No. 4. Life in Pieces: Call It a Sit-Dram
I’ve never been much for sitcoms. They’re just too…sitcommie. That changed a bit with Modern Family, which has been willing to put aside a good joke in favor of a character driven moment.
But what truly separates Life in Pieces from the rest of those half-hour shows is the quality of the acting. The cast is chock full of drama pros—Brandt, Wiest, Colin Hanks from Season 1 of Fargo, James Brolin. The stakes aren’t particularly high--forget about life and limb, the only thing that's at stake here is hurt feelings--but it feels real. Call it a Sit-Dram. Or just call it good.
(Check back after Christmas for an revealing--and just plain delightful--interview with Life in Pieces star, Besty Brandt, who talks about how she landed a whole series of plum roles after Breaking Bad.)