An Icon Returns To TV : The Michael J. Fox Show Pilot Review

I’ve been looking forward to the Michael J. Fox show since it was first announced. I’ve been a fan of Fox’s since I was a kid, and the idea of having him back on TV on a weekly basis is something to be excited for.  While he has had a fairly successful film career, his turns on Family Ties and Spin City prove that television is where he belongs.

For some reason or another, people root for Michael.  Whether it’s because he seems to be a very nice, classy, guy who has been dealt a bad hand, or if it’s because many people have fond memories of him on television and the movies, the general public wants to see him succeed.  After watching the first two episodes of the Michael J. Fox show, I’m not sure that this project will be the one to return him to TV prominence.

Without going into plot details, Fox stars as Mike Henry, a former newscaster who’s had to quit his job because of Parkinson’s.  Mike was a well-loved and very popular personality and his boss Harris, has been on his case to return.  The parallels between the show and real life are no stretch here, with Fox having to quit his previous show Spin City, because of his symptoms.  

Since he hasn’t been working in the last several months, Mike has channelled all of his energy into his family, which has begun to drive them all crazy.  His wife Annie (played by Breaking Bad’s Betsy Brandt) comes off the best with a sweet and nurturing side balanced with the ability to match Fox’s incredible comedic timing.

For me, it’s the rest of his family that brings the show down, at least so far.  Any scene that didn’t involve Mike immediately struggled to keep my interest, especially the scenes in which “Crazy” Aunt Leigh took center stage.  I couldn’t care less about anything happening in her life and why the episode took several minutes out of a pretty funny Mike-Annie-new neighbor subplot to show her taking the Henry’s youngest son to the park so she could pretend to be a single mom, I have no idea.

Maybe part of my issue stems from the fact that Fox has never starred in a family comedy before.  Sure, Family Ties could be seen as one, but I don’t think anyone would argue that the best parts of that show centered around Alex Keaton.  The same case can be made here.  The chemistry between all five main family members is pretty good but Leigh acts as if she’s on a different show.  The less seen of her in future episodes the better.

With that said, the chemistry between Fox and his boss Harris is one of the series’ strengths.  They have a very natural rapport that makes it seem as if they have in fact worked together for years.  It’s easy to see why Mike, while missing his job very much, would also be drawn back into the fold if only to spend more time with Harris.  

While I have to give the show credit for tackling the elephant in the room early, I have to say that I felt the many references to Parkinson’s in the pilot were a little too easy and were clearly written to tell the audience “it’s OK, you can laugh at this.”  I understand the need to do so, but I was happy to see that the second episode took the show into much broader comedic territory and focused less on the disease. While Mike does have Parkinson’s and it will, and should, be a part of the series going forward, I’d like to see it being touched on more organically and not used to sell obvious jokes.

Fox has gone out of his way to be very selective with the projects he’s taken since his run on Spin City came to an end.  Anyone who caught his guest apperance on Curb Your Enthusiasm a few years ago was well aware that Parkinson’s has done nothing to damper his sense of humor; The Michael J. Fox Show drives that point home.  At times, I felt as if I was watching Alex Keaton again, just all grown up, with a family of his own. 

While the show isn’t a home run, I can say how great and comfortable it is to see Fox back doing what he does best and what he so clearly loves.  To anyone who grew up with him, or has grown to respect him as an advocate for Parkinson’s, The Michael J Fox Show is must-see TV.  I look forward to seeing where the show goes and what kind of awkward situations Mike gets himself into in the coming episodes.  

 Until next week, “Stay informed, New York”