How To Be A Sitcom: A Review of "How To Be A Gentleman"

A funny cast does not a hilarious sitcom make. The new CBS comedy (now airing on Saturdays, 8:30 p.m.) created by and starring David Hornsby (“It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia”) consists of a cheesy script, an outdated laugh track and not much else. “How To Be A Gentleman” revolves around the concept that courtesy and chivalry are outdated and tiresome. Ironically, the show itself mirrors slightly old and tiresome jokes and plotlines. The title is derived from the 1998 book by the same name, although unlike the sitcom, the non-fiction work genuinely strives to help men with their manners and attitudes.

Hornsby plays Andrew Carlson, an etiquette columnist who rigidly lives and breathes the advice he gives. As Carlson emphatically states at the beginning of the show, “I am a gentleman.” Berated by his sister Janet (Mary Lynn Rajskub, “24”) for his uptight behavior and pressured to re-work his column for a younger, hipper audience, Carlson seeks the help of former high school bully-turned-gym-owner Bert Lansing, played by Kevin Dillon (“Entourage”). What unfolds in the next 30 minutes is the beginning of a new, typically ironic friendship between Carlson and Lansing, supported by words of wisdom by the reckless one and a willingness to loosen up from other.

Hornsby and Dillon work well together, bantering and bickering the whole time. Mimicking the chemistry of Oscar and Felix in “The Odd Couple,” the pair makes good use of body language and facial expressions to compensate for the script. Unfortunately, despite the notoriously funny cast, the acting doesn’t completely hide the lack of originality in the rest of the show. A sitcom is a sitcom, but with shows like “Modern Family” and “The New Girl,”—programs rich with original lines and great actors—new television comedies can’t afford weak jokes and cliché plot lines. As it stands, a brother-in-law with a New Zealand accent and an apparent lack of individuality and a boss rocking a toupee just doesn’t cut it for humor. How often has the more daring of a duo coerced the other to ask the hot girl out on a date or push him into a comical dilemma? Too many times.

In an era where “The Office” and “Big Bang Theory” are spitting out new joke after new joke, “How To Be A Gentleman” doesn’t quite make the cut. There were too few laughs and too many weak lines to capture interest. As Kevin Dillon’s character points out, “Life’s a jerk, and you gotta fight back or it’ll knock you out.” The writers should take their own advice and punch up the originality and cut back on the standard sitcom batch of jokes if they hope to stay in the fighting ring.