I have to admit, this series is pretty good in its own right, just the conflict of it being the thing that was the seasonal replacement for The Muppets, a show we won't even know the fate of for another few weeks, and considering a "what if" there's a possibility this could get picked up and not the thing we want to get picked up is unsettling. I really didn't want to hate on this show and wanted to give it a chance. The previews looked terribly made and focus on the more obvious jokes that are at least better in context, but I gave it a shot and felt it was decent. The show is becoming actually good once it shed its, I'll say "American Dad Factor" and the characters became a little more fleshed out and the jokes didn't come off repetitive and hammering the concept down. While I don't think it's as good as most of the Wednesday line up (The Middle's really starting to lose me, and it really needs to end on a high note), or quite as good as Fresh off the Boat, it's hardly the weakest sitcom in ABC's line up.
I mean, if there was a chance that The Muppets and this could both be renewed and Last Man Standing got canned and one of them could get that slot, I'm all for more O'Neals. Even if O'Neals was a seasonal replacement when its renewed and switches off with something, I'd push for it. I have to admit, I'm slightly disappointed with the one time I watched Dr. Ken. I want to like it. I really do. Maybe it wasn't that good an episode, but I feel the cast is far stronger than the material, and said material is holding them back. I really love Ken Jeong, especially in Community and even Bob's Burgers where he's Dr. Yap. I just think he's a little too grounded here. And it's got David Foley and the guy who played Ogo on Robot and Monster who was also in better off Ted. The cast is funny, but it feels like just a step up from the mediocre TGIF type sitcom, but not a step more. Then again, for the past few weeks before Nick started just running their live action sitcoms and movies, I was always cued up for Pig Goat Banana Cricket. Otherwise I would have watched more episodes of Ken. And Last Man Standing is the Mallard Fillmore of sitcoms. It's just there to counterbalance the more liberally written shows, and it's not even good at that. Even if it wasn't, it's just...2000 era ABC sitcom bad. There's not a single likable character in it, and it hurts me to watch it because I do like Tim Allen. I liked Home Improvement, I love Buzz Lightyear (though I did like Patrick Warburton in the cartoon a bit more). Just to see him as an unlikable jerk ranting about his equally unlikable whiny jerk Son in Law or whatever. Just...yuck.