The first episode of the sitcom ABC Domestic economy it’s barely an expansion of its two and a half minutes trailer, which focuses on the bond between the three Hayworth brothers despite belonging to a different financial stratum. Co-created by Michael Colton and John Aboud, the show clearly attempts to build on the network’s established family comedy brand. The basic premise settles in quickly (in a voiceover, no more and no less): Tom is a struggling middle class author, Sarah is broken after losing her job as a student counselor at risk and Connor is a dirty, rich finance man who just bought Matt DamonThe extravagant house. Domestic economy it focuses on how they overcome this disparity of wealth and stay close. The sitcom doesn’t offer much depth or nuance beyond its familiar ethos about money, at least not at first, but rather tries to shed light on a well-chosen cast and its chemistry.
Topher Grace, who is also an executive producer, returns to the small screen as Tom Hayworth, also the narrator of the series. Tom secretly uses his family adventures as the basis for a new book after the previous one — which was a prison baseball team in 1906 and had no wives — he sold five copies. The cast, which also includes Caitlin McGee, Jimmy Tatro, Karla Souza and Sasheer Zamata, is strong. There is a casual atmosphere in all their interactions, but the writing and narration give them a rudimentary characterization. Exciting humor tries to fill the void left Modern family, which ended in 2020 after 11 seasons, but still does not offer anything new to the genre.
The episode begins when Connor returns to San Francisco from Seattle and invites his family to his newly acquired luxury mansion. Both Tom and Sarah figure out how to apply for a loan from their small, wealthy brother, getting their partners ’encouragement to do so. After exploring the many rooms in his new home, they all fight when Connor reveals that he is taking his parents to Turks and Caicos for Thanksgiving instead of doing his usual big business. This reveals all her personal problems, as Tom and Sarah reveal that they need financial help and Connor admits that he is divorced and retired so he can be back with loved ones. The brothers put on make-up and then revel in the fact that they all suffer from various problems together, not just for themselves, and the whole family runs down the road with Connor’s mini-cars in a perfectly tied ending.
Yes Domestic economy it is successful, it is because of the remarkable cast. McGee and Grace do a good job, but it’s Tatro who stands out, following his credible performance as a high school student in 2017 American Vandal with the markedly different role of a wealthy single father. The show aims at a more contemporary view of combined families as seen on ABC, from The Brady group, Complete house, i My wife and children to more recent comedies like Recent off the boat, The middle, i Modern family. That he has a strange couple in Sarah (McGee) and Denise (Zamata), and he seems to want to see how income inequality poses real difficulties for them, as well as for Tom and his wife Marina (Souza). They even get upset at a strange moment when Tom, recording notes for his book, talks about this inequality just as he bumps into Connor’s housekeeper, Lupe (Lidia Porto), who listens and gives him a questionable look. It’s a comedy series on ABC, so the scene is overlooked and laughed at as the episode just lasts 20 minutes.
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In its pilot, Domestic economy it focuses more on introducing interpersonal dynamics (such as the siblings ’favorite song is“ MMMBop ”or how Denise and Sarah call themselves Lulu with love) rather than examining the seriousness of their monetary problems. While the episode conveys what the central premise is, it also primarily uses POC characters to prop up its white partners; they have no other personality traits, which is especially hard, as Zamata and Souza are fantastic artists. The members of the main trio are placed in definitive molds: Tom is a follower of rules, Sarah is a vegan feminist and Connor is the carefree guy. These opposite types make fun exchanges, but they could also restrict the growth and representation of characters as the show continues. The first episode ends when everyone asks Tom what his next novel is about; he doesn’t tell them, but he explains in a voice-over that essentially deals with the degree of closeness he feels with his family. We have a sense of this closeness, however, while there is strength in the chemistry and specificity of some jokes, the idea is still a little too generic to generate much expectation.
Lost observations
- The show tries to build a very specific image of Matt Damon in our heads by stating that his house could include a Japanese bathtub, an interior patio and enough closets for Connor to turn into a home for his daughter’s pajamas.
- On that same note, we agree with Sarah when she says the actor hasn’t made a good film since 2011 We bought a zoo? The Martian and his cameo Thor: Ragnarok I would like a word.
- To describe Tom and Connor, Denise says, “I know your brothers are scorpions, but they’re good people too.” As a scorpion, yes, this observation sounds great.
- Marina de Souza is a former lawyer who casually jokes about the fact that Connor killed his wife. It’s a subtle callback to his previous role on ABC How to get away from murder, who also had Jack Falahee as a classmate of Connor Walsh Law School.
- We will be reviewing the Hayworth brothers all the time Domestic economy first season, so stay tuned.