‘The Cromarties’ arrives
“The Cromarties” (10:30 p.m., USA, TV-14) becomes the latest fish-out-of-water reality series to pass itself off as a comedy. In this case, the slick, floundering object is former NFL Pro Bowler Antonio Cromartie, who’s forced to become Mr. Mom after more than a decade on the football field. He and his wife, Terricka, have six children. Help yourself.
‘YOUNG SHELDON’ RETURNS
Some feared that the proliferation of such family reality series — going back to “The Osbournes” — would force scripted comedies off the air. Yet nearly two decades into the reality television era, “The Big Bang Theory” still ranks as one of TV’s favorites.
Will “The Big Bang” spinoff “Young Sheldon” (8:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG) attract as large an audience? CBS introduced “Sheldon” to a sizable and eager audience in September, only to put it back on the shelf until last week. Fewer viewers greeted its return.
Perhaps the problem with “Sheldon” isn’t intermittent scheduling. The comedy is simply all over the place. On tonight’s episode, Annie Potts (“Designing Women”) guest-stars as Sheldon’s grandmother. She’s a feisty Texan who spoils the kids and teaches Sheldon poker and the value of bluffing. The notion that somebody might be “lying” with facial expressions seems beyond the grasp of this socially awkward young character.
Sheldon (Iain Armitage) is first seen upstaging a minister at church, lecturing him and the congregation. By the end of the episode, Sheldon’s dad has had a mild heart attack and the little lad takes refuge in the hospital chapel.
This kind of hedging is at the core of the series’ problems. It never comes down on one side of very basic questions. Is Sheldon a precocious and problematic skeptic in a town of true believers? Or is he merely “cute”? Is the show a dark, flippant, punchline-driven comedy like other Chuck Lorre sitcoms? Or a heart-tugging nostalgia-fest? Is the tone cool? Or warm? Until “Young Sheldon” figures itself out, viewers are going to be frustrated and confused.