Back in 2001 I’m sure a lot of people were about to call the FBI to report a vehicle bomb in California. A show built around not John Belushi sounded crazy. Add in a guy that looks like a bad Andy Richter impersonator and the chick from “Melrose Place”; it looks like we have an explosive failure on our hands. Much to the chagrin of people that liked SNL too much, Jim Belushi managed to squeeze out eight seasons of fairly successful television for ABC. In 2009 the show came to a close after finally being dragged down by schedule changes, cast changes and an almost 50 percent drop in ratings from the first season.
“According to Jim” lured in viewers with the very simple sitcom formula that’s been employed for 20 years. It’s paint by the numbers, but there is a reason for that cliché; it works. This show was the most similar to “Home Improvement” with Tim Allen. The husband was a sports obsessed idiot with a heart of gold. He constantly tried to dupe his wife, who seems to actually hate him. They have wise cracking kids and both men like burping. There are some key differences:
1. The wife in “Home Improvement” was not incredibly out of the husband’s league. Jim never could have pulled that girl in real life.
2. Said wife never seems to actually love her husband. Cheryl always seems bothered by her fat idiot husband; whereas Jill seemed to always appreciate her husband.
3. Jim’s character didn’t have near the depth of Tim’s. Somehow, even though less successful ratings wise, it ran for just as long. The difference in quality did see Jim’s show end with a whimper, and Tim’s with a bang.
I’m done with that list, because the comparisons are just to show that this show wasn’t that good. I’m tossing all credibility out the window with a few people in admitting that it had moments of being genuinely funny, but overall it just fell flat. Writing would have to be perfect to get this ensemble to create great television. That never happened. They relied on the gags that we’ve seen from stupid husbands on sitcoms forever. This time though, and my biggest complaint with the show, they were doubled. Not only did we have Jim, we had this man:
"Hi, I'm Larry 'Fat' Campbell"
Yes, his name is Andy, which makes me even sadder he’s not Andy Richter. They peplaced one of Richter’s bad shows with this one. I feel like the fat lump bro is a nod to that. Having constant fat and fart just coming from our protagonist isn’t enough; we have to get them from the brother-in-law. His partner in crime, the idiotic Andy I guess is even dumber and fatter than Jim to make him look better. That’s really all I can guess.
Cheryl has another sibling that does not pal around with Jim, and that’s her sister Dana. This lady really should have stayed with the big bad wolf and stayed away from Chicago. (“10th Kingdom” reference for anyone that cares). I did that instead of the obvious Brad Paisley joke. I did that for you FAN. Anyway, she is there to make her counterpart look nicer as well. You think Cheryl is mean to Jim? Well Dana makes her look like the most loving person in the world. She borderline hates Jim, and even though it’s she’s a horrible person; I love negativity so Dana is my second favorite part of the show.
Seeing as I don’t like Andy, it would make sense that my two favorite characters on the show are the people that make his life terrible. Ruby and Gracie are the children of Jim and Cheryl, and they make constant digs at Andy. The women in this family are terrible, but I appreciate it because the men are actually worse. Gracie’s thoughts on dating: “Trophies are stupid and all the others are nerds. It’s like being with 50 other Uncle Andys.”
That's right girls. Beat the fat idiots.
This show was good for a few laughs. Like I said, they pretty much copied a bunch of funny stuff, so it was bound to work at times. The second season was one of the highest rated. That really is a shame. There was a stretch where Jim made a doll that farted, Jim has to proctor a little girl party (plot repeated in season seven) and the single aunt uses her niece to pick up men. Classic sitcom stuff. In their defense, Gassy Gus would be a smash.
Suffice to say, television has its ups and downs. This show is probably in the low end of the middle. It wasn’t horribly offensive, but honestly if I never saw it again I wouldn’t be bothered. Laughing twice in 20 minutes isn’t a good use of time for me. It’s only fitting that Cheryl (Courtney Thorne-Smith) moved on to “Two and a Half Men”, since that is now the reigning “not good, but I’ll deal” show on television. Really the only reason I watch Jim is because it reminds me of the best work he’s ever done.
Pass this show to syndication Arnie!