Grandfathered - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Anticipate Here!

[Meredith Quill]

Your Media Topic!

[Trini]

The trailer gave me the same type of feeling that Raising Hope did. Stamos is selling the character, and I hope that they can find a similar balance of sweetness and comedy.

[Trini]

http://www.fox.com/grandfathered

[Trini]

Screening and Panel at Fall Paleyfest in L.A.:

9/15: FOX

<...>

7:00 pm Screening Grandfathered

<...>

8:30 pm Panel with members of the casts & creative teams of Scream Queens, The Grinder, and Grandfathered

With Grandfathered: John Stamos, Josh Peck, Danny Chun;

Edited August 26, 2015 by Trini

[Trini]

From Fox:

What’s the fastest way to put the brakes on a cruise-controlled bachelor lifestyle? Fatherhood? Guess again. Television icon John Stamos (“Full House,” “ER”) stars in a new comedy about the ultimate bachelor who discovers he’s not only a father, but a grandfather.

Successful restaurateur and man-about-town JIMMY MARTINO (Stamos) is used to being the most suave, most handsome and most single person in the room. All that changes with the surprise appearance of Jimmy’s adult son, GERALD (Josh Peck, “The Mindy Project”), and his baby daughter, EDIE. Now Jimmy has to unlearn a lifetime of blissful selfishness and grapple with the fact that he went straight from single to grandfather in six seconds flat.

Keeping tabs on Jimmy is Gerald’s mother and Jimmy’s former girlfriend, rocker chick-turned-mother SARA (Paget Brewster, “Criminal Minds,” “Community”). Equally concerned about how Jimmy will manage these new developments is Jimmy’s restaurant family, especially assistant manager ANNELISE (Kelly Jenrette, “Audrey”) and chef RAVI (Ravi Patel, “Super Fun Night”).

Can Jimmy teach Gerald to be a little more like him in order to win the affection of Edie’s hot mess of a mom, VANESSA (Christina Milian, FAMILY GUY, “Baggage Claim”)? Will Jimmy and Sara fall for each other all over again, even though she’s the one thing he never dates – a woman his own age? And who’s higher maintenance, Jimmy or the baby?

GRANDFATHERED is an unconventional, sophisticated comedy about coming of age – at any age.

[mansonlamps]

Well, Stamos is still hot, so I will definitely give this a shot. In fact, I'm looking forward to it, TV Guide gave it a rave review.

[frenchtoast]

Successful restaurateur and man-about-town Jimmy Martino is used to being the most suave, most handsome and most single person in the room. But everything changes with the surprise appearance of Jimmy’s adult son, Gerald, and his baby daughter, Edie. Now Jimmy has to unlearn a lifetime of blissful selfishness and grapple with the fact that he went straight from single to grandfather in six seconds flat.

[prican58]

The Stamos Pull is still strong. Most of his shows have been pretty good, they just didn't get ratings.  I liked Thieves (2001) and loved Jake In Progress (2005). Jake could have been a great show, I feel.

 

I am looking forward to this show and I hope this is the real deal for him. I know Full House was a huge series but I want something better for him. 

[twoods]

I liked it- they showed the pilot on an AA flight. I can't believe John Stamos has barely aged, and they aknowledge it on the show.

[Trini]

Premiering tonight!

[candall]

I enjoyed it, too.  John Stamos has an innate likeability, in spite of being such a pretty man.  I'm glad they just let him be likeable instead of making him a jerk.

 

Well. . . I guess he's going to have some past jerkiness to atone for, but that's okay.

 

Baby with the Pebbles-do was way cute.

Edited September 30, 2015 by candall

[njbchlover]

I liked it....I liked it!!!  Plus, John Stamos is adorable.  Love that show him flawed and with a certain amount of narcissism.  

 

And, the baby, Edie, is too cute for words!!  The rest of the supporting cast is very good, too.  Looking forward to seeing more of this.  :-)

[njbchlover]

I liked it....I liked it!!!  Plus, John Stamos is adorable.  Love that they show him flawed and with a certain amount of narcissism. 

