Gary Unmarried (TV Series) (DVD)
Season 1
APPROX. 424 MINS. - PROD. YEAR: 2008 - MPA RATING: NR
" There's good chemistry here, and that makes for good comedy.
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"Gary Unmarried" is perhaps the most adult show with kids in it since "Married . . . with Children." And that probably suits star Jay Mohr just fine. It's not as outrageous and he's not as foul-mouthed and unlikable as the acerbic character he played in "Action"--the 1999 Hollywood exposé sitcom--but there's still an edge to housepainter Gary Brooks that you usually don't see in family sitcom dads. Although, let me rephrase that. This is a comedy about family, but I wouldn't call it a family comedy. It's rated TV-14, and even that's a stretch, given some of the content. I know our kids won't be watching it any time soon. There's a ton of innuendo and frank topics--more than the average parent wants to sit and watch with their young teens, I suspect.
Mohr plays a recently divorced man who has to see his ex-wife frequently because of shared custody. But things get a little complicated when he decides to start dating and tells her, only to find out that she's been dating their considerably older marriage counselor all along and is now engaged. From there things fall into familiar sitcom patterns, with Gary and ex-wife Allison (Paula Marshall) carrying on the typical love-hate and hate-hate relationship that confuses the lives of the newly divorced. They share custody of their two children, 14-year-old Tom (Ryan Malgarini) and his younger sister Louise (Kathryn Newton, who was an Episode 2 replacement). Jaime King plays Gary's new romantic interest, while veteran Ed Begley Jr. plays Dr. Walter Krandall, Alison's fiancé. Another woman enters into the mix in mid-season, with Brooke D'Orsay (who previously appeared with Mohr in "King's Ransom") playing Sasha. But mostly this is a sitcom about what makes two people who used to love each other now do some rather spiteful things to each other, but in surprisingly funny ways. The plots themselves aren't what make this series worth watching. It's the writing. The dialogue is sharp and often full of laugh-out-loud lines.
In fact, what limits this series is the sense of sameness in the competitions that Gary and Allison wage with each other. Check out the summary of the 20 episodes included in Season 1 and you'll see what I mean:
"Pilot"--Having an ex-wife is much less ex-citing a prospect when Gary learns she's been secretly seeing and is now engaged to their marriage counselor, of all people.
"Gary Gets Boundaries"--When Gary undresses in front of his ex-wife, Alison, she (and soon he) realizes that some new rules have to be set if they're going to have an ongoing amicable relationship while also fostering their own new relationships.
"Gary Marries Off His Ex"--When Gary wises up regarding spousal support he suddenly finds it okay for Dr. Krandall to be marrying his ex.
"Gary Gets His Stuff Back"--It's tit for tat when Gary wants the pool table and the only real bargaining chip he has are some risqué photos of Allison.
"Gary Breaks Up His Ex-wife and Girlfriend"--Gary fears that with Allison and Vanessa becoming too chummy that Vanessa might start to see him in the same unfavorable light as his ex.
"Gary Meets the Gang"--It's a tale of two parties as Allison tries to make a good impression with Dr. Krandall's friends and Gary tries to do the same with Vanessa's.
"Gary and Allison's Restaurant"--Subliminally Gary is a mess, as even when he tries to focus totally on Vanessa he still ends up taking her to Allison's favorite restaurant.
"Gary and Allison Brooks"--Allison cons Gary into going to a party at which their pretentious friends are planning to renew their vows. The catch? He has to pretend that they're still married, because Allison didn't want to lose face by telling this crowd.
"Gary Gives Thanks"--Gary and Allison battle over who'll host Thanksgiving, with Allison luring Gary's father (Max Gail) to her house and Gary retaliating by tempting her dad (Martin Mull) with beer and "guy stuff." All to the befuddlement of Allison's mom (Jane Curtin).
"Gary Goes First"--Another competition episode has Gary and Allison fighting to share "firsts" with their two children.
"Gary Toughens Up Tom"--Gary's parental instincts (and competitive spirit) are re-aroused when Dr. Krandall seems to be bonding with Tom.
"Gary Dates Louise's Teacher"--Always a bad idea, but in this case what makes it worse is that Gary isn't even attracted to her. He's just trying to prove that he doesn't date women based on their looks.
