Son of a Critch

SON OF A CRITCH seems to be a very promising new sitcom for CBC. The plot follows along the lines of YOUNG SHELDON and the new WONDER YEARS except it's a Canuck childhood recollection. Hopefully, they treat it with respect and keep it on the air, at least until the young actor playing Mark graduates. I could easily relate to the setting, having grown up and gone to school in Canada (albeit Saskatchewan, not Newfoundland), and a decade earlier. The show is full of quirky Canadiana: the Wayne and Shuster lunch pail, the Rich Little poster, the moose headline. The creator of the show, Mark Critch, plays his father on the series. A nice surprise for me was Malcolm McDowell playing Mark's 80 year old grandfather with whom he shares a bedroom. I am looking forward to enjoying many years of this show, tickling my funny bone and reliving memories of being a nerdy kid in Canada.

I'm not usually a big fan of family comedies, but I really like this one. The characters are well done, esp. Mark. And I love the little bit of sarcasm that's thrown in. The setting is unusual for those of us in the U. S., and it's not mean-spirited. Grandfather (Malcom McDowell) delivers his lines with the kind of dry humor that levels out the sillier parts. The Catholic School setting (and the nuns) are priceless. And the "love interest", Fox, is quite beautiful. I would like this one to stay around awhile; I think I could become part of the family and really care about them. Good luck to continued success.

I actually like the show. Strong cast, funny enough. I was surprised to see Malcolm McDowell, but I guess they wanted to add some credibility to the cast.

What's clear is that they have not only a few similarities to Young Sheldon. I mean, the mother and the brother even look similar to the mother and brother on Young Sheldon. It's almost like they want to be confused with that show.

This series started off a tad slow for me, I wasn't sure if I was going to persevere with it. But.... as it got going it just got better and better.

I don't know anything about Newfoundland apart from other TV series I have seen which have been mainly really dramatic, so this was a wonderful change.

Great to see the sets from the 80's too. A lot of people are making comparisons with The Wonder Years and Young Sheldon, but I think this stands on its own, and indeed, it's based on the Father's real life experiences growing up. The humour is wry and self deprecating, not in your face laugh out loud although there are a few of those too.

I see it has been renewed for Season 3, so I'm definitely looking forward to that!

Upon watching, you are inevitably drawn to make comparison with The Wonder Years (original) but also notice the differences that makes this stand out on it's own.

It has all of the comical absurdity that revolves around a typical family type that most will recognise.

Great performances all round, with particular note for Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and Malcolm McDowell (in his best role for years).

It is silly and of course absurd but oh so delightfully so, partly because of the Canadian elements attached.