‘Sitcom legend Michael J. Fox makes his triumphant return to series television Thursday night on NBC.”
That’s in quotation marks, because it’s written exactly how Fox doesn’t want to be treated or perceived on “The Michael J. Fox Show,” which really does premiere Thursday night on NBC (and really does mark his “triumphant return” to TV — sorry, Michael J.).
But that’s in real life. In TV land, Fox’s new sitcom alter-ego, Mike Henry, isn’t having any of it. He’s an ex-New York anchor ready for his close-up — again — after having left WNBC/Ch. 4 when his Parkinson’s disease visibly worsened. (This is treated in jokey fashion, with clips of Henry in his Ch. 4 anchor chair sliding sideways out of camera range — because the chair, says Henry, didn’t have “wheel locks.”)
Now, after helping raise his family as a stay-at-home dad, and becoming a naggy nuisance to his wife and three kids, he’s being wooed back to his old job at WNBC. But he won’t tolerate any saccharine sympathy. “I don’t want this to be a pity job . . . in slow motion with lame, uplifting music in the background,” he says of a new Ch. 4 promo trumpeting his return. To his wife, Annie (Betsy Brandt), he’s more blunt: “When they show you in slow motion, you’re either dead or under indictment.”
Fox fires off both zingers, and several more, with the aplomb and confidence of a pro with two long-running hit shows under his belt — plus five prime-time Emmys. Jokes about Fox’s physical condition dominate the episode, from the very first scene — when his teenage daughter, Eve (Juliette Goglia) tells him “You’re moving too much!” — to the final scene, when Mike triumphantly dishes out scrambled eggs without spilling anything. “You cannot have a personal victory right now — we’re starving!” says Annie, tongue firmly in cheek.
But, then again, Fox is playing an (embellished) version of himself, so how could his Parkinson’s not be addressed — especially since it’s so evident? Fox has very publicly talked about his 20-year-plus battle with the disease, and it (obviously) plays a major role in the show. So if Fox and his writers are trying to put viewers at ease — particularly those who might be unaware of his condition (his body is in constant motion and his speech occasionally slurred) — consider it done.
I’d call the show “middle-of-the-road” funny, with a few good laughs. And with rare network confidence — NBC gave the show a full-season order, sight unseen — it will have time to grow. The ingredients are there; they just need more seasoning.
Brandt shows a sharp comedic side that will surprise viewers who know her only as Marie Schrader on “Breaking Bad.” Notable too are Conor Romero, who plays Mike’s college-age son (who “opted out” of Cornell) and the always reliable Wendell Pierce (“The Wire,” “Suits”) as Harris Green, Mike’s boss.
The show and, by extension, NBC, overplays the synergy bit, with cameos from “Today” show hosts Matt Lauer (twice), Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie.
But at least they’re not acting in slow motion — which would make Mike Henry very unhappy.