The Great Indoors - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Your Great Indoors Topic!

[Kromm]

The genericness of the concept, and at least some of the jokes I saw in the First Look video (it's in the media thread if you want to see it), depressed me. But... McHale is a great lead, and Stephen Fry is someone I want on my TV all of the time (albeit, I'm hoping, in something worthy of his comedic skill). 

Crossing my fingers this show can break out of the generic Office Comedy box, and the already super-cliched jokes about Millennials, and find some more enduring qualities. 

[bad things are bad]

I'll watch because McHale, but I don't think it's going to be must see TV

[chocolatine]

Wow, that was lame. I had high hopes because of so many great actors (Stephen Fry!!!) and a subject matter I can relate to, but it was just completely uninspired. 

Quote

In the series premiere, an adventure reporter is sidelined by injury and reassigned to a magazine's digital department, where he leads a group of millennials.

The show that I saw had him reassigned to the digital department because the magazine could no longer afford to send him on "adventures", not because of an injury.

Edited October 28, 2016 by chocolatine

[zxy556575]

Joel was the only character I liked but not enough to overcome my distaste for the others. Sure, they were exaggeratedly stereotypical millennials for laughs, except I didn't.

[Maximum Taco]

It was ok. As with everything I can do without the laugh track.

I like Joel McHale enough to give it the 4 episode test, but if it doesn't get any better this is gonna be one of those one season and done shows.

[Gregg247]

It was okay.  

It's a pilot, so we can never know which characters may become "beloved" by viewers and have their back-stories fleshed out more.  it was a little tough for me to see Joel McHale as "the old grizzled guy" who needs to shepherd these young kids.  To me, he's still "the new young guy who's taking over The Soup".  I hope they don't make it a practice of bringing out adorable animals every week, though.

[ari333]

I liked it, but I'm a pushover. I love Joel and that McLovin kid. (Was that him?) I'm in.. at least for a while.The Asian lawyer lady looked familiar.

[luna1122]

39 minutes ago, ari333 said:

I liked it, but I'm a pushover. I love Joel and that McLovin kid. (Was that him?) I'm in.. at least for a while.The Asian lawyer lady looked familiar.

She's been in a million things, but most recently as a therapist on "Unreal".

I hardly ever judge a pilot by its cover. So many good shows have had shaky pilots. I laughed some, tho not at the adorable baby bear supposedly eating the adorable therapy dog. Not cool. I love Joel, I love McLovin'. I'll keep watching for a bit, anyway.

[ari333]

I'm a sucker for sitcoms, so  hope this show catches on. It seems like there are not many sitcoms left, good ones. 

[ZoqFotPik]

Watched this for McHale and because a friend of my sister works on it and said it was good. Was not impressed. Might give it one more episode.

[reggiejax]

Quote

The Asian lawyer lady looked familiar.

That is Amy Hill, who was just featured in Random Roles on The AV Club.

I had few expectations for this show, and it more than failed to hurdle even that low bar.

McHale is the only reason I even gave it a shot, and he was his usual charismatic and funny self. But the rest of the show is just such a piece of shit. As a card carrying member of Gen X, I am all for Millennial bashing, but this show couldn't even pull that off. And that's shooting fish in a barrel. We'll see how long Joel McHale can keep me watching. I am guessing maybe 2 more episodes tops.

Edited October 28, 2016 by reggiejax

[Merneith]

I'm here for Stephen Fry, although I like McHale, too, but wow. That was bad. Hopefully it's just pilotitis.

[Big Mother]

Maybe the current Survivor Season of Gen X'ers vs. Millenials is leaving me tired of the Battle of the Generations.....

[Kromm]

Even Stephen Fry couldn't save this.

[iMonrey]

I thought it was OK but it probably doesn't have the legs to last more than a season. I actually thought the millennials were the funniest thing about it. I got a few chuckles out of them anyway. But I didn't think it was funny at the end when the revealed the bear ate the dog.

[Brattinella]

Suck-a-rific.  Best part was the baby bear. (except for eating the dog)

[ae2]

Call me a monster, but I thought the bear eating the dog was funny.

This was okay - mostly because the actors made the best of it. I hope that the antagonism between the older and younger characters gets toned down just a little bit. I get it's the premise of the show, but if they can do it in a way where it's a little more subtle, it could be tolerable and allow the charisma of the characters to drive the show.

I also hope that they keep giving us little nods of self awareness. "What a diverse group!"

Although the cliche bartender isn't helping their case much...

[tenativelyyours]

I thought it was okay as well and laughed at the bear cub eating the dog.  Because make believe.

