Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! This week, I’m spotlighting a notable short-lived sitcom that aired during the 2012-2013 season and definitely exists in a Modern Family world!
THE NEW NORMAL (September 2012 – April 2013, NBC)
Premise: A gay couple decides to start a family with the help of a surrogate hoping to change her life.
Cast: Justin Bartha, Andrew Rannells, Georgia King, Bebe Wood, NeNe Leakes, Jayson Blair, Ellen Barkin
Writers: Ryan Murphy & Ali Adler, Adam Barr, Mark Kunerth, Mike Scully, Aaron Lee, Moshe Kasher, Erin Foster, Robert Suduth, Karey Dornetto
Thoughts: Three years after the premiere of Modern Family, NBC offered its own spin on the hit sitcom — or rather, Ryan Murphy’s spin. The result was a semi-autobiographical comedy focused on the most distinguishing aspect of Modern Family’s situation — the gay couple — and followed that pair’s efforts to start their own little suburban family. Similarly, The New Normal also sought to take this “non-traditional” household dynamic and make it comfortable for viewers by framing it within the context of a familiar type of show — the family sitcom. However, true to co-creator Ryan Murphy and his flashier, more flamboyant style (of Nip/Tuck, Glee, and American Horror Story), his version would be more narratively high concept. That is, this show wanted to be more explicit on a weekly basis about its premised particulars — the fact that this was a gay couple starting their family in a way that, in this case, also wasn’t “traditional.”
Indeed, unlike Modern Family, which tried to minimize conflict about its unique family setups after a season or so, The New Normal makes that its entire dramatic engine for episodic plot. But, sadly, I’m afraid this premise is let down by character work that simply can’t sustain it. In particular, this central couple is dull. Although one guy is defined as more steady and the other is more jittery — the latter being a TV producer who’s clearly a proxy for Murphy — they’re both fairly even-keeled and, well, normal. Meaning, they lack the incongruities, or heightened comic traits, that would individualize them as laugh-getters in earned comic ideas. Similarly, the surrogate, whose initial naiveté based on narrow life experiences seems like a fruitful contrast to the rest of this urbane world, never blossoms into a comedic story-inspiring character either. Instead, that entire narrative burden is left to her precocious nine-year-old daughter (clichéd!) and the other supporting players — most especially, the ensemble’s primary antagonist, the surrogate’s ultra-conservative, bigoted mom, played with relish by Ellen Barkin. As the most extreme character within the ensemble, mom gets the biggest laughs.
But The New Normal was clearly uncomfortable by her presence as a sort of Archie Bunker-like force for pedagogical opposition. So, it minimizes her usage over the course of the first season, tempering her via a succession of subplots where she’s humbled by her scene partner, the TV producer’s assistant, played by professional arguer NeNe Leakes (who’s amusing, but often ironically). This suppression of Barkin is unfortunate though, because her character is the only motivating source of conflict within the ensemble, and as a result, she’s the only element of the situation upholding the premise by allowing it to be explored — without resorting to external stimuli or hacky trope-of-the-week fare. And that’s exactly what happens. As she’s faded out, the show struggles to tell motivated stories that are both funny and well-supported — which, ultimately, speaks to the basic problem as described above: this sitcom just doesn’t have the character work to justify its own existence. And that’s a normal I’m afraid isn’t new.
Episode Count: 22 episodes produced and broadcast.
Key Episodes: #4: “Obama Mama” (09/25/12)
#5: “Nanagasm” (10/02/12)
#7: “The Godparent Trap” (10/23/12)
Why: “Obama Mama” finds conflict between the regulars over then-contemporary politics, thus making explicit the dramatic tension that this premise promises, and with actual help from elements of the situation (especially Barkin). As for “Nanagasm,” I appreciate it for the funny debut of Jackie Hoffman in her recurring role as a difficult mother-in-law — it’s familiar family fare but enlivened by comedic playing. Lastly, “The Godparent Trap” notably features the finest example of the show fulfilling its shared raison d’être with Modern Family about making something new seem normal, via a story about parenting and religion (with the debut of John Benjamin Hickey in his recurring role as the family’s priest). As you may have guessed, nothing here is truly great, but these are the half-hour samples that reflect the series best.
Come back next week for another Wildcard! And stay tuned Tuesday for more Modern Family!