While Star Trek was mainly a dramatic series, Shatner has embraced more comedy roles over the years, which has turned out to be a pretty good niche for his manner of speech and acting. This was very well demonstrated in the TV series Boston Legal
So when they decided to create a TV show based on a humorous Twitter feed full of catch one-liners and feisty zingers, casting William Shatner seemed like a no-brainer for the program. I suppose the real question was whether or not the Twitter feed's content alone was enough to create a truly dynamic TV show. Otherwise, it would be a clear example in support of the argument that you can't just crowdsource via social media a worthwhile TV series concept.
$#*! My Dad Says (or *bleep* My Dad Says on TV) is the CBS comedy TV series based on the Shit My Dad Says Twitter feed that also inspired a book
The core premise of the series begins with Henry moving in with his father since he's out of a job and needs a place to stay. As he tries to get work, he's made to experience the full benefits of living with his highly opinionated father including all of his somewhat controversial and often politically incorrect snide remarks. His father's rants eventually become the subject of his writing, thus netting him a job but not necessarily the freedom to leave his father's house.
At first, the show seemed to be determined to have Shatner ramble on with as many quirky quips from the source material as much as possible. Thus the show didn't put as much emphasis on the need for a running plot but instead set up a series of moments when everyone could just focus on Shatner giving another one-liner. While initially funny, this kind of almost sketch-like structure to early episodes made it a bit harder to go along with.
Thankfully the series matured in time as they fleshed out more of Ed's backstory in terms of his relationship with his sons along with his efforts to make amends and be a better father, in a manner of speaking. And giving more character to the likes of Henry beyond just being a loser certainly helps.
Will Sasso, a veteran of the sketch comedy series MADtv
I hadn't realized that Jonathan Sadowski, who plays Henry on the show, was also in the Amanda Bynes comedy She's the Man
By the end of the season, there were significant efforts to give the show more continuity / plot, which I think did the show well. As much as the initial hype around its Twitter connections helped it get off the ground, a show needs an actual story to get somewhere. Besides, the dialog is kind of a no-brainer for William Shatner since this is all like a more extreme version of what he's done in his comedic efforts in the past. Some might argue that he's not even playing a role on the series and this is all natural to him, if the stories of his on-set behavior is to be believed.
$#*! My Dad Says shows a lot of potential for growth and a second season should focus on expanding the existing storylines and give the characters more meat. This first effort gets 3.5 excuses for Ed to pull a gun on someone out of a possible 5. Given the season only recently ended, the show isn't yet available on home video, but I doubt you'll have to wait for long.
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