TVSquad

ABC has a certified hit with their big sprawling look at an American Modern Family. But this isn't their first foray into a big family sitcom. In 2006, they aired a partially improvised comedy about a big, sprawling American family.

Sons & Daughters was barely on a month, but it sunk its talons into me and still hasn't let go. With mostly improvised dialogue, there was something very honest about the language they spoke, complete with the stammers and stutters that make up real conversation. The show was honest, heartfelt and funny. And with a massive cast, it felt like we were constantly on the verge of total chaos somewhere.

It looks like Sons & Daughters was ahead of its time, hitting the air when Americans were touting the sitcom as a dying format. Goss needed to hold out until this season, somehow. Now we're taking a hard look at the sitcom again, and finding that we do like it. It just has to be good. Sons & Daughters was good.

When I wrapped up my interview with Bruce McCulloch -- executive producer of ABC's Carpoolers and a member of the legendary comedy troupe Kids In The Hall -- I asked him if there was anything else he might be working on. "Yeah, I'm going to have a heart attack next March, and I wanted people to know about that," he joked. For a guy who has worn a lot of hats in his career, nothing has kept him busier than being the boss.

Carpoolers, a single-camera comedy premiering on ABC tonight at 8:30 PM ET, is about four guys who use their carpool to explore what's going on in each other's lives. The show is McCulloch's brainchild, which means he's involved with everything from the writing to how many donuts will be on the craft services table. Yet he still has time to write and perform his own surreal works, as well as perform occasionally with the Kids, who have been together for almost a quarter-century.

I got a chance to speak to McCulloch last week, and we talked about what it's like to premiere after the season's most lambasted new show (Cavemen), what parts of himself he sees in each of his main characters, what it's like to work with Fred Goss and Jerry O'Connell (who spoke to our friends at AOL last week), and why the Kids have managed to stay together for so long. Highlights are after the jump, as well as an audio embed of the interview (35 minutes).

Want to know how Fred Goss REALLY feels about the cancellation of Sons & Daughters? Well, you could check out his blog on ABC.com -- while it's still up -- but you could just skip that and check out the blog he has set up on his MySpace page, where he's a bit more vocal about his situation. While he's upset that S&D is gone, he is still happy for the opportunity and informs readers that he and partner Nick Holly are developing shows for Touchstone. So, it's not like he burns any bridges here. But let's just say that he's not a big fan of According to Jim.

ABC gave the greenlight to two new comedies, including Let's Rob Mick Jagger, which is a single-camera comedy about a janitor and his friends who plan to rob Mick Jagger. It's executive produced by David Letterman. The original plan for the show was to rob Jeff Goldblum, but he's already busy with NBC. Jagger just recently signed on to appear in several episodes of the show that is all about robbing him.

ABC also picked up A Day in the Life, which has different views of a couple's wedding day. How are they going to get an entire season out of this premise? I dunno, either. The network also renewed What About Brian? for a second season.

And, part-improv/part-scripted comedy Sons & Daughters did not get renewed for a second season. Creator Fred Goss (interviewed earlier this year by Joel) confirms cancellation on his website.

Sigh. I knew Sons & Daughters was going to be an endangered show as soon as I saw the first episode. But I didn't realize the death knell would come so soon. According to Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle, Gillian Vigman, who plays Liz Walker on S&D, has been signed to the new CBS pilot that stars Tom Cavanagh.

(Indeed, this article from The Hollywood Reporter via AOL seems to confirm this.)

Of course, since the lovely and funny Vigman plays one of the main characters on S&D, it would appear this news signals the show's impending cancellation. Which sucks, of course: the show was just starting to hit its stride creatively. Or this could be one of those conditional signings, where she takes this job only if S&D is cancelled. But, either way, things aren't looking good, are they? Oh, well. Maybe one of the other pilots Fred Goss and Nick Holly are working on will have a better fate.

[Thanks to reader otmshank for breaking the bad news.]

