THE MILLERS

*1/2 (out of ****)

Since the show was announced and screened, The Millers has become known as the Show Where Margo Martindale Farts. In the world of television, where shows are barely given a full chance, much less anything more than that, this could have been the kiss of death. Instead, The Millers has been seen as an underdog, trying to rise above its farty reputation. The fact that it also stars Will Arnett and JB Smoove, and is created by Greg Garcia (My Name is Earl, Raising Hope) makes it even easier to root for. Something dawned on me while watching the revamped pilot, however. This is never going to be good. It’s not because it’s on CBS, where comedy goes to fucking die. It’s not because all of these talented people are going to try really hard to make this a better, funnier show. It’s because everyone involved has given up, and we get to watch it happen live.

It’s not my job to give predictions. It’s my job to write about whether or not something is good. It’s not. It sucks. Back to predictions.

Let’s look at the cast of Parks and Recreation. Amy Poehler chose Parks and Rec to be her first major post-SNL project. She had steadily risen from underground sketch actor to an SNL lead, and this was the next logical step. Rashida Jones had been a regular on The Office, and by parlaying that into another co-starring role on a similarly formatted sitcom, she didn’t overplay her hand, but took an appropriate leap. Aziz Ansari had had a few memorable film roles before the show started, but the Parks offered him a forum to develop his schtick and play off all of the strange characters in Pawnee. It’s weird to admit now, but the rest of the cast were unknowns, organically developing personas instead of forcing their pre-fabricated personalities to gel. Rob Lowe, who came on later, had failed on TV before, but by the time he came on the show was already a well-oiled machine. No one in the cast had ever known true television defeat before. They fought and they fought to make the show better, and it has gone from pretty bad to one of the greatest shows of all time. If it had been canceled halfway through the second season, we would have seen the actors become jaded in future projects, often looking for the commercial success over the rewarding work. Because of the way it played out, Parks and Rec will always be a success, and most of these people will bring that experience, and our trust, into their future endeavors.

After The Millers, however, will there be any trust left? Will Arnett created one of TV’s most memorable characters in GOB Bluth, on a show that was perpetually on the verge of cancellation. From there he went to star in a couple of terrible movies, and then back to TV with Up All Night, a show that was retooled to death. JB Smoove had a career-defining performance in Curb Your Enthusiasm define his career a little too much, until it wasn’t much of a career at all. Show creator Greg Garcia created quirky minor-successes Raising Hope and My Name is Earl, but had his greatest success with the shitcom Yes, Dear (also for CBS). And then there’s the great Margo Martindale. She has been the best part of five or six basic cable shows, but suffered from Always-The-Guest-Star, Never-The-Star Syndrome. Now she’s the star. They are all stars on a big budget sitcom. They have job security. Remember when you wanted to be an actor, but gave up your dreams for whatever shitty job you have now? It’s the same thing thing for them. They’re just still actors. Maybe a better example is the “Mr. Smith”-like politician who busts into Washington ready to change the country, but is eventually beaten down by the way of the world. Goodbye, Will. Goodbye, Margo. Goodbye, JB. I hope to see you again someday.

-Ryan Haley