American Housewife (Season 5 Premiere Review)

Who's that girl? Daniel DiMaggio, Meg Donnelly and newcomer Giselle Eisenberg stand near Diedrich Bader and Katy Mixon.

AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE began its fifth season on a very odd note. It narrowly survived cancellation though its audience numbers suffered from constant air date changes. 

And then COVID hit, forcing the industry to take a break.  When shooting re-started, health and safety became first in mind. On the set of AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE, everything is wiped down once an hour, cast and crew wear masks. Some actors mentioned on social media that as a result everything takes longer to shoot.

And if that wasn't enough, fan favorite Julia Butters (who played the youngest child, Anna-Kat, the quirky and precocious one), quit the series after basking in the warm glow of her fledgling movie career. Butters shared the screen with Leonardo DiCaprio in ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD and she is now off to pursue a movie career instead. Butters was replaced by Giselle Eisenberg (LIFE IN PIECES).

Throughout television history, sitcoms have gone through cast changes with mixed results. It might take a while (if at all) for the new cast member to find their groove.  Longtime fans may remember that AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE already had a cast change from its pilot episode, when Meg Donnelly successfully replaced Johnny Sequoya as the eldest daughter, Taylor. 

So the fifth season premiered on an episode that was actually written to be the end of season four. Every member of the Otto family is dealing with a crisis. Taylor is ready to graduate from high school but, in a plot line borrowed from THE MIDDLE, a long overdue library book is holding her back. Katie ends up dealing with Principal Ablin (Jerry Lambert) to negotiate Taylor's graduation by arranging his wedding to Maria (Julie Meyer). Greg battles with Lonnie (Matt Shively) on how to finish Lonnie's autobiography. Anna-Kat is at odds with Franklin (Evan O'Toole) over going to summer camp. And Cooper (Logan Pepper) discovers that his family is relocating to Florida.

What worked? The sharp writing and fast paced snaps and comebacks are back. It's a feat to juggle so many cast members. And it's always been that teetering with PG-13 rated innuendo-laced dialogue where AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE shines. Greg to Katie, "I'm going to have to give him that happy ending that he wants." Oliver to Cooper, "I'm happy for you, fiscally." And Cooper to the Otto's, "You drink tap water, which is practically like drinking toilet water."  Yeah, that's the stuff.

What didn't? Sorry, it will take more than a couple episodes to get used to the new Anna Kat. To the showrunner's credit, they didn't cast a Julia Butters lookalike but to their detriment, it will take some time to get used to the blonde stranger with the lower voice  walking around the Otto house. Eisenberg is 13 years old. Butters is 11. It's just one episode, but Eisenberg hasn't found Butter's Anna Kat's tone or enthusiasm. She doesn't necessarily have to - eventually Eisenberg will make the Anna Kat character her own - but it will be these transition episodes that will stick out the most.

Finally, what was also jarring about this premiere episode was that it was written pre-COVID (as part of Season four) but shot just a month ago. To be in AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE's Westport where the school students are not wearing masks or practicing safe distancing was immediately noticeable.  By the time we hit the graduation ceremony, I was looking at the crowd and thinking, wow, those people are sitting way too close together. In a year where no one in America had a normal graduation ceremony, seeing one on TV made the episode look immediately dated.

Chalk it up to a very odd 2020. I would have preferred an AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE Halloween episode, but it's great to have the Otto's back to keep us company during the pandemic. It's like a nice big plate of comfort food - Katie's meatloaf anyone?  And this episode's script serves up a lot of elements for the new season ahead. Spoiler alert - how will Oliver's new roommate deal with such a small house?

Harrison Cheung is the author of the award-winning biography of Christian Bale (BenBella Books) and a contributor to Brave New Hollywood and The TV Ratings Guide.

@harrisonic (Twitter)

Bless This Mess Ordered by ABC

Bless This Mess has been ordered to series by ABC for midseason. The single-camera comedy was created by Liz Meriwether (New Girl, Single Parents) and actress Lake Bell. Bell will also star in the series, alongside Dax Shephard. Bless This Mess follows a newlywed couple that moves from the city to Nebraska to live a simpler life, though that doesn’t work out like they planned.