I didn't think the dialogue was scintillating but I did think the delivery and rhythm was much better than most of the other major network comedies that premiered this season: Speechless, American Housewife (not counting a great pilot), Man with a Plan and Kevin Can Wait -- all have that line/pause/wait for laughing reaction that I have come to hate.  This actually had dialogue that is acted as dialogue. 

I'm just not sure how they work this premise as something to carry many more episodes.  I get that the fiance will make an entry and we will have the two leads battle with their past and present attraction.  *yawn* 

I read that initially the premise would be that each episode would be Joel's character coming back from one of his jaunts of a couple of weeks and having to juggle making the new magazine platform work and his personal life of realizing the dreaded office slowly being more appealing than the field.  I think that could have worked since it could have brought a theme to each episode wrapped around wherever and whatever Joel's character had just experienced and the silly juxtaposition and odd parallels with the urban hipster scene.  But that might have been too smart for a CBS comedy.  So tried, tired and true. 

Still it was hardly the worst I have watched premiere this season and yet I'm betting it gets nowhere the love and attention that Speechless (which I find incredibly tired already -- making me no doubt and even worse monster than laughing at the make believe dog getting eaten by the make believe bear cub; I feel like any criticism I have for that show is bit like saying I found Caitlyn Jenner to be a nasty selfish person before during and after her public reveal) or American Housewife that I thought had promise with the pilot and quickly became the same old same old overly determined effort to pretend some sharpness but making sure the episode wraps in cloying dreck.

Which is where I suspect this will also go.  Joel's character delivers a few good mocking lines that border on mean but manage to be nicely snarky but then a warm fuzzy "we're not so different after all" after school special feel that is as tender and special as having a piece of flannel shoved halfway down your throat and followed by a water boarding of maple syrup.

[friendperidot]

there was a make believe dog? I gave the show a second chance with episode 2, I think I'm finished. But I'm a Boomer, so I probably just don't get it. Think I'll stay with M*A*S*H* reruns.

[jumper sage]

This second episode what hilarious.  Ok, I'm old, but I loved it.  Best line:  are you going to Blockbuster and chill?

Love, love, love Stephen Frye.

[ae2]

On 11/1/2016 at 9:47 AM, tenativelyyours said:

followed by a water boarding of maple syrup.

If I'm going to be tortured, gotta say, that might be on the top of my list for preferred torture method.

6 hours ago, friendperidot said:

Think I'll stay with M*A*S*H* reruns.

To be fair, there is very little out there better than reruns of M*A*S*H.

[singsong]

I'm still not sure about this show, but I do enjoy Joel McHale and Stephen Frye, so I'll keep watching.  I did enjoy the running, Paul is a cat, gag though.  

[dinkysquid]

Another disappointment. How could Hollywood take three guys, McHale, LeBlanc and James, who are normally very funny, and give them the stupidest, most poorly written, idiotic, insultingly not funny shows? Are people trying to deliberately sabotage their careers? These shows reek. No wonder more and more people are moving away from network shows because if these three are any example of what they are offering us, then I'd personally rather watch an infomercial. Yep. That's how shitty I think they are.

[ZoqFotPik]

Yeah, I'm done with this show.

[BusyOctober]

dinkysquid, I think the answer to your valid question is "C B S".  Other than "Big Bang Theory", I don't think I've laughed at any CBS sit-com since "Murphy Brown" & "Newhart".  Yes, I am old...like Joel McHale old.

[juliet73]

This episode was better than the first. McHale and McLovin' are the characters really carrying this show. I think if they got rid of the old man boss and his daughter (the other boss), the show would be a bit better. I think the show does have potential,  but I would like to see some storylines where the younger generation doesn't always  "win."  I would like too see an episode revolving around the Millennials getting lost and having to rely on reading a map. Or having to use a phone book, dictionary,  encyclopedia,  etc. Or actually camping in the wilderness for the weekend without technology.  

[iMonrey]

Quote

How could Hollywood take three guys, McHale, LeBlanc and James, who are normally very funny, and give them the stupidest, most poorly written, idiotic, insultingly not funny shows?

I would argue this show is the best of the three you mentioned. It's not a premise I've seen before, at any rate, like the other two shows. Kevin Can Wait and Man with a Plan are almost paint-by-numbers in their unoriginality. I think this one has some actual potential unlike the other two. Ironically it's probably the least likely to succeed based solely on its lead actor. I don't think McHale has the fan base and sitcom cred that LeBlanc and James have.

[roamyn]

I like it.

It's original, if exxagerated.  But as card carrying member of the Baby Boomers Club (albeit at the tail end), it encapsulates alot of how we look at Millenials.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 10/28/2016 at 7:12 AM, Maximum Taco said:

It was ok. As with everything I can do without the laugh track.

I like Joel McHale enough to give it the 4 episode test, but if it doesn't get any better this is gonna be one of those one season and done shows.

