NEW SHOW: Guys with Kids

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

There are a LOT of kids on this show! And, because of the premise, you're going to have to see them quite a bit, even if they do very little. I anticipate that this is going to be a pain in the neck for those on-set, given the limited number of hours that children are allowed to work on television. Of course, it'll only be a problem if the show does well, which many don't expect will happen. I wasn't in love with the first episode, but I also didn't find anything too terribly wrong with it. Three friends live in the same New York apartment building, and between them they have seven children and two wives (not that they share the children and the wives... this is on NBC, not TLC!] No super-famous cast members, aside from maybe the unrecognizable Tempestt Bledsoe as Gary's wife. No impressive careers or hobbies yet. And I can only stand so many arguments about when to potty-train and how to choose a preschool, so unless this show is going to find a unique direction, I'm not sure how it's going to work for me... or for most audiences, really. Thoughts?

Guys with Kids "Pilot" (S01E01): At a sports bar, we're introduced to three guys wearing babies. Nick has two kids (Violet and Freddy), Gary has four (Clark, Yoda, and some not-yet-revealed twins), and Chris has one (Ernie). Chris (a lawyer) is the single one, having recently divorced from obsessive-compulsive Sheila. [we don't know how recently, but his child can still fit in the sink, so it couldn't have been all that long ago!] 

(Photo by: Vivian Zink/NBC)

A girl asks Chris to a basketball game but he's worried about childcare, because it's on a night he has the baby and Sheila won't allow babysitters. [ever? what?? and I might understand strangers, but what about friends? who HAVE THEIR OWN KIDS!?!] Chris asks Sheila to watch Ernie, but she claims she has a date with Kareem Abdul Jabbar. [just HOW did she come up with that??] Chris asks Gary for the name of his babysitter, but they don't have one, so he goes to Nick and his wife (Emily), who suggest an old woman named Carleen. But, the woman cancels so Chris leaves the baby with Nick. Sheila, figuring that Chris went on the date, calls him, threatening to come by his apartment to check that he's there with Erine. [grrr to her.] Chris runs out on Megan and beats Sheila to the apartment, only for her to get upset that the other guys and their kids are there, playing Wii and making a mess. Kareem is actually with her, though, and when he agrees to air-dunk the babies, she gets pissed at him. [yay, it seems that Sheila is the one we're supposed to loathe on this program!]
 
But, that's not the only problem. See, the other guys were able to watch Ernie at Chris's apartment because when Nick volunteered to do so, he forgot that he was supposed to go to a fancy fundraiser with Emily, so she gets mad and goes out with Marny, Gary's wife. [funny wedding video joke.] When she gets home, Nick has decorated the apartment and is wearing a tuxedo for a romantic moment. [I thought that this scene was super cute!]