I am so conditioned to seeing a 22-episode television season, that I keep forgetting that Sons & Daughters is now only one episode away from the end of its current run. Maybe it was the back-to-back airings that threw me, too. But the order was for only 11 episodes, and we saw numbers nine and ten tonight. But maybe it's just as well; the show's hitting its creative stride, and that is something that might have gotten blunted by having to fill 22 episodes. Maybe the Brits, with their limited series runs, have the right idea.

Anyway, both these episodes were very funny, and the second, "The Homecoming" was unexpectedly touching, as well.

I was pretty down on Sons & Daughters last week, mainly because they aired two fairly laugh-free half-hours that were also short on the dramatic touches that have made this show one of the more unique programs on TV. But Fred Goss and company have come roaring back with two fine and funny episodes this week, each revolving around a singular event in the Walker extended family.

The "Hospital Visit" referenced by episode one's title occurs after some normal family strife and an argument with Cameron about her separation sends Colleen to the hospital with chest pains.  So all of a sudden, people that were being driven nuts by Colleen's passive aggression -- like Sharon, maybe? -- all of a sudden talk about what a saint she was. "I mean, when we came home from school, she'd have food for us to eat, and the power was always on..." Sharon says with a straight face. But the big event is that Colleen and Wendal, who can still bring in the buxom young bartenders, get back together after he rushes to her side.

Just like in scripted comedy, episodes of improvised comedy can be hit or miss. Sometimes the hits and misses happen in the space of a single episode. That's what happened tonight's two episodes of Sons & Daughters. Both had their funny moments, but both also dragged in spots, but not because there were overly dramatic moments like there were last week. It's because the funny lines just didn't fly. And I think I can pinpoint the problem: Not enough Carrie.

Just kidding. I really did think, though, that I'd see more of her after the strong showing she had in the first two episodes. She really hasn't had much to do in any of the four that have aired since then, which is unfortunate. In fact, most of the supporting characters get the short shrift in both these episodes, with the possible exceptions of Don and Whitey. This is a problem; as much as I like Cam and Liz, they're probably the least interesting characters in the show. It's the "How I Met Your Mother dilemma": do you stay with the boring leads that you've built the stories around or go off and explore the more interesting people in their universe? Unfortunately, S&D is staying with it's central couple right now, and it's less funny because of it.

For two guys who have never written for TV before, Fred Goss and Nick Holly are off to a fast start. Their new ABC comedy, Sons & Daughters, which airs Tuesdays at 9 ET, has been universally praised by critics (including me), and the first two episodes gave the network better ratings than it's had in that timeslot.

Goss, who also stars on the show as Cameron Walker, mostly had acting and editing credits before this project, most notably on the Bravo comedy Significant Others. Holly, believe it or not, was a literary agent who partnered with Goss to create this and other pilots. As they pitched their ideas around, demand for their services increased; an ABC executive actually pitched them the idea for this show, for instance.

There's a good reason for that, though: the show's improvisational style and realistic extended family dynamic have hit a nerve with everyone... including Arrested Development fans, of which Goss seems to be very aware. The AD issue and others came up last Friday as the two spoke to me by phone from their office in Los Angeles.

There may have been a time when the words "from Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels" were enough to get me excited about a show, but not so much anymore. Michaels is serving as executive producer for the upcoming ABC comedy Sons and Daughters from NBC Universal and Michael's Broadway Video Television. The series is being called a "hybrid comedy" meaning they took normal comedy and crossbred it with a soybean plant. Wait, sorry, actually the show will combine both scripted and improvised elements. The series will center on Cameron, played by series co-creator Fred Goss, as he deals with his second marriage, extended family, and stepchildren.

Here's the thing. I really like the idea of this show, but based on the "isn't this going to be a wacky show?" promos and paint-by-number characters (the hot chick likes bad boys but not nerds, stepchildren don't like their stepparents, etc) I'm afraid this might be just another forgettable sitcom. The concept is admirable, but even with the new approach I have the sinking feeling I've been here before.

The series premieres March 7.