Stacey (Alexis Bledel) is a small town girl from Dillsburg, PA. She has a first date with email friend Gavin (Jason Ritter) who lives in NYC. They bring along their outrageous best friends Nessa (Ashlie Atkinson) and Archie (Dustin Ybarra). It's the start of a long distance relationship, at least a four hours drive apart. Gavin and Archie lives in the first floor apartment under his parents (Kurt Fuller, Jane Kaczmarek). Stacey lives with her widower mother Gwen (Kerri Kenney) who often hangs out with her brother-in-law Uncle Brian (Michael Ian Black).
This is a British import adapted from Gavin & Stacey created by James Corden and Ruth Jones. It never made it on the air. It's surprisingly fun if not that original. I don't know anything about Gavin & Stacey. That probably works to my advantage. I have no expectations for the show to fulfill. The first obvious problem is the title. Friends & Family is much better although I don't know why it couldn't be called Gavin & Stacey. Us & Them sucks. Basically, this all depends on the cast. As a network TV sitcom, this is mostly standard with a bit of heart. The cast has good chemistry and this has a solid mix. The only questionable one is Bledel. Stacey should be a country gal and she needs to be goofier. In the comedy to drama range, Bledel leans more towards drama. In a simple comedic move, Stacey should be doing shadow boxing as she and Archie get into a girlie fight. Also, is it weird to be dating a mother and then the daughter? That's Hollyweird for you. This is better than most failed network shows. I don't know the behind-the-scene reasons for not getting on network TV. It's too bad that it didn't even get a chance.
