The Bill Engvall Show

Bill Engvall is one of those comedians that I pause for, whenever I see him. Which is why, when I spotted a television show with him starring, I decided to give it a shot.

From almost the first line, I was not impressed. And things just went from bad to worse. The jokes are not just flat, they're stale. He has problems communicating with his wife ... just like Dick Van Dyke! His kids don't listen to him, but he's proved right in the end ... just like Bill Cosby! His work keeps him away from home ... just like, eh, you get the idea. the jokes are recycled, the story lines are recycled, and the characters are recycled.

Now, I don't necessarily blame Mr. Engvall for most of this. TV after all, has a long history of pulling the teeth from comics to make them palatable for the general public. I was quite looking forward to the George Lopez Show, for example, only to be similarly disappointed. But frankly, based on the utter blandness of this show, I have to wonder, just what did Engvall fight for? Anything? Oh, and I gave this two stars instead of one because Nancy Travis is worth watching.