Sitcoms may not be dead, but traditional sitcoms are a dying breed. More and more, sitcoms are losing the laugh track and filming each episode like a mini-movie. "Free Ride" is yet another contender out to prove that this new show format is worth watching.
The show is the brainchild of Rob Roy Thomas, who also created Bravo's "Significant Others." This means that the actors of "Free Ride" are encouraged to improvise and they do, in fact, seem to spend a great deal of time off-script. The show also benefits from quick cutting, a perk for people with incredibly short attention spans. Perceived improvisation with quick editing gives the show a fun feeling of spontaneity.
The show succeeds in several other aspects as well. First and foremost, the show is funny. The characters are complex, possess several relatable qualities and are thrown into familiar situations. For example, in the pilot episode, Nate Stahlings (newcomer Josh Dean) returns to his home in Johnson City, Mo., after graduating from college. After four years, Nate now has to readjust to living with his parents.
'50s television sitcoms commonly featured the "ideal" family. In contract, sitcoms of about the last decade and a half have generally focused on the dysfunctional family. The perfect family was criticized for being unrealistic while this new genre of imperfection was considered more accurate.
In reality, both are artificial. Dysfunction exists in all families, but so do moments of perfection. The balance of the two is key if the goal is to portray a realistic family. The Stahlings of "Free Ride" are not a realistic family. They are, however, a humorous caricature of dysfunction at its most extreme.
For instance, Nate's parents are in therapy and are advised to set aside every Wednesday night to have sex. On their way upstairs, Nate invites them to watch a movie. They, of course, decline. Before going upstairs, Nate's father (comedian Allan Havey) says, "Whatever you're watching, crank it up." Nate is then subjected to listening to his parents have sex in the room right above him. There are several amusing jump cuts of him looking uncomfortable and horrified.
Funny vignettes and quirky characters are what keep FOX's new show going. While grocery shopping with his dad, Nate runs into a couple of classmates from high school. One has an obnoxious son and is buying panty liners for his wife. The other is a guy who he does not even initially recognize. It turns out that the second one is Mark Dove (Dave Sheridan, "Scary Movie"), a guy who once had to get his stomach pumped after chugging motor oil.
Dove may be an idiot, but he is one of the only people Nate knows in Johnson City. Nate
calls him up and the duo ventures out in search of a party. Dove initially takes him to a high school party full of underage girls. Then they head to Parkside Apartments (a.k.a. "Partyside"), where they hang out with a couple of stereotypical townies, all men.
All the while, Nate is trying to find out information about Amber Danwood (Erin Cahill), a girl who went to his high school and now works at the local bank. After getting fed up with the sausage fest, Nate suggests moving the party to a bar. It is there that he finds Amber and ends up making a fool of himself, to the delight of viewers.
Being a part of this innovative sitcom movement, many shows feel the need to insert their own little unique qualities. Malcolm of "Malcolm in the Middle" speaks directly to the camera. Bernie Mac also addresses his audience, as well as inserts words and arrows that pop up throughout the show. "Free Ride" has title screens separating the show into segments.
Unfortunately, these titles kill the flow of the show. Just as the episode moves along, a title will pop up describing the scene to follow. After reading this, all the viewer can think about is what is coming up next instead of focusing on what is currently going on. Plus, the titles usually use some kind of play on words that rarely enhances the humor of the show. After the first couple of episodes, it would be no surprise if this device were dropped.
A sneak preview (in other words, the pilot) of "Free Ride" airs tonight at 8:30 p.m. in the coveted post-"American Idol" timeslot. FOX is known for giving single camera sitcoms a chance. However, the network is also notorious for canceling these shows after a short amount of time. Fortunately for "Free Ride," its official season premiere airs March 12 in the all-important post-"Simpsons" timeslot, which theoretically should provide it with an ample audience. Then again, that is where "Arrested Development" started, and we all know what happened to that.
