In the grand scheme of things, a Charlie Sheen-focused sitcom doesn’t sound like such an awful thing, and on a network like FX, it might actually be entertaining to watch an unhinged Sheen be his usual creepy self on television. Of course, that would only happen in some bizarro universe where I get the things I want and television doesn’t typically suck. Instead, we occupy the real world; and in the this world, Anger Management is rather limp and not unlike what you’d find on CBS—not even a sexy, sex addicted Selma Blaire could save this show.
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Sure, it isn’t as bad as you might expect from a show plastered with Charlie Sheen’s face—there were moments that did have me laughing—but when the show immediately starts with an unsubtle jab at Sheen’s recent shenanigans, it kind of lets you know the quality of writing at work here. Sheen stars as Charlie, who works as an anger management therapist teaching others to control their anger in the comfort of his own home. During the opening moments of Management, Charlie tries to treat a bunch of one-dimensional archetypes that don’t really get much to do other than play to their stereotypes before the episode ditches them to zip around the other characters in Charlie’s life.
One of the main problems with Anger Management (outside of committing the cardinal sin of having a laugh track) is that the pilot doesn’t really leave any room for most of the characters, and the ones that do get a bit of breathing room are kind of… bad. Charlie Sheen is his usual charismatic self (regardless of what you think of the man, he certainly has presence), but he doesn’t really have anyone to play off of: neighbor and best friend Mike is a dud, albeit an unnecessarily creepy one, and Charlie’s wife Emma (Daniela Bobadila) is extraordinarily flat and most of her “typical sitcom wife” zingers are cringe-inducing.
The only person who’s even remotely interesting is Selma Blair’s character Kate, a sex-pot who’s also a psychiatrist currently in a purely sexual relationship with Charlie. Kate and Charlie’s interactions aren’t exactly that humorous, but at least they are somewhat fun to watch.
But as laugh tracks are the bane of sitcoms everywhere, zapping the funny from even a decent comedy, this begs the question: Why exactly is this show on FX? Considering that there’s a certain edge associated with shows on this network, Anger Management seems rather tame for an FX sitcom (especially when shows like Wilfred and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia). It feels more at home with the weeknight television crowd—the ones that still watch Two and a Half Men.
Sumology: The tiger blood was drained a long time ago, Charlie.
Grade: C-
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