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 Carpoolers

(October 2nd, 2007. - Editor)          Fred Goss (Sons & Daughters), Faith Ford (Hope & Faith), Jerry O’Connell (Crossing Jordan), Jerry Minor (Arrested Development), Allison Munn (That ‘70s Show), Tim Peper (The Guiding Light) and T.J. Miller star in the half hour situation comedy Carpoolers, airing Tuesdays on ABC.

          Less about saving the environment than male bonding, four guys from very different backgrounds relish their daily commute as they commiserate about their lives, jobs and families in the carpool lane. There’s Laird, the recently divorced playboy; Aubrey, the timid homemaker and breadwinner; the conservative and traditional Gracen; and eager newlywed Dougie. Together, between the pressures of home and work, these men find time to be themselves while driving to and from the office.

          The premise of this series takes about a minute to fully understand. After that,  we are left with four guys who are trying to form a friendship in the modern world. Despite the stereotype characters offered by Writer and Executive Producer Bruce McCulloch (Saturday Night Live), the cast rallies to create some on screen chemistry that keeps this effort from becoming as dull as the drive to work every day. There are a few moments of real comedy in the pilot episode and likewise some hope that future episodes will be funnier, as the writers and the cast come together to create scripts that compliment the particular talents of the actors.

          The most under-used member of the cast has to be Faith Ford. After strong roles in Murphy Brown and Hope & Faith, I am annoyed to see her character reduced to handing her husband a cup of coffee as he runs out the door in the morning. There is some suggestion in the pilot that her role might get bigger, but so far, her talents have gone to waste.

          In a year with very few new comedies on the small screen, this almost funny enough pilot looks better than it would if it were a year filled with other new sitcoms. The couple of laughs offered by this pilot are enough to make me hope for the future. This writer and this cast are not quite hitting the target yet, but if they are given a couple more weeks to try this effort might bloom into a great character comedy.

-- Editor --

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