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Show:		7.0
Picture:		7.0
Sound:		8.0
Extras:		8.0
Score:		7.0

Director(s):	James Burrows
Writer(s):	Ed Yeager, Mark Gross, Julie Bean
Starring:	Ed Begley, Jr. • Jaime King • Jay Mohr • Paula Marshall • Ryan Malgarini • Kathryn Newton • Al Madrigal
Genre:	Comedy
Release Date:	February 09, 2010

List Price:	DVD - $29.99
Amazon:

The family sit-com is one of the standard genres of the TV industry, but as the face of the American family has changed in the 21st century, there will naturally be sit-coms to reflect the new world after the fall of the nuclear family. Created by Ed Yeager, Gary Unmarried tells the story of Gary Brooks, a divorced man with uncomplicated tastes who is trying to start a new life while still firmly linked to his old one. Comedian Jay Mohr portrays Gary as the kind of everyman underdog we often see depicted in situation comedies (The Honeymooners, the King of Queens, etc.). Mohr, one of the creative minds behind Last Comic Standing, has been a cast member of Saturday Night Live, appeared in several films including Jerry Maguire and was a total scene stealer in his supporting role on the Ghost Whisperer. He’s a talented comedian and his comic timing is the core of Gary Unmarried.

The premise revolves around Gary and his ex-wife Allison (Paula Marshall), a couple who divorced after 15 years of marriage but who clearly should never have split up. They don’t seem to realize that they are perfect for each other. Despite their acrimonious divorce and their constant fighting, they belong together.

As the pilot episode of the series starts, the marriage is already over. Allison has taken Gary to the cleaners in their divorce. Gary, a house painter, has moved into a smaller home than the one he and Allison used to share (which she still lives in) and the pair share custody of their two kids Tom and Louise (Ryan Malgarini, Kathryn Newton). They try to raise the kids together, even though living apart. Gary and Allison can’t agree on anything, including the best way to raise kids, so they often undermine each other, deliberating doing things the other won’t like. At one point, Gary tries to involve his son in the rather risky hobby of dirt bike riding, just to get a reaction out of Allison.

Gary and Allison have an agreement, ironed out by their marriage counselor, that neither of them will start dating yet, for the sake of the kids. However, when Gary meets pretty Vanessa (Jaime King) who seems too good to pass up, he immediately gets into a relationship with her, which he tries to hide from Allison. However, Allison has a bombshell of her own to drop on Gary. She’s become engaged to their marriage counselor Dr. Walter Krandall (Ed Begley, Jr.).

The focus of the writing is on the biting insults which are typical of sitcoms, and the rapid-fire dialogue here certainly delivers its share of laugh-out-loud zingers. However, the heart of the series is the love/hate relationship between Gary and Allison. They argue, steal from each other and compete over who’s the better parent, and yet there are moments of undeniable warmth between them. As Dr. Krandall points out, when Allison has a problem, she inevitably turns to Gary. And Gary, despite his protests of wanting Allison out of his life, always comes to her rescue.

The on-screen chemistry between Mohr and Marshall is brilliant. They are perfectly cast and they both have flawless comic timing. James Burrows, who directed the entire first season, has harnessed their combined comic energy and utilized it to form a wonderful comedy team.

There are a lot of good lines in Gary Unmarried, particularly when Gary and Allison argue. Allison is a shrew but she’s a sympathetic shrew. And Jay Mohr plays Gary as smarmy and sarcastic and yet still oddly charming. While there is a certain predictability to the standard sit-com plots, Gary Unmarried is worth watching just for the scenes of acid dialogue and verbal point scoring between Marshall and Mohr.

The kids also do a nice job. Ryan Malgarini has an amusing style of bravado line reading and Kathryn Newton is sweet and likeable as the underused Louise. As with most sit-coms, the kids are far too smart for their age and use words no child would ever use, but that’s par for the course in TV comedy.

Recurring characters include Al Madrigal, who plays the dim-witted Dennis, an employee of Gary’s small house painting company and Max Gail (best known for playing Wojo on The Barney Miller Show) as Gary’s ex-flower power father Jack. Jane Curtin and Martin Mull play Allison’s not-so-happily married parents Connie and Charlie.

One of the annoying things about the series is the way characters come and go in such a dispensable fashion. Begley, as Dr. Krandall was an important element in the early episodes and his intellectual snobbery made him a perfect foil for common man Gary. Sadly, he is written out of the show midway through the season, and isn’t mentioned again, except for one brief return appearance in the season finale. Similarly, Jaime King, who played Vanessa, was a big part of the first seven episodes but after that, her part is gradually diminished and she disappears midway into the season. In their place, other characters are added, such as Kathleen Rose Perkins who plays Gary’s new girlfriend Joan Plummer, and Rob Riggle who arrives late in the season to portray Gary’s immature ex-Marine half-brother Mitch. The series seems to be experimenting with characters at this point.

The DVD package contains 3 dics, featuring 20 episodes of the series.

DVD Bonus Features

There are four extra features included. The first is 'The Chemistry of Comedy', where director James Burrows and the cast members discuss what makes the show work. They discuss the relationship between the actors, between the director and the actors, between the director and the writers, etc., and so on.

The second feature is called 'Planet Begley' which give us an up close and personal look into the home life of Ed Begley, Jr. Begley lives an admirable green lifestyle and he discusses the many ways he contributes to conservation and environmental awareness.

The third section is 'Tuesday on the Set With Jay', where series star Jay Mohr gives us a tour of the set and banters with the camera crew.

Lastly, we have 'Gary Unhinged', which is the blooper reel for season one.