You’ve seen the commercials. You’ve heard the hype. Now there’s only one thing you want to know: Which of the new fall shows are worth watching and which should be avoided at all costs? In this continuing series, we give you the scoop on some of the most highly-anticipated shows of the season, with today’s focus being $#*! MY DAD SAYS
The Boilerplate: Since these pilot presentations may go through numerous rewrites and casting changes prior to premiere, this by no means should be considered an official review. Rather a preview of what one can expect come Fall.
The Elevator Pitch: ALL IN THE FAMILY meets FRASIER with a dash of THE ODD COUPLE thrown in for good measure.
The Plot: Based on the #1 Twitter skein and best-selling book, $#*! MY DAD SAYS features the caustic musings of Ed, a retired military doctor whose cranky one-liners have left him, at 72, with three ex-wives and a lot of time alone in his garden. With two boys, Ed has a soft spot for younger son Henry, a likable slacker who’s out of work. Unable to pay his rent, Henry takes up his dad’s offer to move home, agreeing to follow house rules. But Ed has a secret plan— a second chance to be the father he never was— if it doesn’t kill them both first.
The Snap Judgment: $#*! MY DAD SAYS is not nearly the crime against hilarity that some critics might have had you believe. In fact, assuming you can look past the sitcom’s reliance on a few too many over-the-top one-liners from William Shatner’s cantankerous character Ed for laughs (He calls son Vince “James Gandolfatty” and tosses out lines like “If I wanted piles of crap around the house I would have bought a bird!”), you may find yourself pleasantly surprised to discover that beneath all the crazy, racially insensitive and blatantly homophobic $#*! that comes out of Shatner’s mouth beats the heart of a classic family sitcom. One that thanks to the direction of James Burrows, the sharp penmanship of WILL & GRACE creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick and the universal appeal that is a father attempting to reconnect with two sons has gargantuan hit written all over it. With serious bonus points for casting two hilarious MADTV alums in Will Sasso and Nicol Sullivan as Ed’s son and daughter in-law respectively.
The Verdict: Despite our increasing bitterness over the fact that our very own twitter handle has yet to be turned into a multi-million dollar television show or book, it’s hard to argue against the broad appeal of this far from perfect CBS sitcom. So much so that come Fall, if we were timeslot competitors Dan Harmon (COMMUNITY) or Hart Hanson (BONES), we’d be $#*!ing in our pants. We’re just sayin’ 
