'Mike & Molly' Premiere Episode

Mike & Molly admirably showcases an underrepresented TV demographic (the overweight), but it does so with little but well-worn sitcom clichés and one-note jokes about the very trait that sets its characters apart.

Producer Chuck Lorre is pretty much the king of the CBS sitcom line-up (having co-created both Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory), so it’s admirable of him to use his clout to push a sitcom about an overweight couple who meet at Overeaters Anonymous, offering lead roles to actors who look more like average TV viewers than the vast majority of sitcom stars do. It’s unfortunate, then, that Lorre and creator and fellow executive producer Mark Roberts seem to have ended their creativity at that point, and have instead filled Mike & Molly with endless fat jokes and no more originality than any of the other cardboard sitcoms that have come and gone on CBS in the last several years. Just as The Big Bang Theory adds a surface covering of scientific jargon to its otherwise wholly boring, conventional sitcom template, so too does Mike & Molly with references to weight problems.

Stars Billy Gardell (as Mike) and Melissa McCarthy (as Molly) are generally likable, and have done good work on shows in which their weight was not their defining trait. Gardell had an entertaining recurring role on My Name Is Earl as twin-brother cops, and McCarthy did warm, understated work as a supporting player on Gilmore Girls and Samantha Who? So there’s hope that their talents could shine through the hacky writing and bring some heart to the show over time. Swoosie Kurtz and Katy Mixon as Molly’s mom and sister are also fairly charming, and have done entertaining work on other shows in the past. Eventually Lorre, Roberts and the rest of the writing staff are going to run out of fat jokes (one hopes), and the cast will be what they have to fall back on.

At this point, though, Gardell and McCarthy also have very little chemistry, which is sort of crucial on a show about a burgeoning romantic relationship. That’s also something that can develop over time, and one thing Lorre does have an eye for is casting. Clearly there are fairly low standards for success in the CBS sitcom lineup, and at this point Mike & Molly just barely meets them. For people looking for anything more than that, it isn’t enough.

Disclosure: A review screener was provided by the network. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.