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ABC Orders The Kids Are Alright to Series

ABC has given a series order to a The Kids Are Alright, the formerly untitled comedy pilot from Tim Doyle.

The Kids Are Alright is a single-camera period comedy. Prior to creating the series, Doyle wrote episodes for other ABC comedies: Speechless, Dr. Ken, and Last Man Standing.

The logline for the series, from Deadline: "Set in the 1970s, an Irish-Catholic family with a working-class dad, traditional mom and eight boisterous sons navigates changes big and small during one of America’s most turbulent decades." ABC Studios produces the series.

What do you think of this news? Are you interested in this show? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

ABC Passes on Comedy Pilots

ABC has decided not to order to series...

Crazy Wonderful is a single-camera comedy created by writer Bobby Bowman, whose credits include developing short-lived ABC comedy Family Tools, and producing My Name is Earl. The cast includes Brooke Elliot, who led the Lifetime series Drop Dead Diva. The logline for the pilot, from Deadline: "Inspired by Bobby Bowman’s childhood growing up with a father with mental illness, it features a dysfunctional family that perseveres despite their differences and finds happiness in unexpected places." ABC Studios produces the project.

How May We Hate You is a single-camera comedy that "revolves around two guest service associates at a high-end resort and the co-workers and guests that they’re stuck with for eight to 16 hours a day" (logline from Deadline). It is based on the book and blog "How May We Hate You?" and stars Kat Dennings, who starred on 2 Broke Girls through its six-season run. The project is created by Brooklyn Nine-Nine writer Justin Noble, and is produced by CBS Studios, in co-production with ABC Studios.

Man of the House is a multi-camera hybrid comedy. How I Met Your Mother's Alyson Hannigan stars in the project, which is produced by Scandal star Kerry Washington. The logline for the pilot, from Deadline: "Two recently divorced sisters decide to move in together to raise their kids under one roof. The oldest kid and only son is left to figure out what manhood means in a world where he’s now completely surrounded by females." ABC Studios produces the project.

The Greatest American Hero is a reboot of the hourlong 1981-1983 ABC series, this time as a half-hour. This incarnation of the series stars New Girl's Hannah Simone, is created by Fresh Off the Boat writer Rachna Fuchbom, and its executive producers include Fresh Off the Boat creator Nahnatchka Khan. The logline for the pilot, from Deadline: "Meera is a 30-year-old woman who loves tequila and karaoke and has spent her life searching and failing to find meaning, much to the chagrin of her traditional Indian-American family. An inexplicable event occurs that will change the course of Meera’s life forever: She is entrusted with a super suit to protect the planet. Meera finally might have found purpose, but the world has never been in more unreliable hands." It is produced by 20th Century FOX, in co-production with ABC Studios.

Most Likely To is a multi-camera comedy starring Yvette Nicole Brown, most recently on ABC's recently-canceled The Mayor. Greg Berlanti, known for producing the CW's DC TV shows, among others, is a producer on the series, created by Diablo Cody, who formerly created Showtime comedy United States of Tara and co-created Amazon comedy One Mississippi. The logline for the pilot, from Deadline: "In high school, Liz Cooney had everything and Markie McQueen had nothing. Twenty years later, they’re reunited under the same roof as single moms and unlikely housemates." The project is produced by Warner Bros.

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ABC Passes on Steps

ABC has decided not to order comedy pilot Steps to series.

Steps is a single-camera comedy, based on a Swedish series whose title translates to "Bonus Family". The project is developed by Kristin Newman, whose past credits include writing on The Real O'Neals, The Neighbors, and That 70s Show.

The logline for the pilot, from Deadline: "Four adults in three houses raise three kids after two divorces — together." ABC Studios produces the project.

What do you think of this news? Leave your thoughts in the comments!