Pilot
Henry Winkler, Stockard Channing, Christopher Gorman,
Jennifer Tilly, Ty Burrell, Paula Marshall
Created by Christopher Lloyd and Joe Keenan
Directed by Kelsey Grammer
CBS Monday 9:30
Sandwiched as it is between Two And A Half Men and CSI Miami this new CBS sitcom would probably have done well no matter what but Out Of Practice is, judging by the pilot episode, going to be a pretty good show. The cast is absolutely top notch and features a return to regular television for the very funny Henry Winkler and a comedic role for The West Wing's Stockard Channing.
Ben Barnes (Christopher Gorman) is a 30 year-old couples counselor whose father, mother, sister, and brother are all doctors of one sort of another. He reunites his family on his birthday only to hear from his family that his wife Naomi just left a message saying she was leaving him.
The pilot relies a little too much on the old Three's Company style misunderstanding humor and the laugh track is very annoying but overall this show is very promising. Channing is excellent as the overbearing and overprotective mother, Ty Burrell is very good Ben's plastic surgeon brother, Paula Marshall is very good as a gay ER doctor. The writing is also very good and features quite a few funny jokes and humorous lines that zoom by if you are not paying attention.
The show works not only because of the presence of Winkler and Channing but also because from the very first show the characters are well defined and you know not one character is paraded as a "let's see if it works" moment.
One can only hope CBS will be a little patient with this sitcom and, when it proves to be a hit, will not move it all over the schedule as it tries other shows in this very good time slot.