in a TV show he is never a Man of God but a pervert or a murderer. It just seems particularly egregious in a stupid sitcom that would seem to be aimed at family viewers.

 

We are just lucky that they didn't hide the condoms in the Monstrance. I would put nothing past these people.

[4leafclover]

@Trooper York--totally agree with you.  Hubby and I have always liked Kelsey Grammar and we were happy to see he was returning to TV in another sitcom.  However, after the first episode, we deleted the show from future scheduled recordings.  We were very disappointed to see such disrespect and mockery towards the Church, and it seemed absolutely unnecessary to the plot as well as not funny in the least.  

[Brooklynista]

Did this get cancelled already? I thought it was bad, but not that bad.

Yeah, maybe it was that bad.

[Kromm]

Did this get cancelled already? I thought it was bad, but not that bad.

Yeah, maybe it was that bad.

It got a 10 episode commitment, airing 2 per week, and they've aired 4 weeks worth (8 episodes). So one more pair of episodes to go.

Renewal is contingent on the ratings, of course, but with a pretty high bar--it had the same kind of 10/90 deal as Charlie Sheen and George Lopez's shows. Sheen got the 90, Lopez didn't (although Sheen's ratings have been shit recently anyway). Chances are good this WON'T get the needed ratings though, because what they want for a 90 episode commitment is pretty healthy ratings.

Edited August 26, 2014 by Kromm