Part of the ever-expanding trend toward sitcoms that are in many ways throwbacks to the style and sensibilities of the powerhouses of the eighties and nineties, Melissa & Joey impressed with its first season, and its time for more.
Much as it was something of a surprise to me, this show (along with several others in the category, such as the original TV Land programs) took off, and deservedly so. There’s something about the low-key, quip-fueled comedy that fell out of favor over the last couple of decades, and it’s interesting to see it making such a strong comeback.
Melissa & Joey, though the stars are occasionally overboard with their antagonism, delivered through its entire first season, and tonight’s episodes are just as good.
Our home is in shambles, as work progresses at a snail’s pace, and the entire household is feeling the strain of the renovation project. The first episode finds Joey expressing his displeasure, especially considering the fact that Melissa doesn’t seem sufficiently sympathetic, what with not having to be home all day in the middle of the chaos. He decides he can make things work better if she just puts him in charge, but that naturally doesn’t go according to plan.
The second episode kicks off with the cabinets finally arriving, but when Melissa doesn’t think they look the way they did in the picture, the whole project could be in trouble. A “cabinet guy” comes in to hopefully save the day, but that leads to more turmoil in the overall Melissa/Joey relationship.
Put together with a couple of clever plot points involving Lennox’ further adventures at school, these are pretty strong episodes to start out the next season.
MELISSA AND JOEY – “I Can Manage” (ABC FAMILY/RANDY HOLMES) NICK ROBINSON, JOEY LAWRENCE, TAYLOR SPREITLER, MELISSA JOAN HART
Give this one a look, if you haven’t already, and catch some more info, images, and a clip below.
With the house in disarray after a bathtub fell through the ceiling, the family is feeling the strain of close quarters in the season two premiere of “Melissa and Joey,” premiering on May 30 (8:00–8:30 PM ET/PT), followed by another all new episode at 8:30–9:00 PM ET/PT.
In the premiere episode, “I Can Manage,” Mel is feeling the pressure of balancing the massive home renovation with her duties at work. Determined to have the house fixed as quickly as possible, Joe convinces a reluctant Mel to put him in charge of the construction. But Joe’s management style only makes things worse. Meanwhile, Lennox is thrilled when her school wants to put on her original play, but the reaction is not quite what she had hoped.
In the second episode, “If You Can’t Stand the Heat,” Mel is charmed by her “cabinet guy,” but is less charmed by Joe’s reaction to him, leading them to a fight about being too involved in each other’s lives. However, their decision to give each other privacy does not turn out as planned. And Lennox is horrified at being appointed to her school’s “spirit committee,” until she meets the club’s president.
The series cast includes Melissa Joan Hart, Joey Lawrence, Taylor Spreitler, and Nick Robinson. In “I Can Manage,” the guest stars include Joel McKinnon Miller. In “If You Can’t Stand the Heat,” guest stars include Cody Linley, Bren Foster, and Joel McKinnon Miller.
MELISSA AND JOEY – “If You Can’t Stand the Heat” (ABC FAMILY/RANDY HOLMES) NICK ROBINSON, TAYLOR SPREITLER, MELISSA JOAN HART
MELISSA AND JOEY – “If You Can’t Stand the Heat” (ABC FAMILY/RANDY HOLMES) MELISSA JOAN HART, BREN FOSTER, JOEY LAWRENCE
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