• SumoMe

So it’s not long after the end of Charlie Sheen’s live tour of…comedy…or whatever you want to call that, and he’s back with his own show. FX decided to capitalize on the whole “winning” thing right out of the box, referencing it within 30 seconds of the start in the series pilot. Needless to say, Anger Management is definitely not “winning” any Emmys, if it will even last past a couple seasons. There is still some novelty to Sheen that will make people want to watch this show, but I highly doubt the writing or acting will keep them on the edge of their seat for the next episode.

In a groundbreakingly original premise, Sheen plays a womanizing professional who is wrong a lot of the time, despite his good intentions. Yawn.

First of all, the show has a laugh track. Unless you’re 1990’s Seinfeld, let’s drop the laugh track. The absolute best comedies out there now, like Louie or Curb Your Enthusiasm, don’t insult the viewer by telling us when and how hard to laugh. It’s annoying, and it makes the show much less funny because the characters pause for the laugh track to end.

Secondly, the acting is atrocious and canned. It plays like they are in a bad improv class, and the jokes are stilted and predictable. Charlie Sheen is a womanizer? So original. He has anger problems? Groundbreaking. It’s like he’s playing a caricature of his more-professional self, and it fails to translate on screen.

Additionally, the premise makes no sense. Sheen plays a divorced therapist who fights his own anger while helping others with anger himself. His “girlfriend” is his therapist, and he has problems with both her and his ex-wife. Ok. Who cares? The show wrapped up with a nice message that is lost on me now, and it’s like the show is trying to teach us a lesson to “be nice, kiddies.” Pass.

Skip this show and save your half hour to do something awesome, like plowing a garden.

Have you seen it? What are your thoughts? Let’s talk sitcoms in the comments below.