Bob Hearts Abishola

I hate sitcoms. The laugh tracks, the predictable plots and the endings with a neat little bow but this one seemed a little different. It genuinely made me laugh and I actually cared for the main character, Abishola. I really liked the pilot episode and excited for more.

Bob Hearts Abishola shows promise and may just be worth watching so long as the characters remain somewhat authentic and it doesn't collapse into the usual tired cliches.

There is the beginning of a hopefully long story here.

I love Chuck Lorre, but as a Nigerian I feel like this show tries too hard. There are several laugh out loud moments and yet there are nod-off moments too. Basically, you don't produce a show about Nigeria with only 2% actual Nigerian cast. Even without checking their names, I can tell that most of these characters aren't Nigerian. Their accent is nothing close to what Nigerians sound like. The one person who has a proper Nigerian accent (Abishola) isn't quite a stellar actress. I cringe sometimes watching her. Like the scene when her ex-husband holds back her son in Nigeria; her anger was laughable. Kofo and Goodwin are the only other people who actually sound Nigerian (to some extent). Also, how do you have 'Nigerian' characters who can't even sy Nigerian names? Bad. Just bad. I can understand if it's coming from Dottie or Bob, not Abishola's aunt and uncle, or the new girl.

I feel like the bad acting in this show is mainly from the Nigerian cast. Maybe a Nigerian director would have helped. Also some things are either exaggerated or not well-thought-out. Like the wedding scene where the lights go out. Yes, Nigerians say UP NEPA every time power is restored, but not well-off Nigerians, and especially not at weddings or high class functions. Typical Nigerians would comport themselves in that situation, and if by some one-in-a-million chance they decide to forgo their pride, they most certainly wouldn't chorus UP NEPA in unison like it's an anthem.

For a show about Nigeria, it's funny I prefer the Americans to the Nigerians, with Uncle Tunde being the only exception. I love this show but for it to work: improve acting, tone down exaggeration, research Nigeria, teach characters to pronounce with the right accent when they say a Nigerian name or speak Yoruba. And finally, not every Nigerian mother or aunt on the show has to be obnoxious.

I like this new series. I've been a fan of Billy Gardell for awhile now. M & M just cemented his line timing and sense of humor for me. It's got some good lines, some good jokes and very good timing on delivery of those jokes. I'm undecided on the aunt and uncle yet but I like Abishola and her son both. I even like her co-workers that she talks to about some of the Bob/husband/life things. Vernee Watson-Johnson is one of her co-workers and I've liked her since I saw her in Welcome Back Kotter. There are some strong actors in this show with good scripting and funny, endearing lines. The characters have a real quality about them and the actors are good enough to get you involved in the show.

This is the first time that a Nigerian family is on television. When I heard that this show was from Chuck Lorre, I had to watch it. I'm glad I did. I hope this show does well