NBC's 'Tucker' still needs to go through puberty

By Katie Den Bleyker

For the Daily

NBC begins its fall season tonight with the comedic "Tucker." "Tucker" is a sort of dysfunctional "Brady Bunch" meets "The Wonder Years," with a cast comprised of many talented actors.

"Tucker" stars TV newcomer Eli Marienthal ("American Pie"), who, along with his newly divorced mom (Nicole Beck), is forced to move in with his perfectionist Aunt Claire, played by Peg Bundy herself, Katey Sagal ("Married...With Children"). In addition to his annoying aunt, Tucker also has to deal with sharing a room with his obnoxious cousin Leon (Nathan Lawrence), whose hobbies include collecting human hair and doing wrestling moves on the unsuspecting Tucker.

Despite all of Tucker's problems dealing with his parents' divorce and his subsequent move, he does find some bright spots in the form of his airplane pilot uncle, Jimmy (Casey Sander), and his attractive next-door neighbor, McKenna (Alison Lohman).

"Tucker" has some funny points, thanks to Sagal's comedic appeal and some jokes early on in the show about the prepubescent Tucker's "manly urges," a theme that continues throughout the show. Also amusing is the dinner table scene when Leon gets upset at his mother for calling him "pumpkin" after young Tucker convinces Leon that his mother's tendency to call him by that particular nickname means that she thinks Leon is gay.

In spite of a few funny points, the main problem with this new show is that it still seems to be trying to find its tone. Throughout the first episode, "Tucker seesaws back and forth between the cloying sweetness of the "Brady Bunch" and the more introspective voice-overs of "The Wonder Years." Particularly confusing is the relationship between Leon and Tucker. One minute Leon is body-slamming Tucker into the window and the next Leon is treating Tucker like his best friend. McKenna is also a bit annoying. The writers have pushed her character beyond "smart," providing her with an SAT vocabulary and a soft spot for reading "mature" books like "Lady Chatterly's Lover."

The bottom line is that, despite its problems, "Tucker" has some funny points and shows promise if the show can expand its comedic appeal and decide on an underlying tone that compliments the jokes.

Courtesy of NBC

Eli Marienthal and Katey Sagal star in NBC's new family sitcom, 'Tucker.'