Jim Gaffigan is a standup comedian in Manhattan. He and his wife Jeannie (Ashley Williams) have five little kids in their small 2-bedroom apartment. His best friend is the aggressively single-without-kids Dave (Adam Goldberg) who annoys Jeannie. Her best friend is her gay college boyfriend Daniel (Michael Ian Black) who annoys Jim. Jim's jokes are often about food and his usually large Manhattan family. He is always eating.
This is a sitcom based on Jim's real life. The first season is great fun with a meta joke with his real family in the last episode. I would put that joke in the pilot episode or maybe have his real family live in an adjacent apartment with a far more handsome Jim. That way, his family could show up every once in awhile as a recurring joke. The second season goes down a darker path with Dave. Dave is always a jerk but the second season has him being a truly awful self-serving frenemy. Will Ferrell shows up as a mercurial comedy power. He needs to be serious but he goes down a wacky path and takes away the comedy. He's trying to make a wacky sitcom when the role calls for a satire. The second season does need to lighten up a bit. The show lasted two seasons on TV Land. If Jim wants to spend more time with the kids, hire them for the show. This deserves more seasons.
