Stars: 3 out of 5
Pros: Some funny episodes
Cons: Just as many
average episodes
The Bottom Line:
Laughs aren't plentiful
Sitcom is still amusing
But could be better
"You Lie. You Bribe. Is There Anything You Won't Do?" "Windows."
I've been a fan of Melissa Joan Hart since back in her
Clarissa Explains It All days, so when I found out she was going to star in a
new sitcom on ABC Family, I immediately made plans to watch it. And I stuck with Melissa & Joey for its
first half a season, although the results have not been quite as good as I'd
hoped they would be.
Mel Burke (Melissa Joan Hart) is a local Politian in Toledo , Ohio
Trying to balance all of this is overwhelming her until Joe
Longo (Joseph Lawrence) walks into their lives.
Joe worked for Mel's brother-in-law and lost all his money to the
man. Desperate for a job, he agrees to
stay on as the manny (male nanny). Since
neither of them have an experience raising kids, will they be able to get
through this together? And what of the
sparks neither one wants to admit are there between them.
Okay, so the premise is a rip off of other sitcoms. I'd never seen the older classics with
similar set ups, so I was able to judge this one on its own merits. Unfortunately, those merits are a mixed bag.
A few of the episodes are pretty funny. I liked the Halloween themed episode, and
there's a fun one where Mark Ballas from Dancing with the Stars shows up to
teach Mel to dance. (He was her partner
when she was on the show.) However, many
of the episodes are fairly standard sitcom plots with the predictable
jokes. Heck, I wasn't surprised to learn
that Joe is an excellent cook while Mel can't even make cold cereal correctly.
Meanwhile, we've got the case of the assistants. For the first half of these episodes,
Elizabeth Ho played Mel's assistant Rhonda.
She was funny and a great addition to the cast. With no explanation, they replaced her with
Lucy DeVito's Stephanie. The problem is
that Stephanie is an annoying character with hardly any personality. I certainly don't blame Lucy who does her
best with the flat "Yes Man" character she has.
The rest of the cast is quite good, and on the episodes
where they are given some great material, they really knock it out of the park. Melissa Joan Hart can be a bit over the top
at times, but she has always had that tendency.
They've also go fun guest stars like Christopher Rich and Julia Duffy.
Finally, there's the sex.
I must admit I was shocked at just how much of the show is based on
sexual humor and double meanings. I
guess I was expecting a little less of that since the show is on ABC
Family. This is definitely a more adult
oriented show, but it is obviously aiming for a slightly younger market. Even so, I usually find some decent laughs in
every episode.
ABC Family aired twelve episodes in later summer and fall
last year, and those are the ones that are collected in this two disc set. Coincidentally, it's released just in time to
remind us about the show before the second half of season one starts. Extras include a gag reel and the cast
talking about real life family dynamics and issues.
When the show comes back, I'll be tuning in because I get
some laughs from it, but I doubt it will become a classic sitcom. Melissa & Joey is fun, but it could be
funnier.
Season 1-1 Episodes:
1. Pilot
2. Moving On
3. Nanny Love
4. Boys Toys ‘R' Us
5. The Perfect Storm
6. Spies & Lies
7. Up Close & personal
8. Dancing with the Stars of Toledo
9. Seoul
Man
10. In Lennox We Trust
11. A Fright in the Attic
12. Joe Knows
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