Men Of A Certain Age Season 1 Episode 1

TNT's latest original offering premiered tonight and the effect was pretty dismal. It is unclear what the show is trying to accomplish. Are they trying to be a male Desperate Housewives? Are they trying to be the anti-Desperate Housewives show, in the way that they show the negatives of aging?





I actually got a bit of a Mad Men vibe, with the slow, artistic-like feel to the show. The writers clearly tried to hit home that these men are not super heroes, unlike most shows, which I thought was unique, but ultimately, how long will people tune in to watch 50 year old men groan and moan about back pain?





I might give this show another shot but Ray Romano should just do another sitcom. This isn't the right show for him.

Interesting first episode following the lives of three men living life in their forties. Sometimes funny, sometimes all too real, and it could be a little bit of a downer.





We have Ray Ramano as Joe Theomani as the stereotypical separated man. The father of two who obviously is a little OCD and has a gambling problem which is not that abnormal for people with those tendencies.





Then there is Andre Braugher as Owen Thoreau a little more complex man who is 48 and married with three children including a fairly recent newborn. His father Richard Gant as Owen Sr. is a Chevrolet New Car Dealer and the plan has always to have Owen Jr. take over some day. Owen Jr. is a diabetic who obviously works hard, but his life is more than being a car salesmen and obviously that does not sit well with his father. He is a disappointment and his father is looking to bypass him to have someone else take over.





Finally there is Scott Bakula as Terry Elliott the forty something bachelor actor who is a real ladies man but seems to beginning to recognize his limitations. The big question is where he will take his life from here.





An interesting idea from Ray Romano and company about men who seem to be living life as it is passing them by. Some real problems and some not so real. We'll see how this all shakes out from week to week. Thanks for reading...