papillon

I think Kenan is great on SNL and is one of that show’s top half-dozen cast members ever. So I have high hopes for his new sitcom. Although it wasn’t as funny as I thought it would be (but it is just the pilot episode). For starters, there’s Don Johnson. I really like him as an actor and would like to see his character bring more to the role than just a few comical wisecracks. The two girls who play the daughters are very cute but as characters are a little too precocious and don’t seem to act like children who recently loss their mother. The other supporting actors are engaging but could be even better when their characters are given more depth, which will probably come with time. The writers should also decide on a primary backdrop for the story telling: Kenan’s workplace or Kenan’s personal life. Pick one and build the show around that setting. It’s been done successfully before (e.g. Barney Miller) or it can reflect a more judicious use of both settings (e.g. the brilliant Larry Sanders Show). As I watched the pilot episode I was reminded of another recent comedy sitcom with a vaguely similar plot line - The Unicorn (recent widower trying to navigate his life back to some semblance of normalcy while raising two girls who too are trying to cope with the loss of their mother but are soldiering on with their father and the help of dad’s bumblingly supportive yet humorous friends). I’d like to see the Kenan show reflect some of that kind of writing magic. Overall, Kenan’s show has potential because he’s so talented and immensely likable but it should be reworked a wee bit. I’m still willing to stick with it and give it time to develop and grow. I hope the show becomes wildly successful.