'Extended Family' Certainly Is a Family Sitcom Starring Donald Faison on NBC

With the cancellations or conclusions of The Goldbergs, Black-ish, Life in Pieces, and even Home Economics in recent years, there’s a real dearth of family sitcoms on television at the moment (aside from The Conners, which is likely in its final season). The few network comedies that remain are mostly set in workplaces. NBC/Peacock’s Extended Family aims to fill that void, and the results are fine.

The multicamera sitcom is inspired by the real lives of Emilia Fazzalari (Julia here, played by Abigail Spencer), her ex-husband George Geyer (Jim, played by Jon Cryer), and her current husband, Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck (Trey, played by Donald Faison). After their amicable divorce, Julia and Jim reasoned that their split wasn’t their kids’ fault, so they weren’t going to punish them by making them move back and forth between homes. Instead, the kids stay, and the parents move back and forth every few days. The arrangement works well until Julia meets the Celtics’ owner, Trey, who introduces a new wrinkle into the arrangement.

That arrangement is inspired by real relationships, but the episodes come from a writer’s room overseen by veteran actor Mike O’Malley, who also ran Starz’ recently canceled Heels. O’Malley has been around the block a number of times (and six seasons of Yes, Dear), so Extended Family is well-oiled from the get-go, which is likely why it is one of the few new series to actually premiere post-strike (most of the rest were pushed into the fall).

The cast is likable as hell, but though the premise is novel, Extended Family quickly falls into the family sitcom formula, only there are three parents learning lessons about parenting and marriage instead of two. Jim and Trey get along, but both have to learn about boundaries, while Julia has to figure out how to introduce a new parent without encroaching upon the feelings of the old. Lenny Clarke, who plays the grandfather, is also around to offer the occasional wisecrack.

It’s a fine show, if not overly familiar. It’s always good to see Faison, and Spencer is surprisingly decent for someone I’ve rarely seen in a comedic role. It pairs well with the thoroughly mediocre Night Courtand is an occasionally welcome respite from a television landscape largely dominated by serious dramas and reality television. It’s no Scrubs, or even Scrubs 2.0, but it amiably passes the time.