The sitcom is set in a high school and follows the lives of three students, including Topher Grace’s character, who are trying to make it through their senior year with all the drama that comes along with it.
Home Economics Season 1 stars Topher Grace and tells the story of a family struggling to stay afloat in the recession.
For the sake of love or money
Topher Grace and Caitlin McGee star in the lead roles.
John Aboud and Michael Colton are the creators.
A solid ensemble comedy is one of my favorite things to watch. A la Modern Family or Life in Pieces, there are a number of people and storylines that all weave together. Home Economics has the potential to become one of those amazing programs, but it still needs some improvement.
Three siblings tell their tale in Home Economics. Tom (Topher Grace) is a writer with three children whose most recent work has not been well received. Sarah (Caitlyn McGee) is a counselor who just lost her job and has two children. Connor (Jimmy Tatro), the youngest, is married with one kid and is a successful investor.
When we first meet them, Connor has just relocated to San Francisco with his brothers. He purchased a mansion and is eager for the family to reunite. He wants the kids to grow up together and have all kinds of familial connection, which hasn’t always been the case with this family.
We hear about their different financial and family problems and successes as they start on this new relationship. We also get to meet their parents (Nora Dunn and Phil Reeves) and learn a lot about their upbringings. The book Tom is secretly writing on the family is the narrative device utilized for backstory.
The chemistry between the characters, excellent writing, and typically broad humor combined with relatable moments are what make ensemble comedies successful. In the first season of Home Economics, there are indications of all three, but none of them are completely realized.
Characters and circumstances are well-written, but dialogue isn’t as crisp as it should be to carry some of the scenarios. When banter has to be fast and clever, it may become a little stale. That may be an artifact of the show’s newness, but it’s something that will improve if we don’t need to explain their oddities.
I like all of the siblings at times, but not all of them at all times. Tom is considered to be the most steady and consistent of the three. Sarah is the hippie in the group. Connor is the well-heeled knucklehead. Yes, they’re a little too wide, but that’s OK for now. By the conclusion of the season, we’ve narrowed down on them, and they’re starting to seem less like stereotypes, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.
There are a few instances that are relatable. I don’t include them in a first season since we’re still learning the ropes, but there are enough to demonstrate that the showrunners are sticking to the pattern.
The in-laws’ personalities and stories were the ones I liked the best. In the midst of the familial chaos, Tom’s wife Marina (Karla Souza) and Sarah’s wife Denise (Sasheer Zamata) are oasis of calm. The two of them have a wonderful chemistry, and the viewer is drawn into their world as they are relieved to be out of the fray. I was always a fan of these characters.
Overall, I enjoyed the first season of Home Economics, and I’m forward to see where ABC takes it when it returns on September 22, 2021. The first season is available to view on Hulu.
Sue loves over-parenting her adult children, cycling, and procrastinating. She is an aspiring Crazy Cat Lady and the Editorial Manager at Silver Beacon Marketing.
The home economics season finale was a show that aired on the NBC network. It starred Topher Grace as a man who had to teach his sister’s kids how to cook and clean.
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