The McCarthys

CBS's new comedy The McCarthys is well written and terrifically cast. Star Tyler Ritter is effortless in his delivery and grounds the comedy that can take family bonding to extremes.

The McCarthys--good-natured, old-fashioned, unchallenging--isn't a bad sitcom, just an obvious one.

That the show itself feels like a bit of a throwback doesn't have to be a bad thing: It's a throwback to a time when millions more people watched shows like this.

A loud, old-school comedy with Laurie Metcalf ("Roseanne") as mom Marjorie and Tyler Ritter (look-alike younger son of the late John Ritter) as gay son Ronny.

When the show is focused on Mr. Ritter and Ms. Metcalf, The McCarthys rises above the usual sitcom slop that it feels like whenever the other characters get screen time.

The central mother-son dynamic and its moments of warmth can’t overcome the weariness that permeates the rest of the show and cast.

At the end of the day, The McCarthys feels like an incredibly dated concept done incorrectly. If it's not the worst new comedy of the fall, it's certainly giving the others a run for their money.