S01.E02: Accommodations

[AnimeMania]

Matt (Tim Allen) joins Riley (Kat Dennings) at Carter’s (Maxwell Simkins) high school Open House, where he’s unsettled to learn about the “accommodations” made for his grandson’s anxiety. Meanwhile, Riley reconnects with Caitlin (Brenda Song), a former classmate, and sets her up with Gabriel (Seann William Scott). 

Premiere Date: January 15, 2025    ABC      ~8:20pm (After Biden speech)   

Brenda Song as Caitlin

[DanaK]

Oops with the cheat sheet

[EtheltoTillie]

Better than the first episode 

[AnimeMania]

Was Tim Allen pantomiming that he calms himself down by smoking an imaginary joint. That seemed out of character, maybe there is hope for him yet.

[iMonrey]

This show is going to get really stale really fast if they lean too heavily into whatever Grandpa considers "woke." Have they said where these people live? Would a teacher really introduce herself to a roomful of parents by including her preferred pronouns? I can't see that happening anywhere in a red state.

[Chit Chat]

5 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

Was Tim Allen pantomiming that he calms himself down by smoking an imaginary joint.

He was probably reliving a moment from his teenager days.  It was fairly easy to get back in the day.

54 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

This show is going to get really stale really fast if they lean too heavily into whatever Grandpa considers "woke."

Hopefully it won't constantly be a "him" vs. "them" kind of show, but I found some of his comments quite amusing.  I'm sure he and his daughter will find a happy medium at some point.  

His house on the show is quite similar to the Home Improvement set.  The kitchen looks almost identical to the HI set.  

[Chit Chat]

8 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Have they said where these people live? Would a teacher really introduce herself to a roomful of parents by including her preferred pronouns? I can't see that happening anywhere in a red state.

In the south, it's either 'hey you' or ' hey y'all!'   That should cover everyone!  😁

[OLynn33]

Better than the first episode. I did laugh a couple of times. The tool demo to make Matt relate to anxiety was effective and funny. I felt it! Lol I'm too lazy to look up their names but I think both the young actors playing Riley's kids are quite good and I'm enjoying both of their characters. I think if the show can continue to present political views with humour and not preaching and focus equally on the characters growing and learning as a family it might just survive. 

**The laugh track is HORRENDOUS. 

 

[iMonrey]

14 hours ago, OLynn33 said:

**The laugh track is HORRENDOUS. 

Yeah, I'm not sure what's going on with that. Most sitcoms are either single cam with no audience or 3-cam in front of a studio audience. This is shot like the latter, but that laughter definitely sounds canned. 

{tinfoil hat} it's possible the show is filmed in front of a live audience but they just aren't laughing that much so the laughter is "sweetened" in post production. {/tinfoil hat}

[JAYJAY1979]

I think the show would have funnier if Allen and Dennings switched roles.

Allen would have been the more progressive/woke character and Dennings being more the anti woke/commonsense character.  

Remember in All in the family..Carroll O'connor was nothing like Archie Bunker..and I think that's why he was so good at playing him because he found the human within the character.

Just a thought.

[seacliffsal]

My issue with Kat Dennings is that it seems like she yells all of her lines (I felt the same on her previous show (two broke girls).  I think it would be an improvement if she toned down some of her lines.  Her 'freak out' at the bar seemed a bit much.

I laughed a few times during the episode.  I like the kids' characters.  I had a good laugh when the boy thought Tim Allen could be 108 years old. I also liked seeing more of the workers at the car restoration garage.

[OLynn33]

1 hour ago, seacliffsal said:

My issue with Kat Dennings is that it seems like she yells all of her lines

I was going to comment on this but having not watched any of her shows I didn't know if that's just the way she is.

 

8 hours ago, iMonrey said:

nfoil hat} it's possible the show is filmed in front of a live audience but they just aren't laughing that much so the laughter is "sweetened" in post production. {/tinfoil hat}

Yes. I noticed an over the top laughtrack with The Connors as well. It's too bad because there is nothing like the spontaneous eruption of an audience in laughter aka Everybody Loves Raymond. It feels now too like shows just take an "insert laughter here" approach as opposed to actually listening and enhancing where it's necessary. Probably easier and cheaper. 

[Dowel Jones]

I have to agree with the comments about the laugh track.  Is there a disconnect between the writers and the producers where the jokes just aren't landing?  To me they aren't, but that's another story.  I didn't even smile during this episode.  I'll give it one more.