SHOW: Men of a Certain Age
PREMIERES: Monday, December 6 at 10pm on TNT.
THE PREMISE: Three guys who've been buddies since college are approaching the half-century mark, and in addition to dealing with the physical ailments that come with their new age bracket, they also have the emotional and relationship issues of life weighing them down. Joe (Ray Romano) is recently divorced, has a gambling problem, and dreams of playing pro golf. Owen (Andre Braugher) is a stress case who lives in the shadow of his ex-NBA-player father. Terry (Scott Bakula) is a philandering actor living the bachelor's life.
WHY YOU MIGHT LIKE IT: If real-life drama is your thing, Men of a Certain Age will resonate. Think Friday Night Lights if the cameras kept rolling a few decades beyond the last game of senior year. The acting by the three male leads is outstanding (Romano could have been nominated for an Emmy last year, and Braugher was) and fuels three characters that you genuinely root for; the emotional oomph is both heartfelt and hysterical. Bonus points for an outstanding soundtrack of lost '70s gems.
WHY YOU MIGHT HATE IT: It's not a comedy, so don't expect Ray Romano's character to have a wacky brother who visits from time to time. And plots rarely delve into life-and-death situations because this is a "real" character drama, so don't expect hospital shootouts. For these reasons, Men of a Certain Age may seem boring to some people.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: At the end of Season 1, Owen finally stood up to his father and got the opportunity to manage the car dealership. Terry decided that being a lifelong temp and an out-of-work actor wasn't going to pay the bills, and got a job at Owen's dealership (we're guessing it won't last long). And Joe rediscovered his passion for golf and is going out for the Senior Tour. Many manly tears were shed. But you don't really need to know all this; strong writing and fantastic characters make Men of a Certain Age a simple show to jump into.
shoud be good as usual