CBS Fall Pilot Review: Carol's Second Act - Premieres September 26

[TJ]

Carol's Second Act - Thursdays at 9:30PM ET/PT on CBS
Premieres Thursday, September 26, 2019 at 9:30PM ET/PT

Emmy Award winner Patricia Heaton stars in new a comedy about a woman who embarks on a unique second act after raising her children, getting divorced and retiring from teaching: pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor. At age 50, Carol is a medical intern and must sink or swim with peers who are half her age. It’s her enthusiasm, perspective and yes, even her age, that may be exactly what will make her second act a great success.

Read our review here:
https://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2019/...sunnyside.html

[Chocolate Moose]

It sounds cute. Looking forward!

[TMC]

CBS' Carol's Second Act is very familiar for fans of Scrubs

The Patricia Heaton medical comedy had so much potential. Instead, it's kind of a rehash of Scrubs, says Robyn Bahr. "When I first read that CBS was developing a vehicle for Heaton about a middle-aged woman who chooses to go back to medical school after completing her first career, I was struck by the sheer number of creative opportunities built into this conceit: the revelatory moment Carol decides to pursue the impossible; the mixed reactions from her friends and family; the Sturm und Drang of MCATs and medical school and Match Day; then finally, professional practice. I was excited to take this journey with her," says Bahr. "In hindsight, the fact that Carol's Second Act actually begins on the first day of our protagonist's medical residency — cutting out the slog of study and aiming straight for hospital-set antics — makes more sense given the network's staid programming. But by eliminating origin story, the show ends up doing a lot more telling than showing when it comes to Carol's unique background and seasoned social-emotional skill set. Based on the two episodes available to critics, I worry that each episode will follow the structural path of (1) Carol jumping headfirst into a patient problem, (2) Carol getting admonished by her much-younger boss for stepping out of line and (3) Carol saving the day anyway."

ALSO:

• Carol's Second Act's premise feels warmed over with its baby boomer vs. millennials premise: "The show, were it like its pleasant main character, would want to find a way to help everyone shine — or at least be fueled a bit more by curiosity than contempt," says Daniel D'Addario. "The challenge as it goes forward will be, now that Carol has proven her mettle in the pilot, to find stories to tell that move beyond Carol’s colleagues finding her annoying and strange."
  Carol's Second Act allows Heaton to collect her most reliable bits -- the funny mom, the wise mom, the wisecracking mom — and put the "Dr." in front of them
  Patricia Heaton on returning to the multi-camera sitcom world: "Being back in front of a studio audience after nine years is scary"

[bh7812]

Saw the pilot last night. Halfway through I was questioning how it got green lit but by the end I was thinking this train wreck could actually go places and might be entertaining. I’m not a fan at all of Patricia Heaton but she is actually tolerable in this show! There are interesting directions they could take this, we’ll just have to wait and see. I’ll take a second look at it closer to the end of the season since we’ll have a much clearer idea if it’s gonna fly or not. CBS seems pretty desperate to find its next Big Bang ratings wise I really can’t blame them. There’s at least potential there this show could but again it comes down to what the creative team does with it. It’s...in my mind this weird cross between absolutely terrible and shows promise all at once.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by bh7812

Saw the pilot last night. Halfway through I was questioning how it got green lit but by the end I was thinking this train wreck could actually go places and might be entertaining. I’m not a fan at all of Patricia Heaton but she is actually tolerable in this show! There are interesting directions they could take this, we’ll just have to wait and see. I’ll take a second look at it closer to the end of the season since we’ll have a much clearer idea if it’s gonna fly or not. CBS seems pretty desperate to find its next Big Bang ratings wise I really can’t blame them. There’s at least potential there this show could but again it comes down to what the creative team does with it. It’s...in my mind this weird cross between absolutely terrible and shows promise all at once.

Some of the comments that I've read online suggest that Patricia Heaton at least on this particular show, is ill-suited to be the "star" of her own show. On Everybody Loves Raymond and The Middle, she was part of an ensemble (even though, technically, the was the defacto "lead" on The Middle). In other words, she could also essentially "disappear" from an episode instead of having everything revolve around her and she must be victorious. Maybe if Patricia had a stronger, more charismatic supporting cast who could carry their own story (instead of seemingly forgettable B- or C- plots), it would've been easier to shallow.

[Chocolate Moose]

I like it. I think it's sweet.