Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! This week, in keeping with Modern Family, I’m spotlighting a single-season contemporary about a gay man raising a kid, Sean Saves The World!
SEAN SAVES THE WORLD (October 2013 – January 2014, NBC)
Premise: A divorced gay man raising his teenage daughter deals with a wacky boss and an intrusive mother.
Cast: Sean Hayes, Linda Lavin, Thomas Lennon, Samantha Isler, Megan Hilty, Echo Kellum
Writers: Victor Fresco, Claudia Lonow, Michael A. Ross, Joe Keenan, Rick Wiener & Kenny Schwartz, Aseem Batra, Matt Ward, Mike Rosolio, Seth Raab & Nicholas Darrow
Thoughts: Will & Grace alum Sean Hayes returned to the sitcom with this MTM-esque office-plus-home multi-cam helmed by Victor Fresco (Better Off Ted). This time he played a divorced man who works at an online retail company and is the primary guardian for his teenage daughter. In addition to the difficulties of being a single parent, the situation also finds dramatic stakes in several other key relationships — most notably with a mercurial, unpredictable boss and an intrusive, smothering mother. Oh, and of course, Sean also came out of the closet a few years ago — but that’s not seminal to most episodic ideas, for although his romantic life is frequent story fodder (in the grand MTM tradition), the post-Modern Family landscape has sufficiently normalized gay leads, making it less of a high-concept gimmick and more just a regular attribute that can be highlighted when necessary. Indeed, this is really a low-concept sitcom about characters in relation… which is why its success is dependent on their depictions and application. Fortunately, Linda Lavin and Thomas Lennon as the two comic agitators around the lead are funny and helpful — even if both dynamics are familiar and crave more personalization (something that likely would have developed with time).
And Hayes himself is a naturally exciting comic presence, even as he’s often tamping down his BIG energy in order to be more of a stabilizing, anchoring force (think: more Will than Jack). Unfortunately, the central “single parent” narrative engine is really ubiquitous in this genre — gay father or not — and so none of those stories really do much for the show or its comedy. What’s more, this workplace is significantly underbaked. Online retail is not specific enough to help enliven stories, and Sean’s coworker regulars are vague. Megan Hilty, in particular, never develops a clear comic persona as Sean’s sidekick — through 15 episodes, she remains hazy. Accordingly, both the office and the home — outside of, again, boss and mom — have weaknesses. So, Sean Saves The World’s promise of greatness looked, to me, dubious… all despite a good cast and an appreciated sense of humor (including a willingness to take risks via physical comedy). But, hey, most short-lived sitcoms have less going for them than this one. Indeed, there are episodes here I actually like — especially as far as 2010s multi-cams go.
Episode Count: 15 produced, 13 were broadcast. | Episodes Seen: All 15
Key Episodes: #5: “Nobody Puts Sean In A Corner” (11/07/13)
#8: “Of Moles And Men” (11/21/13)
#10: “Sean The Fabulous” (01/02/14)
#13: “I Know Why The Caged Bird Zings” (01/23/14)
#14: “The Joy Of Ex” (Unbroadcast)
Why: Among the best episodes is “Sean The Fabulous,” which is explicit about using Sean’s identity as a gay man to generate story, with laughs predicated on his conscious choice to act overly flamboyant for the sake of his daughter. It’s the kind of story that only a sitcom with this kind of lead could do, making it more specific to the series than a lot of its other, more generic fare. Also, “I Know Why The Caged Bird Zings” has a funny Joe Keenan (of Frasier) script, where Sean’s mom and bestie’s co-intrusion in his romantic relationship leads the beau into thinking that Sean has gone crazy. It’s the most laugh-laden entry here. Of more Honorable Mention quality, I’d say, are “Nobody Puts Sean In A Corner,” which emphasizes the mother-son relationship; “Of Moles And Men,” which has an amusing workplace ensemble story and a guest appearance by Craig Ferguson; and “The Joy Of Ex,” which notably guests Andy Richter, Better Off Ted’s Portia de Rossi, and Stacy Keach in his recurring role as Lennon’s father.
Come back next week for another Wildcard! And stay tuned Tuesday for more Modern Family!