Mr. Robinson

Where Robinson excels are in the scenes with him leading his funk band.... The series, however, sticks too much to the sitcom formula, telling 22-minute stories that are all too predictable.

A rote sitcom and an embarrassment for all concerned.

Writers (and co-executive producers, among others) Mark Cullen and Robb Cullen have an uneven and not 100% original touch here. But sitcom magic is difficult to make, and at least Mr. Robinson has a few tricks in its bag.

For every charming and genuinely funny moment--and there is a fair amount--there is a lazy sitcom trope that stunts Mr. Robinson and depletes it of its promise.

Robinson obviously has some fun riffing at the keyboards (Brandon T. Jackson plays his brother and bandmate), but everything about the show has an exhausted, late-’80s vibe.

This is one of those shows with some promise in some of the characters--and even potential chuckles at the better, weirder jokes--but so clearly emits the sad stench of yet another comedy that that’s been cooked too long in a network oven.

Everything about this show is more of a mis-fire. [27 Jul - 9 Aug 2015, p.12]