About A Book-To-Film-To-TV Adaptation

What Is This Thing?

Will is a wealthy playboy, unemployed by choice and living off royalties from a successful Christmas song he recorded with his former band. He basically has nothing to do but pursue women and grill, until single mother Fiona and her son Marcus move in next door, and he realizes, under duress, that helping this clueless, dorky kid might actually give his life some meaning.

When Is It On?

Tuesdays at 9 PM on NBC, though the pilot is airing at a special time: Saturday, February 22, at 11:05 PM.

Why Was It Made Now?

When it comes to comedy, NBC may have lost the thread in recent years, as evidenced by the cancellation of both its new Thursday night comedies. And from the little I've seen, About A Boy's time slot neighbour, Growing Up Fisher, is not terribly promising, what with the return of Jenna Elfman, last seen in that awful White House comedy NBC cancelled last year. But its recent series adapted from films -- Friday Night Lights and Parenthood -- have at least been critical hits, so why not go back to that well? They also have something else in common...

What's Its Pedigree?

...which is producer Jason Katims, who's behind About A Boy too. Minnie Driver, who plays Fiona here (the role originated by Toni Collette), is a past Oscar nominee. And David Walton is the survivor of four (4) past shows NBC has cancelled after one season (or, in some cases, less).

...And?

The pilot does something smart, which is to deliver a condensed version of the film plot. It brings the viewer in with familiar material, and also establishes where the two projects differ, and frees the writers to create entirely new situations for the characters. My worry was that Fiona and Will would just keep bickering and hating each other; this way, it will still make sense when they have philosophical differences and that they care enough about Marcus to remain in each other's lives. On that tip, it was also a smart choice to make Will and Fiona next-door neighbours; otherwise, it would have strained our suspension of disbelief for the two to have frequent face-to-face conversations, as I assume they will in episodes to come. I have been in the tank for Walton since Perfect Couples (it's better than you think! Or maybe it's not, but I liked it), and I'm happy that they decided to let Driver keep her real accent.

...But?

It would be hard for any kid actor to erase the memory of Nicholas Hoult in the film; his sad, serious performance was assured without being cloying or precocious and is still, in my view, one of the best child performances in film. Benjamin Stockham, who plays TV's Marcus, is pretty likable, in keeping with Katims's good track record casting kids on Parenthood, and he'll probably grow on me, but he's not the same. The move to San Francisco makes logistical sense, and it was sort of cute for Will to pop up at a poker game on Parenthood last month, but I don't think we'll need a ton of crossovers, if anyone is thinking about that.

...So?

The show is not one of your more hilarious sitcoms, but the characters are winning, and I'm interested to see more about their lives -- particularly, for wish-fulfillment purposes, Will's life of idle self-indulgence, which I hope his role as unofficial godfather doesn't crimp too much.