And, the baby, Edie, is too cute for words!!  The rest of the supporting cast is very good, too.  Looking forward to seeing more of this.  :-)

Edited September 30, 2015 by njbchlover

[Gigi43]

I will definitely watch next week. I thought especially for pilot standards it was pretty good. I especially liked when he changed the wrong baby, and the end when he admitted to the botox (but not the face!) and hair "color". I'm watching that Grinder show now and I've been reading it's been reviewed as the better of the two shows on Fox tonight, but Grandfathered seemed to go by faster and at least to me was the better of the two pilots.

 

The mother being the girl Jimmy was talking about though was entirely predictable.

[EarlGreyTea]

It was cute. I think I'm in. What made it special to me was that they didn't have Jimmy shrink away from being a parent and grandparent, like a lot of sitcoms would have. They'd have spent a few episodes having him run away from it, denying paternity, etc. But here, he dove right into it headfirst with little hesitation. I really liked that.

 

First half was a bit slow, but it improved toward the end.

Edited September 30, 2015 by EarlGreyTea

[Cobalt Stargazer]

"And because I'd hate to seem like the overprotective mother stereotype, I hope I only have to say this once. If you hurt my son, or his daughter, I will choke you to death with your own over-moisturized hands."

 

Welcome back to my television, Paget Brewster.

[EarlGreyTea]

Welcome back to my television, Paget Brewster.

 

Amen. May she be treated better here than she was on Criminal Minds. I forgot she's done comedy before - she recurred on Friends for a season or two.

[MaryMitch]

Cute and funny! I think Jimmy did a great job adjusting to his new son and granddaughter. Great cast, too!

[HelenBaby]

I loved it but my SO didn't. I thought Stamos was just precious along with the rest of the cast. "He's bringing Lil' Wayne and Don Rickles, a sentence no one has said ever." That was a well written & cast show.

[BoogieBurns]

Super cute show! I  just wish the baby was as brown as her mom or grandpa. 

[stopeslite]

Not sure, but I think I liked it. Was happily surprised to see Paget Brewster! And I've always adored Josh Peck, so it was good to see him. I don't know if I'd make a tv date especially for it, but I'd watch it again. If they're always showing it with The Grinder (like they did tonight), both of them together make for a good tv appointment where neither might quite do so separately. 

[mansonlamps]

If Stamos wasn't so hot I wouldn't give this another glance. But he is so I'm in for a couple more episodes. I like the restaurant cast way better than the family and I really don't think that's what they were going for. I find Peck especially weak. Hope it gets better, I liked The Grinder a lot more.

[AnnaRose]

I liked this one better than The Grinder too.  Enjoyable cast and characters.  I hope they keep it up!

[CinAZ]

I am also glad they had Stamos jump right in to the relationship with his son and granddaughter. Most of the characters seemed likable. The Don Rickles cameo was so random!

It was enjoyable and I am glad it was paired up with The Grinder. A decent sitcom hour.

[RedFire2000]

Loved it! Thought it was funny and heartwarming. I feel like it might fill the void in my heart left by Raising Hope.

[Happy Harpy]

I liked it! J.Stamos is charming as ever, P.Brewster great at comedy as ever. I liked the son better than I thought I would. The cast worked well together.

 

I found it slower than the Grinder, a bit more emotional, but OTOH most of the best/funniest moments were spoiled by the long trailer so they lacked the impact they'd normally have, imo. I loved the "Grandpa is such a Clooney" text at the end. I found the dialogues generally good.

The mother being the girl Jimmy was talking about though was entirely predictable.

I agree, but I hoped they would go for the trope in that particular case since I thought that J.Stamos and P.Brewster had great, immediate chemistry. It gave another layer to Jimmy's initial turmoil, too. He learns he's a father, a grandfather, and all that courtesy of "the one who got away". Emotional hat-trick.

 

Anyway, I'm in and I'm looking forward to the next episode.

[answerphone]

I liked it, and I laughed out loud a few times!

[Ambrosefolly]

Having watched Drake and Josh, I am so glad Josh Peck is back. Bonus, he actually does look like he could be the son of John Stamos but retains the air of being the biggest dork in the world.

Edited September 30, 2015 by Ambrosefolly

[Irlandesa]

Amen. May she be treated better here than she was on Criminal Minds. I forgot she's done comedy before - she recurred on Friends for a season or two.

