The characters are mostly realistic, despite the premise of the show. (Yes, the main character is loosely based on a real person; I mean secondary characters.) Some of the acting was quite good at times. (And no, I don't mean the nepotistic casting of Dinardo, the blonde woman who played Lee Scanlon's girlfriend/fiancée/wife. She was wooden, terrible with few moments of growth. Bro cringey performances from her. But she's Glen Gordon Caron's real-life wife. It's the only reason she was cast & nothing can convince me otherwise.)
The family dynamic was believable & heart-warming; it was nice to see such a strong, loving husband/wife relationship. (Plus, Jake Weber was One Hot Daddy. And he made a great Joe Dubois...the ending pissed me off, but at least it wasn't a true "Hollywood happy-ending".) The kids were all fantastic.
The writing was often sloppy. Not the overall plots, but the dialogue, which was abysmal at times. (I'm convinced if viewers were flies on the wall during rehearsals, they'd have seen eyerolls, heavy sighs, & possibly vocal objections & suggestions to the script-writers, from the actors. Esp the seasoned ones.) Sometimes the performances were uneven, but I chalk it up to directors chosen for certain episodes and the awful dialogue.
Also, why the dressing of the main actress (Patricia Arquette, who doesn't receive enough credit as an actress and did what she could with the material. The only exception was when she cried in the show. It was...laughable) swung wildly btwn fabulous & sloppy (this seems to be an overriding theme on the show) is a mystery. Budget? Terrible costumers? The actress wanted comfort in certain filming days? Did appreciate her various haircuts over the span of the series though.
I recently re-watched the series and overall, it was an enjoyable show, but def needed polishing & better writers. For those who are intolerant to imperfection, this show should be avoided.
The family dynamic was believable & heart-warming; it was nice to see such a strong, loving husband/wife relationship. (Plus, Jake Weber was One Hot Daddy. And he made a great Joe Dubois...the ending pissed me off, but at least it wasn't a true "Hollywood happy-ending".) The kids were all fantastic.
The writing was often sloppy. Not the overall plots, but the dialogue, which was abysmal at times. (I'm convinced if viewers were flies on the wall during rehearsals, they'd have seen eyerolls, heavy sighs, & possibly vocal objections & suggestions to the script-writers, from the actors. Esp the seasoned ones.) Sometimes the performances were uneven, but I chalk it up to directors chosen for certain episodes and the awful dialogue.
Also, why the dressing of the main actress (Patricia Arquette, who doesn't receive enough credit as an actress and did what she could with the material. The only exception was when she cried in the show. It was...laughable) swung wildly btwn fabulous & sloppy (this seems to be an overriding theme on the show) is a mystery. Budget? Terrible costumers? The actress wanted comfort in certain filming days? Did appreciate her various haircuts over the span of the series though.
I recently re-watched the series and overall, it was an enjoyable show, but def needed polishing & better writers. For those who are intolerant to imperfection, this show should be avoided.