Ryan Murphy, the celebrated creator of some of the greatest first seasons of television anywhere, is at it again. This time he has partnered with Ali Adler to create a new series for NBC. And like his Nip/Tuck and American Horror Story and Glee, The New Normal promises to be an attention grabbing show that will be simultaneously outlandish and heartwarming.
The New Normal is focused on two families: one, a married gay couple from Los Angeles, and the other, three generations of women from Ohio including a young single mom. The gay couple is looking for a surrogate mother, and the single mom is looking for a way to provide meaning and means for not only her but her daughter. The merger of the two families to one won't be easy as one of the men is in it for the accessories and the single mother has a bigoted, homophobic grandmother.
I want like to like this show, but am finding it exceedingly difficult to do so. The cast is almost uniformly excellent. Justin Bartha (The Hangover) is very real and grounded as the more down to earth dad, David; he's a welcome sense of normalcy that makes every scene he's a part of better. Georgia King is quite the find as single mother, Goldie. Of all the manic pixie single moms on television screens this season (Ben and Kate, How to Live With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life) she's the most believable. I like her, and her character Goldie, a lot. Ellen Barkin is very fine in what has quickly become the Murphy signature role (the acerbically offensive woman of a certain age). NeNe Leakes is great as well, and is wisely carefully used. The writing is structurally strong, and the tender, heartfelt scenes play especially well. There really is a lot to like here, plus I like the subject matter and what it says about love and family.
But (and it's a big but) there's a feeling that its all going to collapse under its own weight at any moment. Perhaps I have been burned by one too many Ryan Murphy shows where the promise and good will of early episodes is quickly burned out by increasingly preposterous situations and character swings designed merely for a bit. This feels too much like a typical Ryan Murphy show. I fear the inherent structure of the premise suggests a nine month to a year long story, which means if it is a hit, then credulity will be stretched to keep the show going. In addition, all of the characters are destined to be in constant opposition to Barkin's grandmother character. She lives in Ohio and should for all intents and purposes move back to there immediately as that is the only action that makes sense for all involved. I'd like to say the balance between the emotional scenes and the comic scenes would need to be resolved as the emotional scenes work much better, but there are few funny scenes. I didn't laugh once. I found much of what Leakes' character said to be amusing, but there were far too many cringe worthy jokes not delivered by the racist, homophobic grandmother. Andrew Rannells (as the more superficial dad, Bryan) is given most of the "comedic" material and either the writing is failing him or he is failing the writing. I'm surprised I can't tell which, which says to me that it must be at least in part both.
Will I watch more of it? I'm not sure. It has a tough time period up against Don't Trust the B--- and The Mindy Project, both of which I find more promising. In its favor it debuts two weeks before The Mindy Project, and more than a month before Don't Trust the B---, so it will get at least a few weeks on DVR coverage. I can see myself catching up on this over Christmas Break and not feeling sad about waiting in the least. There is a lot to root for here, and I am interested in seeing how most of the story plays out, but at this point I'm worried I won't have the gumption to see it through.
The New Normal premieres September 11 on NBC. The pilot episode is available for viewing now OnDemand and online.
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