•THE NEW SEASON
Everyday Humor in 'According to Jim'
ABC's new sitcom starring Jim Belushi, set in a hectic household, can't quite get past the ordinary.
TELEVISION REVIEWS
By HOWARD ROSENBERG
TIMES TELEVISION CRITIC
ABC's "According to Jim" is such a conventional comedy that an actor more skilled at humor than Jim Belushi is needed to lift it above the ordinary.
 Belushi is the quintessential big-lug-of-a-sitcom-dad-with-three-kids here, macho exterior, mush interior, coexisting tenuously in a bustling, eclectic household where he's in constant trouble with his smarter wife, Cheryl (Courtney Thorne-Smith).
Jim takes matters into his own hands tonight when one of their daughters has trouble adjusting to kindergarten, and Cheryl is suffering because of it.
"Men are tougher," he assures his skeptical wife.
But is he really tougher? Fat chance.
Jim, a potbellied, body scratching contractor, and Cheryl, a gorgeous stay-at-home mom, have trouble finding time in their schedules for what they really want to do—have sex. Their lust explodes in a coming episode when they creatively squeeze in carnal pleasure between "loads of laundry and baby puke."
When Jim takes off his shirt—which is all too often—you want to run for cover. The guy looks like an unmade bed and is about as sensitive as a rutabaga. So why does Cheryl love this big palooka? Because . . . he's Jim.
"According to Jim" premieres tonight at 8:30 on ABC. The network has rated it TV-PG-DL (may be unsuitable for young children with special advisories for suggestive dialogue and coarse language).
|