Home Economics

It’s impossible to tell, for now, whether this charming sitcom will rise to the notoriety of predecessors like Modern Family. But its soft-focus exploration of class feels like fertile ground for a broadcast sitcom in 2021—and the canny casting, specific but flexible premise, and focus on heart all feel right on the money.

All in all, though, it’s a breezy watch with a casually zany hangout energy, and it hits on some touchy subjects without getting too deep with them. (This is a comedy, after all.) It’s tough to talk about money sometimes, but the Home Economics crew finds a way to make it almost fun.

There seems to be a disparity between the warm relationship between these siblings and the funny lines that are supposed to come out of this relationship. But the relationship is so well-established so early, we’re rooting for it to get funnier.

It’s early days for a show with a fair amount on its mind and a good sense of who its three leads are. It’s worth hoping that the show pursues the instinct that led to develop three sharply observed characters, and refines those parts of the show that are not there yet.

Home Economics works best when it's just the family together at a brunch or a party; in those scenes you can see enough appeal for this show to grow in the same way Single Parents did, from an uneven beginning to being one of my favorite broadcast comedies by the time ABC canceled it.

Fails entirely on its own demerits. It's about three siblings—one boundlessly rich (he just bought Matt Damon's house), one grindingly poor (she can't afford Damon's movie tickets, much less his home) and one going down fast (his last novel sold five copies, one of them to the rich brother). No worry—they're all brought together by mutual peevishness, spite and jealousy. After extensive and determinedly unfunny airing of grievances, they conclude that, as the rich brother declares, that "we're all screwed up." And, he adds: "What a relief!" Speak for yourself, buddy.