How Will You Make It On Your Own?
I'm not a fan of sitcom reboots. It's hard to recapture the magic of a show (if it was ever good in the first place). But I'm not necessarily against spinoffs. They usually don't work, but at least they're something new. The main trouble is taking a supporting character and putting her at the center of the show. Before she could be quirky, but to be the lead the producers often have to sand off the edges to have her play off everyone else.
Sue was the one optimistic member of the beaten-down Heck family. Almost every obstacle she faced was met with giggly enthusiasm, and she was grateful for the smallest of rewards. It could have been a tiresome one-note character, but Eden Sher brought her to life.
But can the whole show be about her? Sue is now old enough to leave the nest and live on her own. According to early reports, the new show will have her starting a career in Chicago. I don't know.
Sue was so different from everyone else she stood out. But will this play when she's trying to develop a career. Won't she have to get a little more serious, or at least a little more realistic and grounded?
Then there's the question of the other characters. First, of course, is the question of her boyfriend whom she was planning to marry. Will he be around, or will he be 86ed for the show.
Regardless, she'll have to have some friends. We've seen 20-somethings hanging out in the big city before--it's practically its own genre. But will that mean Sue will lose her small-town charm? And can her style work with cynical city dwellers?
Guess we'll see. For now, I'm glad Eden Sher is getting a chance.
posted by LAGuy @ 9:51 AM
2 Comments:
I'll be looking forward to this spinoff. My concern is The Middle was a quirky family set in a quirky "midwest" city. Can that work in Chicago? Seinfeld worked set in NY, but big city quirky is always sort of scary (soup Nazis and the like). The Hecks were never really threatened in their town. There was Brian Doyle Murray's car dealership, and the mean neighbor down the street who was aterror, but still not a serious danger. Sue didn't get bullied in school (just ignored). It will be interesting to see how they play it - maybe it will be the Chicago of The Bob Newhart Show!
I used to live right behind the building where Bob Newhart worked in that show. When he'd walk to the train in the credits, he'd pass by my apartment building.
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