Same here on both counts. The laugh track was super annoying. 

I like Joel McHale so I want to give this show a chance but it's way too sitcom-y for me, especially compared to the smart and funny Kristen Bell show The Good Place. I'll keep trying for a few more episodes. If I get to see that adorable baby bear every week, I will watch it forever!

[needschocolate]

Where is the office supposed to be located?

[roamyn]

5 hours ago, needschocolate said:

Where is the office supposed to be located?

Somewhere in Chicago.

I don't know abt anyone else, but I was incredulous when some of those apt prices were shown.  You can't touch an apt in downtown Chicago for less than 2K.  And one facing Lake Michigan?  Goes for no less than $400K.  And that's one b/rm, 1 bth.  And forget abt the view.

Edited November 12, 2016 by roamyn

[tenativelyyours]

Yeah I thought it was weird when they showed those prices and then cut to the guy living in a janitor's closet.  What do they pay him in?  Bus tokens?

I'm thinking this has a cancellation countdown clock running.  If they are going to wear down every single hipster trope combined with trying to convince us how old Joel McHale's character is and how out of touch due to that in part as well as being this outdoor adventurer, it is going to lose whatever steam it had.

I think the show would be better if Joel's character was as savvy and aware of all things digital as pretty much most people his age are, but simply look at it as unnecessary or bothersome or plain silly and find that his resistance it not so much age oriented as values oriented and that there is a compromise to utility and futility. 

[iMonrey]

Good grief that tiny apartment gave me claustrophobia, because I know people actually do live in apartments that small. Ellen Degeneres once did a segment on her show encouraging people to compete for smallest apartment in NYC and the videos they sent were just frightening. Although I don't think the pop-out toilet is a real thing.

[Lobsel Vith]

On November 10, 2016 at 9:43 PM, roamyn said:

I like it.

It's original, if exxagerated.  But as card carrying member of the Baby Boomers Club (albeit at the tail end), it encapsulates alot of how we look at Millenials.

That's pretty sad.

[roamyn]

5 hours ago, Lobsel Vith said:

That's pretty sad.

Not when they can't put the damn phones/tablets down to carry on a conversation, not when they don't know how to spell because everything's phonetic or they go too fast to care to correct it, not when they're the most entitled group (but I mostly blame parents who wanted to be their 'friends' on this one).

Edited November 17, 2016 by roamyn

[AnnaRose]

On 11/17/2016 at 4:27 PM, roamyn said:

Not when they can't put the damn phones/tablets down to carry on a conversation, not when they don't know how to spell because everything's phonetic or they go too fast to care to correct it, not when they're the most entitled group (but I mostly blame parents who wanted to be their 'friends' on this one).

That's so true, and it's really sad.   My mom and I were at Target the other day and made a purchase at guest services.  The purchase was thirteen dollars and some change, and I gave the young woman a twenty dollar bill and the same change.  She actually had to get out her smart phone and open her calculator app to figure out how much change to give me.  My mom and I were both like, "It's seven dollars!"   Yeesh.  And we live in one of the best school districts in the state. 

Anyway... I was peeking at this thread trying to decide if it's worth my time to catch up on any additional episodes.  I only saw the pilot, and wasn't impressed... but I do like Joel.  The reviews still seem pretty mixed with plenty of negatives.  Do you guys think it has any potential to improve?

Edited November 20, 2016 by AnnaRose

[Chaos Theory]

I like this show.  I know it doesn't get too much traction on PTV but it has a 4 on cancelation bear and a  1.73/1.03 which means it has a good chance to get renewed.

i think the show is funny.  I loved the millenials going through Jacks stuff and trying to compare it to stuff they understood.  

"They used to print out google maps?"

Edited November 18, 2016 by Chaos Theory
I need to stop typing on my iPhone

[tenativelyyours]

I have a lot of scorn for my generation.  But a lot of it comes from the younger part of baby boomers as well.  Being self-absorbed is hardly new and having technology aid that is just more pervasive not brand new.   I've seen plenty of gray heads bent over their phone or pressed to the ear as they try to do business with various service people.  I remember as a teen, there was a major phone carrier that touted as a benefit the ability .  to stay on your phone while in a restaurant.  As opposed to interacting with the people you are dining with. 

And I think that is the issue I have with the show.  It is not a "generational" thing really.  It seems more prevalent because it becomes the norm for society as a whole so each generation is born into it as being natural.  And that is something I think the show misses entirely.  Instead if goes for some really lazy tropes.

