TV Watch: My Boys

We caught this show on TBS after "Funniest TV Commercials" (AKA "What Kevin Nealon does for money these days"). It's about a pretty tomboy living in Chicago who deals with the interplay of relationships between her male friends and relatives. In this particular episode, Laura Metcalf was playing a vivacious older woman (the tomboy's aunt) and Neil Flynn (Janitor from Scrubs) as a washed up Cubs pitcher.

The show supposedly takes place in Chicago. The way you know it takes place in Chicago is that they mention some Chicago reference about every other scene, everyone seems to work for some major Chicago institution and the tomboy's apartment is decked out in Chicago gear.

In other words, not only do I suspect the show is shot in L.A. but the show plays out like a Californian's fantasy version of life in Chicago. Realistically, Chicago is so large you almost never run into anybody who works for the Trib or whatnot. I once dated a girl who did costume work for the Goodman and I know someone who works for Oprah. It's a big city and these kinds of institutions are really the periphery of daily life in ChiTown ... not the main stage.

Largely, my friends do not sit around dropping references to buildings and streets unless we're giving directions to people. The tomboy seems to do it every time she goes into a new room. The show doesn't really seem to make any use of Chicago's landscape - which would be a far more compelling way of setting up the backdrop.

Other shows like E.R. do this quite well. Heck, I almost ran into Noah Wylie going to lunch one day.

Also, the show apparently has an ad deal with Match.com ... and it's not a graceful one. I thought perhaps last night was a side glance at the dating service but apparently the website is one of the ongoing themes. Perhaps if the dialogue was better (partially if it didn't waste half its time proving it takes place in Chicago) this would be acceptable ... but in light of everything else it's just annoying.

My Boys has some potential but right now the show is simply struggling for air.





tagged: television