If you want to make a comeback, make sure you pick a good project.
Unfortunately, for 3 TV stars this season, they didn’t pick good projects.
These three stars were on shows that are iconic and still binge-watched today. I don’t think we’ll be saying the same things about their new shows.
Jenna Fischer (“The Office“) stars on ABC‘s “Splitting Up Together,” Zach Braff (“Scrubs“) stars on ABC’s “Alex, Inc.” and Josh Radnor (“How I Met Your Mother“) stars on NBC‘s “Rise.”
It’s partly how the new shows are set up. Fischer’s character trades fourth-wall-breaking narration for text messaging shown onscreen, so she had at least has a small upgrade. But Braff’s character still narrates the show in the exact manner he did on “Scrubs,” and Radnor’s character is fighting for something sometimes only he truly believes in.
As I watched these shows, all I could think was “Are we just watching these actors as if their characters grew up 10 years?”
The new shows’ characters are all older, with young kids and significant others and couples friends. And the focus is centered more on families and school than bars and workplaces.
None of these shows allow these fine actors to shine in the way they could; they’re incredibly predictable. I called every plot point in the pilot of “Splitting Up Together,” which is just a divorce rom-com on TV. Same with Alex, Inc.; it felt like “Scrubs,” with a family for a medical staff and news podcasting instead of a hospital setting. But it had a similar comedic vibe.
And then there was “Rise,” which is just “Glee” without the comedic breaks and a touch of “Friday Night Lights” small-town family drama.
I wouldn’t be surprised if these shows are on air solely because of the actors. The only commercials that didn’t prominently mention the actor’s names for these shows were for “Rise,” which is more of an ensemble show (and also features other known actors such as Auliʻi Cravalho from “Moana” and Rosie Perez).
While I was excited to see these stars return to television, and I’m sure some people will still watch these shows because of the stars, I’m just not that interested because I’ve seen better shows from these same actors.
It’s partly the curse of being a star on a popular show, of course, but I’d suggest bingeing the old shows before watching these new ones.