When I first saw the preview for For Better or Worse, the new sitcom based on the characters Angela (Tasha Smith) and Marcus (Michael Jai White) from Tyler Perry’s popular Why Did I Get Married movies, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. While I thought the couple was good for some comic relief in the films, focusing an entire sitcom around a couple whose sole purpose in the movies was to bicker seemed to be a stretch. But I like Tasha Smith and it’s the relatively rare opportunity to see a black married couple on television so I decided to tune in.
In the first episode Tasha, a successful salon owner, is irate after Marcus’ young daughter from a previous relationship disrespects Tasha by calling her a name to Tasha and Marcus’ son. After finding out that the daughter’s disrespectful behavior was prompted by Marcus’ daughter’s mother Keisha, an angry Tasha confronts Keisha, the two get into a fist fight, and make up 30 seconds later. Meanwhile, Marcus finds out that Keisha is now dating a friend and colleague.
As I watched the first episode, and then the second, one nagging little thing was continuously on my mind.
WHERE IS THE LAUGH TRACK?! Excuse me if I seem nit-picky, but the laugh track is something I never notice until it’s obviously gone. I think that Perry’s nixing the laugh track and the three-camera set-up is his way of giving the show a more modern feel (think “The Game” instead of “House of Payne”) but the absence of laughter made the jokes feel awkward. Instead of having that modern feel of a show like The Office, I felt like I was watching a comedic stage play with no audience. Bring that track back Tyler Perry. ASAP.
Aside from the awkward silences, the show was mediocre. The premise it started with was a complex one. I was interested to see how dealing with the respect issue in a blended family would play out in a half -hour sitcom. But it seemed to go nowhere from there and turned in to standard TP fare even down to the inclusion of a loud fat woman who seemed to appear out of nowhere with the sole purpose of being rude and chubby.
I could think of one million ways for a show to have ended rather than having two grown women fighting out over a man and then laughing about it in the next scene. (Really? We’re giggling and chit chatting after you just choked me out and threw me across a table?) I’m all for conflict and drama in a story line that actually moves the plot along, but adding in a Real Housewives type of fight was unnecessary.
On the other hand, the show does have some potential. While I maintain that Marcus and Angela can’t carry an entire show on their own, they did introduce some supporting characters, colleagues of Marcus’ and a friend of Angela’s that may bring some balance to the show. And if the writers can let more true-to-life interactions between the characters take place instead of relying on over-the-top dramatics, they can possibly show some interesting dynamics between all of the members in the couple’s blended family.
My final verdict: For Better or for Worse could be a good show, but right now it’s not. I’m not ready to tune out, just yet, but it’s going to need some tweaking to keep my attention for much longer. I’m beyond the point of trying to call a sitcom good just because it shows black couples on television, and right now I’m not sure that For Better or For Worse does much more than that.
Did you catch the premiere episode? What did you think?