She has been doing a lot of comedy lately, mostly on Comedy Central--Another Period, Drunk History, Community.  She's terrific. 

 

I enjoyed the pilot.  I'm not a fan of "cute kids" stories but this worked because I think the cast is strong. I think the son is adorable (OMG--looked him up, it's RayRon!)  Paget Brewster is awesome.  I like Stamos and the restaurant crew as well.

 

Ooh, forgot to mention.  I liked the Saget cameo. (Or at least I think that was Saget.)

Edited September 30, 2015 by Irlandesa

[shapeshifter]

It was surprisingly warmhearted. I think what made the baby cute was how Stamos acted with her. The kiss! So cute. Good camera and direction too.

It was cute. I think I'm in. What made it special to me was that they didn't have Jimmy shrink away from being a parent and grandparent, like a lot of sitcoms would have. They'd have spent a few episodes having him run away from it, denying paternity, etc. But here, he dove right into it headfirst with little hesitation. I really liked that.

Unfortunately, EarlGreyTea, there is still the possibility that either it's not really his son and/or the baby isn't really his son's kid. I suppose either would be okay so long as it doesn't create too much drama--meaning he decides to continue to be a dad and grandpa to them anyway.

I know it wouldn't have been as funny, but I kept thinking that surely there was a waitress in the restaurant who was a mom, aunt, grandma, uncle, etc. of a kid of a similar age who could have been paid a nice bonus to babysit for an hour while Stamos' character took pics with the guests.

I'll probably watch it from time to time because it comes on before The Grinder, which I think I'm going to enjoy.

[lonestar]

I enjoyed it. Stamos is just so watchable. Same with Rob Lowe. Both are pretty men who don't seem to take themselves too seriously.  I will DVR both shows next week again as I can't take watching live tv. For me, Grandfathered was better than Grinder. I don't like Fred Savage, but William Devane makes up for it.

[Writing Wrongs]

I laughed a lot.

 

"Why didn't you tell me I had a son? What if I was gay and met him at a bar?"

"That's the first place your mind goes to? What is wrong with you?"

[stopeslite]

The Don Rickles bit seemed a bit off - wasn't he complaining that his restaurant wasn't attracting the young hip people any more, which is why he was so stoked to get the one celebrity? Would have been funnier if he had been "Oh no, not Don Rickles!" and tried to somehow usher him out but the other celebs wouldn't have any of that because he was their best friend or something.

[Thog]

I have been waiting for Paget Brewster to get back to a comedy role, because she is just so good. She wasn't just a guest star on Friends... she was one of the best parts of Andy Richter Controls the Universe.

[Badsamaritan]

John Stamos with a baby makes my ovaries weep for what could have been. Loved it. Love his assistant who hit it off with Paget's character right from jump.

I'm in.

[MBJ]

Anyone know what that closing song was?

[frenchtoast]

I saw this article on Slate (though it's from Vulture apparently) this morning and thought of the various comments here about having Grandfathered and Grinder air one after another.

[mansonlamps]

 

I am so glad Josh Peck is back. Bonus, he actually does look like he could be the son of John Stamos but retains the air of being the biggest dork in the world.

 

I don't know Josh Peck from anything else that I can think of, but one of the problems I have is that I don't think he does look like the son of John Stamos [/shallow].  I agree that he's the biggest dork in the world though.  I did think the scene with Stamos and the baby was adorable - you are cuter than other babies, hah!  He's already a grandparent.  And the sweet kiss she gives him and his reaction was too adorable.

[Jillybean]

I'm a John Stamos and Rob Lowe fan...however, while I really enjoyed Grandfathered, I thought The Grinder was pretty awful. I told my husband i'll give it one more episode.

Edited September 30, 2015 by Jillybean

[SonofaBiscuit]

Did anyone else notice that the first time Stamos held the baby (beginning of the episode in his restaurant), it was a different kid than the one who played the baby in the rest of the episode?!  He picked the baby up, and she had long black hair.  It was just that one scene, though.  The rest of the time the same little girl played the granddaughter, I think. Weird.

 

The meat thermometer thing, while disgusting, cracked me up.  "People are meat."  That is not untrue. 

