Comedy can be a fickle thing and TV audiences can turn their noses away in a heartbeat. But three new comedies have come to OSN that should be as easy to slip into as your favourite pair of slippers, thanks to the familiar faces who anchor them – John Stamos, the Muppets and Ken Jeong.
Grandfathered
It’s now official – that dapper Adonis, the 52-year-old Stamos, is the world’s sexiest grandpa – at least on the telly. But he’s hardly your old-fogey type of grandpappy. No way, says Stamos, who isn’t about to taint his image as Mister Hot Stuff in the eyes of the ladies who fawn for him.
"When I was a kid … a 50-year-old guy was like, Abe Vigoda, you know, or Welcome Back, Kotter or something," says Stamos. "I was like, well, here's a chance to change things."
And change perceptions he does in his new comedy Grandfathered.
The cool, motorcycle-riding "Uncle Jesse" of the phenomenally successful sitcom Full House (1987-1995) – who returns to the role in the upcoming Fuller House sequel, to debut on Netflix on February 26 – in Grandfathered slips into the quieter shoes of a charismatic Lothario, a longtime bachelor named Jimmy, who spontaneously finds out he's both a father and a grandfather.
It turns out this bachelor and restaurateur learns he has a son, a grown man named Gerald (Josh Peck; formerly of Nickelodeon's Drake and Josh), and that he's also a grandfather to Gerald's baby daughter, Edie (who will be played by a set of twins, as happened with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's character on Full House).
As he adapts to his life's sudden changes, Jimmy will also find himself tempted to reconnect with Gerald's mother Sara, played by Paget Brewster; (Friends, Criminal Minds).
"This is the show I have been waiting for for 10 years [to get back on television]," says Stamos. "I couldn't be more grateful." A consummate bachelor in real life, Stamos says the show reflects aspects of his real life. "Is [Grandfathered] the pilot – or is this an E! True Hollywood Story of my life?"
Stamos also serves as an executive producer on the series from Fox, which recently boosted the season order to a full 22 episodes, thanks to generally positive reviews of the “handsome and charming as ever” actor in the North American media.
Dr Ken
A comedy icon was born the day Ken Jeong jumped out of a car trunk to throw the hissy fit of all time as the outrageous gangster Mr Chow in The Hangover. For an actor, it was a fearless yet foolhardy move – one that would either ignite or nuke a career that had been lingering in the shallows of bit parts and guest spots for years.
A real-life physician, Jeong freely admits he had misgivings about the part, but ultimately took the role to put a smile on the face of his wife, Tran Ho, who had just been given the bad news she had breast cancer (which she survived).
“I remember, at that time, not wanting to do it … I was really angry,” says Jeong. “But it was also just to make my wife laugh.”
Luckily enough, upon the movie's release in 2009, Jeong instantly gained a global following and went on to co-star in two more sequels to complete The Hangover trilogy.
Jeong also expanded his fan base as the unhinged Spanish professor Ben Chang who evolves into a campus dictator and amnesiac in the NBC sitcom, Community (2009-2015), and in movies such as Pain and Gain (2013), Despicable Me 2 (voice; 2013) and in the upcoming Ride Along 2 (due out next year), to name a few.
"The Hangover changed my life from black-and-white to Technicolor," he says. "I'm going to do everything in my power to keep this going."
To this end, the 46-year-old graduate of Duke University and medical school at the University of North Carolina is back behind a stethoscope as Dr Ken, a brilliant physician with an appalling bedside manner.
In the ABC sitcom, Dr Ken's intentions to be a good doctor and dad to his two children have a way of driving everyone crazy, both at work and at home. Lucky for him, his therapist wife Allison (Suzy Nakamura; Modern Family), keeps him on an even keel.
It would appear Jeong, also executive producer, has studied the sitcom greats and spins storylines where Dr Ken has no one but himself to blame for the mess he makes, putting himself on the hot seat much like Lucille Ball did in the classic I Love Lucy of the 1950s. (If you close your eyes, you can almost hear the ghost of Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) saying: "Dr Ken, you got some 'splainin to do.")
As Ball did – and as smart comedians still do – Jeong has surrounded himself with a versatile group of like-minded talent. Along with Nakamura, the cast includes proven comedy pros such as Dave Foley (The Kids in the Hall), Jonathan Slavin (Better Off Ted) and Tisha Campbell-Martin (My Wife and Kids).
While the pilot episode of Dr Ken feels forced and somewhat clunky, do have faith. The sitcom hits a cheeky, laugh-out-loud stride down the line as it finds its comic footing. (Keep in mind one of the greatest comedies of all time, Cheers, ranked 74th in its first season in 1982 and didn't even crack the Top 10 until its fourth season.) Those who stick with Dr Ken will be riotously rewarded. ABC apparently agrees, and recently upped the series order to a full 22 episodes.
The Muppets
It's hard to believe it's been almost 35 years since The Muppet Show (1976-1981) brought vaudeville-inspired "puppet follies" into our living rooms as Kermit the Frog desperately tried to rein in both the performers and his temper as showrunner to a madcap troupe who lifted song-and-dance routines to adorable, fuzzy heights.
Even the brilliant Jim Henson – the American puppeteer, artist, cartoonist, inventor, screenwriter, songwriter, musician, actor, film director and producer who created the diva Miss Piggy and her pals – died a quarter of a century ago.
While his franchise has been kept in full vigour through several successful movies and the educational Sesame Street players for young viewers, there's been little new for adult television viewers to savour from their sofas.
Now, the telly drought has ended thanks to ABC and the executive producers Bill Prady (The Big Bang Theory) and Bob Kushell (Anger Management), who have shepherded the beloved puppets back to primetime with a contemporary, documentary-style show, The Muppets.
"The goal here is to be exactly the same and completely different," says Prady. "We will honour The Muppet Show [legacy] more rigorously than has been done before – but at the same time do something contemporary."
Kermit is back as Miss Piggy’s foil and the showrunner who still suffers daily – after all, it isn’t easy being green – but his new series takes a more adult tack as it explores the Muppets’ lives and relationships, both at home and at work, as well as romances, break-ups, achievements, disappointments, wants and desires.
Set in Los Angeles, and lifting inspiration from mockumentary-style series such as Modern Family, Parks and Recreation and The Office, this parody depicts the puppet crew as they frantically produce a talk show, Up Late with Miss Piggy, and relies on a single-camera style to imply that there's a documentary crew filming everyone.
Celebrity guests will include Elizabeth Banks, Jay Leno, Christina Applegate, Ed Helms, Reese Witherspoon and Liam Hemsworth, along with musical guests such as Imagine Dragons and Josh Groban.
Of course, all of this hoopla won’t mean anything if Fozzie can’t win approval from his girlfriend Becky’s parents – who do not approve of her dating a bear.
“For the first time we will be a little bit behind the mask [of the characters],” says Prady. “We might even get a camera into Piggy’s house in the morning and catch her before she gets her make-up on.”
• All three shows are broadcast on OSN First Comedy; Grandfathered is at 8pm on Sundays, The Muppets is on Saturdays at 7pm and Dr Ken 7.30pm on Saturdays
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