The Best And Worst Shows On TV In 2016
By Sundi Rose
Image via CBS
3. Man with a Plan
Matt LeBlanc has so much more potential than Man With A Plan suggests, and it makes me sad to see him play so small and useless. It’s like watching a gorilla wear a clown nose. He’s straining against the flat writing, and even though he’s a strong-enough actor, he’s not strong enough to carry this whole show. Even his scenes with Kevin Nealon are only moderately entertaining and it looks like every other “working man” show on CBS over the years. (see my comments about Kevin Can Wait).
Man With A Plan is about LeBlanc’s character, Adam, switching roles with his wife, played by Liza Snyder. Snyder plays the exact same character as she did in Yes, Dear – you know, back when it was still edgy to be mean and negligent.
CBS wants us to pat them on the back for being progressive for putting these men in the home, but it fails. Both Adam and Kevin (from Kevin Can Wait) are treated like incompetent fools that need constant supervision by their wives. This paradigm is not really subverting gender norms, but rather feeding into them. If I were a middle class husband and father, I might not like how easily I’m the butt of the joke.