I get that it is "fiction" and has to tell a concise story.  But for me the flaws in this area just underscore how poor the creativity and writing is in general.  If the writing were better I could overlook the main character always beeing so out of date even though he is not that old that technology would pass him by to that extent.  What's more, he is a world traveler.  I spent my first five years as a working adult traveling for business.  It is one of the areas that if you do it a lot, you really are forced to keep up with cultural technology trends in ways you might not otherwise.   Yeah it might mean you aren't familiar with dating apps etc.  But the sheer oblivious approach they use is not believable for me and not coupled with writing or characterization, let alone plot for me to look past that. 

Since I just added a bunch of new shows to try, I think I'm done with this one.  The set and filming approach seems incredibly stunted and claustrophobic in this day and age and it has a "been there, done that" feel to it and none of the original tropes it derives from were that interesting or fun to begin with. 

[iMonrey]

I thought the pilot was pretty cute but the show has failed to win me over since. It still has potential but the writing isn't quite there. I doubt very much it would be doing well at all if it didn't have the good fortune of being sandwiched between two popular, established sitcoms like Big Bang Theory and Mom. 

[NYGirl]

 I enjoyed last night's show and laughed out loud a couple of times.

I just don't understand how Jack doesn't know a lot of things relevant right now.  Was he living under a rock?  I'm in my 60's and I know a lot about social media, etc.

[Browncoat]

The best part was the over-caffeinated girl.  When she crashed in the coffee shop, I watched her instead of Jack and whats-her-name.  And I watched her in the bar, too.  It might look easy to lie motionless like that until your cue, but it really takes effort.  She did a great job.

Still, I'm kind of watching this show out of laziness.  Or boredom.  It's okay, but nothing special.

[chitowngirl]

It's not Jack's cluelessness about the modern world that bugs, it's the young people's cluelessness about the recent past that is scary. My 21 year old son and daughter are familiar with an atlas! And on a side note-I can usually read a paper map faster than they can get app directions!

[romantic idiot]

19 hours ago, NYGirl said:

 I enjoyed last night's show and laughed out loud a couple of times.

I just don't understand how Jack doesn't know a lot of things relevant right now.  Was he living under a rock?  I'm in my 60's and I know a lot about social media, etc.

They are trying to show that he was doing the equivalent - out adventuring in the remote areas of the world. 

[Big Mother]

Jack's storyline made a lot of sense realistically; the whole millenial thing had me chucklilng. Esp since this is also the storyline on Survivor right now. 

The part with the political correctness... not so much. I know there are people out there who insist on gender neutral pronouns but it's ridiculous. Maria is a she. Them is plural. Come on.

[jumper sage]

Loved this episode.  I am so sick of some millenial's and their mothers too.  The mother showing up at that meeting has actually happened where I work.  I don't paint the whole generation with the same brush but you know they are out there and having kids of their own.

@Big Mother - actually this is the current trend in HR.  We ask for redacted transcripts where the sex, religion, ss #, race and any other identifying identifications are blacked out.  Basically the potential employee is asked, in the job posting, to redact their resume and transcripts for the initial part of the selection.  On your resume you leave the first letter of your first name and the full last name.  I understand this can still lead to bias by the last name......  They print out their documents and take a black marker to redact and then upload them to the job posting.  This is being done in academia, government and many corporations now.  If you get through the process to an interview then we ask them to send an official transcript from their educational institution and to bring in the original copy of their resume.

I can't speak for all of the country, lol, but in the area of the country where I live it has been going on for a few years now.  I like it because it works both ways.  You won't feel bad for not interviewing some group over another group.

[Chaos Theory]

The thing about comedies is they do have a tendency to take things a bit to the extreme to make a point.  Jack is a little too out of touch and the millennials are a little too unaware of the world before technology.   The show does explain at least for Jack being an adventurer who has spent a fair amount of time in remote areas.  The millennials lack on knowledge is played up for jokes a little more but not to the offensive level.  I know alot of millennials who know what an atlas is but wouldn't know how to use one.  

[iMonrey]

I've come to the conclusion that this show does not have a premise that can sustain it. You can only milk so many jokes from the "millennials are dumb" gimmick. Too bad, because I like the cast which is why I keep watching and the writing has potential. The premise is a dead-end though. It doesn't matter what millennials can and cannot do: if they can't do their jobs, they get fired, period. None of the "kids" seem to know what the hell they're doing and they're supposed to be putting out a magazine. Is this magazine only successful because of the click-bait? Then they don't need the Joel McHale character. Do they need the Joel McHale character because he's a popular outdoorsman? Then they don't need the millennials. 

Edited November 28, 2016 by iMonrey

[Big Mother]

Jeff Probst has been milking the millenials vs Gen X premise for 10 long episodes already :D. and he's still going strong! LOL!

[iMonrey]

The show (Survivor) may be going strong but that gimmick wore out its welcome around episode 2. It feels forced and inorganic.