The first episode of ABC sitcom Home economics is hardly an extension of the two-and-a-half minute trailer, which focuses on the bond between the three Hayworth brothers and sisters, although they belong to a different financial layer. The program is put together by Michael Colton and John Aboud and clearly seeks to build on the established brand of enjoyable family comedies in the network. The basic premise is set up quickly (in a voice-over, no less): Tom is a struggling middle-class author, Sarah is broken after losing her job as a counselor for risk students, and Connor is a dirty rich financial man who just bought Matt Damon‘s lavish house. Home economics concentrate on how to overcome and stay close to this wealth inequality. The sitcom does not offer much depth or nuance beyond its family ethos about money, at least not early on – instead of shining a light on a well-chosen cast and their chemistry.
Topher Grace, who is also executive producer, returns to the small screen as Tom Hayworth, also the narrator of the series. Tom secretly uses his extensive family adventures as the basis for a new book after the previous book – which was about a baseball team in prison in 1906 and had no women in it – sold five copies. The cast, which also includes Caitlin McGee, Jimmy Tatro, Karla Souza and Sasheer Zamata, is strong. There is a comfortable atmosphere in all their interactions, but the writing and storytelling provide a rudimentary characterization. The heartwarming humor tries to fill the void he leaves behind Modern family, which ended in 2020 after 11 seasons, but still offers nothing new in the genre.
The episode begins when Connor moves from Seattle back to San Francisco and invites his family to his newly purchased opulent mansion. Both Tom and Sarah are figuring out how to ask their younger, richer brother for a loan, and get their spouses encouraged to do so. After exploring the many rooms in his new home, they all get into an argument when Connor reveals that he is taking their parents to Turks and Caicos after Thanksgiving instead of doing their usual big business. It unravels all their personal problems, as Tom and Sarah reveal that they need financial help, and Connor admits that he went into divorce and moved back so he can be close to loved ones again. The siblings make themselves up and delight in the fact that they all experience different problems together, not just alone, and the whole family ends up in a neat end in Connor’s mini-cars.
As Home economics succeed, it is because of the striking cast. McGee and Grace are doing a great job, but it’s Tatro who stands out by following up on his credible performance as a high school student in 2017. American Vandal with the strikingly different role of a rich single father. The program is aimed at a more contemporary look at mixed families as seen on ABC of The Brady Forest, Voltal, and My wife and children to more recent comedies such as Fresh from the boat, The middle, en Modern family. It has a strange couple in Sarah (McGee) and Denise (Zamata), and apparently wants to see how income inequality actually leads to them as well as Tom and his wife Marina (Souza). They even squeeze in at a strange moment when Tom, while taking notes for his book, discusses this inequality, just as he encounters Connor’s housekeeper, Lupe (Lidia Porto), who hears him and gives him doubts. It’s a sitcom on ABC, so the scene is frustrated and laughed at while the episode concludes a 20-minute run.
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In his pilot, Home economics focus more on setting interpersonal dynamics (such as how the siblings’ favorite song is MMMBop, or how Denise and Sarah affectionately call each other Lulu) rather than examining the seriousness of their money problems. While the episode is indeed the core of the premise, it also mainly uses POC characters to support their white partners; they get no other personality traits, which is especially rough because Zamata and Souza are amazing artists. The members of the primary trio are placed in the definition of shapes: Tom is a follower of the rule, Sarah is a vegan feminist and Connor is the carefree guy. These opposite types make for fun exchanges, but they can also limit character growth and performances as the show continues. The first episode ends with everyone asking Tom what his upcoming novel is about – he does not tell it, but explains in a voice recording that it is essentially about how close he feels to his family. We do get a sense of closeness, but while there is strength in the chemistry and specificity of some jokes, the idea is still a bit too generic to arouse much anticipation.
Lost observations
- The program tries to construct a very specific image of Matt Damon in our heads by claiming that his house could include a Japanese bath, an indoor backyard, and enough closets to make Connor a home for his daughter’s sleepwear.
- On the same note, we agree with Sarah when she says that the actor did not make a good film after 2011 We bought a zoo? The Martian and its entrance Thor: Ragnarok would like a word.
- Describing Tom and Connor, Denise says “I know your brothers are Scorpios, but they’re good people too.” As a Scorpio, yes, the remark sounds about right.
- Souza’s Marina is a former lawyer who casually jokes that Connor killed his wife. This is a wonderfully subtle call back to her previous ABC role in How to get away with murder, in which Jack Falahee also appears as her classmate Connor Walsh in real school.
- We will report to the Hayworth brothers and sisters throughout Home economics season one, so stay tuned.