Two parents band together against all of life’s challenges in United We Fall, a new sitcom coming to ABC July 15th. Will Sasso (Kevin Probably Saves the World), Christina Vidal Mitchell (Freaky Friday), Jane Curtin (The Shaggy Dog) and Guillermo Diaz (Scandal) star in this comedy series about parenthood and the judgement that comes from making mistakes. Audiences looking for something new won’t want to miss the special hour-long season premiere.
Bill (Will Sasso) and Jo (Christina Vidal Mitchell) have two young daughters, each with their own set of quirks. Bill’s mother (Jane Curtin) is a live-in who is constantly critiquing their every move without offering to help. And Jo’s brother (Guillermo Diaz) seemingly has it all together with his own kids, unable to understand why their life is so chaotic.
The characters of Bill and Jo are a little too sane for the world around them, which is where a lot of the comedy comes from. A biting incident at school with one of their kids in the second episode is a perfect example of how their own common sense reactions to typical situations put them at odds with the overly cautious teachers and other parents. Essentially, they’re two typical people in a world controlled by a millennial mindset. It’s sort of like what-if the most vocal users on twitter got their way, what would life be like? That’s the world Bill and Jo live in.
As much as I love Jane Curtin in pretty much everything I’ve ever seen her in, her character quickly becomes an unnecessary addition because the show doesn’t play like an ensemble piece. This isn’t a show about a group of friends where A, B, and C storylines intermix, it’s a series about two parents vs. the world. It’s a waste of Jane Curtin’s talents, where she’s given little bits of comedy like saving up her spit for a genealogy test because she’s convinced she’s part Italian.
Christina Vidal Mitchell is the show’s anchor, the most relatable character in the bunch. Will Sasso spends about half of his screen time playing a charmingly relatable father that you wish was there 100% of the time. He’s very funny when he’s in that mode, but the rest of the time he seems like he’s stuck in a Mad TV sketch, looking at the camera for approval as he essentially breaks character.
I wanted to love United We Fall, but it’s just okay. There are few new scripted options to choose from at the moment, which is the show’s biggest redeeming quality. You’ll laugh a few times and you’ll miss the good old days when the problems of these parents seemed bigger than they do now after all we’ve been through in 2020.
I give United We Fall 2 out of 5 well rounded diets that include bran.
United We Fall premieres Wednesday, July 15th, at 8:00 pm ET.