Double Take: In which CourtneyK and Amrie disagree slightly about ABC’s BACK IN THE GAME

GRIFFIN GLUCK, JAMES CAAN, MAGGIE LAWSONThe Double Takes are back this season as Amrie and I offer up our opinions of some new fall shows without knowing what the other is thinking. In most cases this season, it seems we tend to disagree ha!  Today’s DT is about ABC’s BACK IN THE GAME, starring James Caan, Maggie Lawson, and a bunch of charming little kids.  

CourtneyK

First Impression: It wasn’t terrible. I actually kinda liked it.

Divorced Single Mom (Lawson) with father issues and her pre-teen son moves in with said father (Caan), who is a former minor league baseball hotshot.

Brightspot: LuLu the best friend, she’s British, she’s rich, and she’s hysterical. Pre-teen son, Danny is written wiser than his years, and he’s pretty funny. The kids on the team: one liners abound.

This show is reminiscent of The Bad News Bears but with a deeper storyline maybe? Even if you don’t follow or know baseball, it’s a likeable story.


LENORA CRICHLOW, J.J TOTAHAmrie

BACK IN THE GAME doesn’t really work for me.  Maggie Lawson is charming, as always, as if you had any doubts, and her relationship with her father is fine, if cliched. But something about the pilot didn’t click for me.  I’m not sure if it was Ben Koldyke’s incredibly chauvinisitc (to the point of it being over the top) character or what, but after the pilot episode, I didn’t care about anyone.  That’s a lie, I cared about one kid – the AWESOME JJ Totah, who places Michael Lovette, full of team spirit and not much discernible sports talen.  Everything else falls flat, and while I didn’t hate it, because I really didn’t hate it, I didn’t love it enough either.  That’s not to say I won’t be giving it a second episode, but let’s be honest, it’s Maggie Lawson, and I feel a need to support her wherever she goes, but I might do so begrudgingly and unwillingly going forward.

What say you?  Who do you agree with?  Check out the gallery of photos of the cast and from tonight’s premiere (8:30/7:30c after THE MIDDLE) –

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