Child Support

Once upon a time, there was a child-actor and a British so-called comedian. Both had careers in their own right; one winning awards and adulation for his expert performance in a thought-provoking, coming-of-age show, the other receiving l acclaim for his part in a ground-breaking sit-com that turned into an international franchise. Now, we are witnessing the death and demise of both of their careers in the oncology unit that is the prime-time game show. Ricky Gervais has stated on several occasions how he dislikes children (especially being around them in restaurants, friends' houses etc), yet every time a child says something remotely "cute" on this show, he bursts into a hideous laugh that would frighten a hyena-- and we, the audience are supposed to believe he is actually having fun, when in reality he looks like he is cursing his manager for telling him this was the best thing he could get at this stage of his "career". Conceptually, this show is derivative of one done in the 80's called "Child's Play", however times have changed, and even the quick editing can't make Ricky tolerable, or "Child Support" funny (or even remotely entertaining).

This show is entertaining, they have some of the kids from BuzzFeed and some I don't recognize. They are adorable, of course. That's not my issue with them, it's that they often seem bored and strained as if they really aren't having a good time. Which isn't surprising because they are basically taking a pop quiz while Ricky fake laughs at their jokes.

The biggest problem I have with this "game", if you can call it that, is the fact that a person can ultimately get every question wrong and as long as the children know their basic trivia answers THE DUMB PERSON STILL WINS A BUNCH OF MONEY. They knock off the largest sum winnable after the contestant gets a question wrong, but if the children save them, they continue on. There is NO LIMIT to how many times this can occur. Secondly, if the contestant is doing well, and they get JUST ONE wrong and the the children are unable to answer correctly, they get absolutely nothing, no matter how far they have made it through the game! It's infuriating to watch the idiots go home with (not exactly earned) prize money, and people who had most of the knowledge to get so far got stiffed.

I could say some uncomplimentary things about this show. It moves awfully slow for a game show, for one thing. But in spite of itself, I look forward to watching it. I adore Ricky Gervais, and whatever he does is fine by me. He claims to hate all kinds of people and things, but he loves animals, so I know he has a big heart. If he really hated kids, I doubt if he would bother with this show. His career is hardly over! I love the way he treats the kids and the way they respond to him. Fred Savage is a good guy. The kids are priceless. It's nice to see a show that contains no blood, guns or profanity, and I will continue watching.

Well, first you get the contestants. And they are really, really excited to be there. I mean, they're super excited. And that's hilarious. They also love to explain how they know the answers to kid friendly questions. Do you want to know how someone knows a plot point about The Little Mermaid? Because you're going to find out.

Then there's Fred Savage. And he's really, really excited to meet the guests. I mean, he's super excited. And that's hilarious. And he's bringing the enthusiasm. When someone answers a kid friendly question, Fred's there to make them feel like they just cracked the Enigma machine.

And what can I say about Gervais? He is really, really excited to talk to the kids. I mean he's super excited. And that's hilarious. Now some of you may think that Gervais has made a career on incisive, sardonic humour and that sitting in a room with a bunch of kids trying to force laughs out of their observations would be the sort of lightweight pablum he'd have parodied earlier, but that doesn't matter because everyone is having such a good time!

"Child Support" is a game show in which contestants answer questions for money. Hosted by Fred Savage, the show's hook is that a panel of five children answers the same questions. If the contestant answers incorrectly, the children can save him with a correct answer.

The contestants are vibrating with enthusiasm, like Will Ferrell in "Elf". This contestant pool has not been vetted for "Jeopardy". After all, they face questions that are within the purview of children, on subjects like nursery rhymes, animated films and Justin Bieber. So they are selected for their personalities.

The children are at the age when they get frequent visits by the tooth fairy. They are precocious, meaning they like attention even more than the average kid. The show relies on the humor in the responses of children. This is an area that has been mined by Art Linkletter, Ellen, and Steve Harvey. The popularity of internet videos has reawakened this entertainment niche. If you like the darn things that these snaggle-toothed kids say, you will probably enjoy "Child Support". Ricky Gervais gets the questionable honor of interacting with the children.

The maximum a contestant can win is $200,000. Wrong answers result in reduced payouts or elimination. Real money is attainable, because the questions are relatively easy. In two episodes, I missed only one question. So don't expect to be challenged or to learn much.

Between the host, the contestants, the kids and Ricky, the cuteness quotient is off the charts. You may overdose on twee-ness.