Patricia Heaton's Third Act

I'm a big fan of Patricia Heaton.  She starred in two long-running and favorite sitcoms of yours truly.  She was the glue that held together "Everybody Loves Raymond."   She was the anchor of the wildly inventive "The Middle."  Both of these programs lasted nine seasons.   To get such steady work in the television sitcom world is unheard of.  Oh, sure, in the middle of that, there was some short-lived sitcom with Kelsey Grammer.  But, overall, Heaton is pure gold.

From all accounts, Heaton is a stand-up professional and also devotes her spare time to some humanitarian causes.  I even liked her Food Network show and I bought her cook book.  She says she wants to die on a sitcom sound stage.  Here's somebody who could live off her residuals for the rest of her life.  But, nope, now her own production company has come up with a new comedy called "Carol's Second Act."  It airs on CBS Thursday nights.

As a Heaton devotee, I had great hopes for this.   I actually put it into my prime time DVR queue before I even saw a single episode.   Given I've only got abut five prime time shows in that queue this season, that is certainly lofty praise.

It premiered after lots of promotion and billboards around town.  Patricia is 
plugging it like crazy on her social media.

And then I watched the premiere of "Carol's Second Act."   Never wanting to judge by a pilot, I hung in there for Episodes Two through Four.

And now I am ready to remove "Carol's Second Act" from my DVR line-up.   

What possibly could have gone wrong?   Well, lots.   

Don't get me wrong.  The premise is compelling and a spin on Doogie Howser.  Carol is a recent divorcee who becomes a doctor late in life.   Now she works on a team of hospital interns with kids maybe 20 to 25 years younger.   Lots of possibilities.

Except the writing is atrocious.  They are mixing tones of silliness and seriousness and can't manage either successfully.   At times, Carol is an incredibly compassionate medical professional who sometimes tries too hard to impress.   And, at times, she is this wide-eyed and annoying geek that you want to push off a cliff.

It would help if the supporting cast could act.   They can't.  The African woman playing Carol's boss can't figure out where the joke is in her dialogue.  The rest of the young interns are singularly awful.   Carol also has a grown daughter who makes a cameo appearance in each episode.   Why bother?

The only character with any hope is that of an older physician played by the always welcome Kyle MacLachlan.  The only problem is that they have relegated him to the weekly C plot.  Is there a possible hook-up between him and Carol?  Well, that would be really something to watch.   I don't promise that the writers will figure that out in time.

So, if Patricia Heaton does another three sitcoms, I will be happy to consider all of them.   She just may have the time.  It is unlikely that "Carol's Second Act" will last nine seasons like her other shows did.

Dinner last night:  Roast chicken dinner.