If Arrested Development and Curb Your Enthusiasm had a baby it would be Sons & Daughters, which premieres on ABC tonight at 9 with back-to-back episodes (fits great into the post-Idol, pre-Race viewing schedule, right?).
This nutty, complex half-hour comedy blends the sharp improv style of Curb with the dysfunctional family appeal and smart running gags of Arrested. This wasn't a great season for new shows on network television but this first episode would be among the best in any season.
Whether the show stays good after the first episode I can't say, but I'm optimistic. I'm not as optimistic about its chances of survival. This is hardly broad comedy for the masses and the large amount of characters, lack of recognizable stars (lead Fred Goss was also on Bravo's acclaimed but short lived Significant Others, and yes that's Dee Wallace, the mom from E.T., as the matriarch of the extended family, but no one here is a known commodity) and ABC's uneven marketing campaign won't help.
If Arrested Development couldn't make it despite Fox's patience it's hard to imagine this show doing any better on a "bigger" network. But I'm glad ABC is giving it a shot, and given the network's embarrassing line-up of comedies right now (their highest rated comedy of the season was the offbeat, but never good enough, Crumbs, which isn't even on the schedule anymore) maybe something good will come of this odd little experiment.
I hope to enjoy it while it lasts.
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