Man Up ! (ABC) by Christopher Moynihan

What is it ? :
Supposedly a comedy about what it takes to survive as a modern man. But it is really a comedy aimed at no one in particular about some guys who couldn't act manly if their lives depended on it (which is also the exact same pitch that another pilot at ABC has, accidentally that other pilot is called Man Up).


Good/Bad :
Well, Man Up ! has about three funny jokes and they all include the word vagina or hooker. I doubt any women will manage to stick past the opening where three dudes exchange silly comments over headsets and I doubt further that any one will take any interest in this show. The pilot centers on a father looking for the perfect gift for his son who is turning thirteen. The lead, Will, might be on some level lovable but the whole concept of the show seems very narrow and unsustainable (like, say, Raising Hope). He's like Phil on Modern Family, awkwardly funny; relentlessly trying to act like his wife isn't the actual husband in their relationship. That makes Man Up an early and unnecessary spin-off of Modern Family. Coming back to the humor, it seems a lot of scenes won't translate well on the screen while most of them seem like they can't be aired on a network. All in all, knowing that the show was written by an actor (Christopher Moynihan) is hardly a surprise and unless the show finds itself some supporting character, a lead that shouldn't be a supporting character, some heart, some humor, Man Up smells like a failure.



Will it make it ?
Nope.


Will it work ?
I can't see why it would.


Should it make it ?
ABC needs to move on from the success of Modern Family and explore something new before it returns to being terrible with comedies.