Sometimes the best things come in smaller forms. Fox’s Outmatched is one such example.
Outmatched, Season One (2020) TV Review
News every parent would normally love to hear is not what middle-class parents Mike and Kay (Jason Biggs, Maggie Lawson) consider “good news.” They’ve just learned their third child is a literal genius complete with an impressive IQ. Trouble is, not only is their ten-year-old Marc (Jack Stanton) their third by birth, he’s now the third of their four children to be a walking Wikipedia. They know this routine all too well.
Nicole (Ashley Boettcher) and Brian (Connor Kalopsis) also boast off the charts smarts while their little sister, Lelia (Oakley Bull) is happiest playing ponies in a make-believe world. Meanwhile Kay and Mike just try to survive in this world dominated by intellect, while also trying to give their kids some normalcy.
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Half-hour comedies were never my thing, but recently I’ve picked up a few and this one is yet another fun option. The premise is cute and builds on the usual “outnumbered” by children trope by giving these parents genius kids. It’s, from my experience, a new concept and makes the TV watching all the more fun.
As each episode goes by, I think this is one I find funnier with each passing episode. Sure some of the jokes fall flat, but in the end, it’s a pretty solid comedy. It helps to have actors who do the genre so well. Maggie Lawson had a role in the long-standing comedy Psych (and has also appeared in Hallmark movies), and Jason Biggs is known for his work as a comedic actor. The newcomers who play the kids also impress.
The scripts deal in some commonplace parent-child issues and teenage rites of passage or drama, like dating, as well. But they also look at some hot topic issues in schools, but manage to do so with some sense of levity. It’s this that endears this television sitcom as something to enjoy. It’s zany in places, but overall, something that makes you happy. I don’t think there was a single episode that didn’t leave me smiling. While I do think the “twist” will lessen the “cute” value of a possible second season, if it comes back, I will still watch because, yeah, it’s just cute and fun, and after a busy day, that’s all I need.
‘Outmatched,’ Season One TV Review: A Sitcom to Make You Happy. A review of Outmatched, season one with Maggie Lawson. #TVShows #WhattoWatch #MaggieLawson Click To Tweet
Content: Plenty of sexual innuendo, but non-graphic; social drinking; themes of bullying; and maybe some minor profanity. Everything varies by episode, but the rating is TV-14.
Photos: Fox
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