New formula and it works!

Melanie-L

There have been many sitcoms about mixed-gendered groups of friends (e.g. Seinfeld, Friends, etc.) and most of them centre on the relationships between the individual characters, and the group as a whole. The group of friends formula has worked so well because people can relate and make comparisons between TV characters and their own friends. We can't forget that this is a "formula" and so there have been many failed attempts at getting the chemistry right between characters and sad attempts at spin-offs (e.g. Joey).

My Boys is a new version of the "friends formula" and it works! The story lines centre around a group of friends (mostly men) in Chicago and the protagonist is PJ - a tomboy working for the Chicago Cubs. When I first saw the previews for this show, I thought, "Please, not another 'Friends' spin off!" I decided to give "My Boys" a try and was pleasantly surprised.

The relationships between PJ and her friends are interesting because of the fact that guy-girl dynamic is not overtly sexual as it can be on other shows. PJ and "her boys" are genuinely friends, not men and a woman who hang out with each other because they secretly want to be together. It's refreshing to see a sitcom where the female character and her male friends aren't trying to pursue a sexual relationship with one another (or where the back-story was that they did in the past and it failed).

On top of the great dynamics between the characters, the story lines themselves are funny! I don't want to spoil any of the story lines here but there are some pretty hilarious scenarios between PJ and men who aren't part of her group of friends - because she isn't your typical female (i.e. acts like "one of the boys"), some of the guys she comes across are baffled by her.

"My Boys" doesn't attempt to be edgy or over-the-top (like "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" - which I love by the way). It's just a good, solid comedy with interesting characters and story lines. Hopefully the writers stay true to this and don't attempt at turning the show into something it's not (another "Friends"). There's a lot of potential material for this kind of premise. Stay tuned!

score 8/10

Melanie-L 6 December 2006

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1542033/