Welcome to the Captain
Starring:: Chris Klein, Fran Kranz, Jeffrey Tambor, Joanna Garcia, Raquel Welch, Valerie Azlynn, Al Madrigal
Created By:: John Hamberg
Airs: Monday at 8:30 p.m. EST on CBS
Maybe it’s because I hadn’t heard anything good about CBS’s new series, Welcome to the Captain, which resulted in me lowering my expectations substantially but I really didn’t think the first episode of this new sitcom was all that bad. Sure, the premise is kind of unoriginal and the humor is a bit goofy at times but overall I think it’s a good fit to follow How I Met Your Mother (which just so happens to be one of my favorite half-hour comedies).
Captain centers on Josh Flug (Fran Kranz), an average-joe who hit it big when his short film won an Academy Award a few years ago. Perhaps he peaked too soon because he hasn’t been able to get his career going since. After breaking up with his lady, he considers leaving California and returning to New York. His friend Marty (Chris Klein) convinces him to stay in L.A. and move into El Capitan (a.k.a. The Captain).
The residents of the apartment building are quirky and their roles are pretty well established by the end of the pilot. Uncle Saul (Jeffrey Tambor) is the older guy who likes to think he knows everything about everything. Hope (Joanna Garcia) is the pretty girl whom Josh falls instantly in love with during an acupuncture session. Charlene (Raquel Welch) is the horny older-woman who likes to play the whole Mrs. Robinson role with the younger tenants. Jesus (Al Madrigal) is the nosy gossiping bellman. And finally there’s Astrid (Valerie Azlynn), the ditzy wannabe actress.
In terms of the characters' place in the story, I feel like we’ve seen all this before but that doesn’t mean the format doesn’t work. My only concern is that the story, which based on the first episode, seems to revolve heavily on Josh’s desire to find a wife and get his career going, might get dull if they don’t find a good way to pull the main characters together in some kind of semi-believable scenario. Otherwise the best we can expect is a lot of predictably quirky behavior from the supporting cast and the same old “guy pines over the hot girl” premise we’ve seen in other sitcoms.
When comparing Captain to comedies like The Office and 30 Rock, I can definitely see why people are complaining about this new series. There’s nothing really mind-blowing about the comedy and chances are, it’ll appeal more to the old-school TV viewers who like the older sitcom format. It’s goofy and the jokes, which are often laugh-worthy, do sometimes feel a bit too rehearsed and formatty but I don’t think that’s a flaw unless you can’t stand that kind of thing. I personally believe that kind of humor still has a place in TV and if there’s ever a network where it’ll fit in, it’s CBS. I mentioned earlier that I think the series will fit nicely after HIMYM. The humor seems to be aimed mostly at a younger audience though I have a feeling older viewers could appreciate it as well. As for me, I’ll give it a few more episodes before I decide if it’s a show I want to grow attached to.
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