Comedy TV Series: Summer 2012

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In this Hub, I discuss the upcoming Comedy TV Shows that will premiere in the summer of 2012. Information you'll find will concern the plot of the show, the actors that are in it and other shows you might know them from. When available, I have included a preview for them, plus my thoughts on the shows. As always, you'll find a list of Do's and Don'ts at the bottom.

If you're more interested in other genres or comedy series that will premiere in the fall of 2012:

Charlie Sheen makes his TV comeback in ‘Anger Management’, premiering on June 28th at 9/8c on FX, after getting fired from CBS’s ‘Two and a Half Men’ in March 2011. The show is loosely based on the 2003 movie of the same name starring Jack Nicholson. Sheen will co-produce the show with his brother Ramon Estevez. In ‘Anger Management’, Sheen will take on the role Nicholson has in the movie; an unconventional therapist who treats people with anger management issues. Sometimes, though, it seems like he needs the therapy more than his patients do, because his friends and family immensely complicate his life.

As FX is only advertising with Charlie Sheen and not releasing any additional information or trailers concerning the show itself, this is pretty much all I can tell you. Something that does stand out, however, is the name of the lead character, Charlie Goodson. Apparently, Charlie Sheen has damaged his brain so much with alcohol and drugs that he can’t imagine having another first name anymore.

TBS’s new comedy ‘Men at Work’ premieres on May 24th at 10/9c with back-to-back episodes. The show follows Milo (Danny Masterson, ‘That 70’s Show’), a recently dumped guy who tries to re-enter the dating scene. Milo and his three friends and co-workers stand by each other in relationships, their friendship and their jobs at a magazine. Milo’s three friends and co-workers are Gibbs (James Lesure, ‘Las Vegas’), Neal (Adam Busch, ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’) and Tyler (Michael Cassidy, ‘The O.C.’).

In contrast to what the beginning of the trailer tries to convey, to me it seems like ‘Men at Work’ is one of those shows that are a dime a dozen. However, when the humor is there, that doesn’t have to be a problem right away. That’ll give the show some time to make people like the characters so much that they’ll keep watching. This is one of those shows that could go either way.

Co-produced by Vince Vaughn (‘Wedding Crashers’) and co-written by Rob Long (‘Cheers’), ‘Sullivan and Son’ premieres on TBS on July 19th. The first season consists of 10 episodes and, set in Pittsburgh, the show will be “very much a love letter to Pittsburgh people”, according to the president of TBS.

Center of the series will be Steve Sullivan, a corporate attorney in New York City. His parents are Jack (Dan Lauria, ‘Independence Day’) and Ok Cha (Jodi Long, ‘Miss Match’), from Irish and Korean descent, respectively. They own a popular local bar in Pittsburgh, but when Steve visits them, they are preparing to sell the bar and retire. To everyone’s surprise, Steve decides to stay in Pittsburgh and take over his parents’ bar.

TBS has not released a trailer for ‘Sullivan and Son’, and there are also only a couple of pictures available. From that, it is impossible to give an opinion, but I’ll update this page as soon as a trailer comes out.

On June 20th, ABC Family’s newest multi-camera sitcom will premiere at 8:30/7:30c. According to the network, the pilot of ‘Baby Daddy’ their highest testing sitcom pilot ever. The premise of the show is very similar to FOX’s ‘Raising Hope’, as it follows a young man who suddenly has to take care of his baby. His ex-girlfriend leaves the baby at his doorstep and he decides to raise the child with the help of his mother, brother and friends.

Baby Daddy’ stars Jean-Luc Bilodeau (‘Kyle XY’) as Ben, the baby’s father, Melissa Peterman (‘Reba’) as Ben’s mother, and Derek Theler (‘90210’) as his brother. Then, there are the roommate (Tahj Mowry, ‘Smart Guy’) and the girl next door (Chelsea Kane, ‘Dancing With The Stars’), who secretly has a crush on Ben.
From the trailer, the concept of the show seems a bit stale. However if it is funny, who cares? Of course, that is a little hard to judge from only 30 seconds.

Maybe:

• Men at work (TBS, May 24th, 10/9c)
• Anger Managment (FX, June 28th, 9/8c)
• Sullivan and Son (TBS, July 19, 10/9c)
• Baby Daddy (ABC Family, June 20, 8:30/7:30c)