Edited September 30, 2015 by SonofaBiscuit

[NYGirl]

I loved it.  I especially loved the whole cast, especially Jimmy's assistant and the people that worked in the restaurant.  I'm glad they didn't fall back on the usual sitcom tripe.

 

I laughed out loud several times.

[ASpring1900]

Loved how Stamos' character was so offended that the movie character ran a child across a busy road, then he himself did so following the baby's 103 degree fever. Very sweetly done.

[DollEyes]

  Liked it. This show is almost as cute as John Stamos, but not as cute as the baby.  Josh Peck, Paget Brewster and Jimmy's restaurant staff are great as well. However, the one who surprised me was Christina Milian. This is the first thing I've ever liked her in in like, ever.

[miracole]

 

I don't know Josh Peck from anything else that I can think of, but one of the problems I have is that I don't think he does look like the son of John Stamos

Somebody seems to think he's very attractive he's now played the brother of Chris Hemsworth and the son of John Stamos... I like Josh peck though, I used to watch Drake and Josh and he was Ray Ron from The Mindy project.  Interesting show I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.  

[Lady Calypso]

The fact that Jimmy wasn't repulsed by Gerald or his daughter and he fully embraced both makes this show ten times better than a lot of comedies nowadays. See, comedy writers of the 21st century? You can have a funny show that doesn't have new dads running for the hills for comedic effect! The scene with Jimmy babysitting Edie before he gets called in was absolutely adorable. It had some hilarious moments and it had some equally sweet and heartwarming moments. John Stamos still has it, let me just tell you that. Paget Brewster and Josh Peck did well with the material they were given, and I'll have to see more of Christina Millan's character to decide how I feel about her character, but she was good enough too. Jimmy's staff is hilariously awesome. 

 

All in all, pretty strong pilot. I didn't expect it to be anything stellar, so I'm happy with what it gave us (enough set up for the series). I'm not saying this is as good as Enlisted (nothing can be as good as that show....RIP Enlisted for your stupid crappy network giving you the worst timeslot, and therefore the worst chances of surviving) but it's better than The Crazy Ones, a show I also adored a lot...and also better than most comedies I've seen. 

Edited September 30, 2015 by Lady Calypso

[Laurie4H]

I guess I have different taste. I thought this was bad. The whole exchange between his ex and his assistant waiting by the car was cringeworthy and reeked of the writers trying to be clever. It just all seemed to happen to fast. Already involved with the child and the family. No build up.

[iMonrey]

I liked it, and it's paired well with Grinder. The PTV reviewer thought Grinder was stronger but I thought Grandfathered was somewhat better. I laughed more during this one than I did at Grinder. Both play well to the strengths of their leads, which are both similar.

 

However, I think both shows have a similar problem. The premise is better suited to making a cute theatrical comedy feature film than a long-running sitcom on TV. I'm not sure how long they can stretch this premise out. I imagine there will be a push and pull from John Stamos's character, trying to retain some semblance of his customary lifestyle while also adopting to his new "instant" family. But that's a balancing act that can't go on forever. The more he rejects his family, the more unlikable he becomes. On the other hand once he fully embraces his family the premise is sort of over.

[mansonlamps]

However, the one who surprised me was Christina Milian. This is the first thing I've ever liked her in in like, ever.

 

 

Every time I saw this name I was thinking that this was the actress that wound up playing the mother in HIMYM and I was wracking my brain trying to figure out who she played in this show.  Looked it up and, oops, that was Cristin Milioti.  Now I know who you are talking about, but I also know I've never seen her in anything before.  Hard to judge her performance I think since she had so few lines.

 

 

I guess I have different taste. I thought this was bad. The whole exchange between his ex and his assistant waiting by the car was cringeworthy and reeked of the writers trying to be clever.

 

While I liked the show as a whole, I couldn't agree with this more, the whole scene was beyond terribly written and IMO sort of smugly acted.

[barbedwire]

I liked it more than I thought I would.  I agree that it was great that he embraced them right away, or close to it.  I do think that his son looks like a combo of him and the mom.  But really, his name is "Jimmy?"  I guess that represents how he never really grew up.

 

Bob Saget appearing in it - funny.  And the best line was when Jimmy was talking to the staff "Isn't that right Victor?  Isn't that right white Victor?" lol