'In the Motherhood': The Reviews Are In

"In the Motherhood" had all the makings of a hit comedy: A funny, successful precursor in the now defunct "In the Motherhood" series on MSN, a great cast, a callout for real stories from real moms and an audience excited to see their roles portrayed in sitcom-land. Plus, it got a great review from Washington Post critic Tom Shales.

So, where did it all go bad? In the forced jokes? In the lack of character introductions? In the crudeness and content not suitable for family viewing? In the loss of real stories because of the Writers Guild of America? Of course, not everyone thought it was terrible. Here's what our great team of "In the Motherhood" watchers had to say:

Benita Staples, Charlotte, N.C., mother of a 1-year-old girl:

I just finished watching the show and I must say I was mildly entertained as a whole, but I do not feel as if these were women telling my story. I feel that the characters lacked a bit of depth and were one-dimensional. There is the "Control freak, I want everything to be perfect, stay at home" mom, the "childless, i don't quite get it, witty" one and the "working, motherhood is almost too much, I want a life" mom and the manny -- what was his deal? I don't think that the show portrayed enough interaction of the moms with their children. I feel like the show is going to tell stories that have already been told. I wanted to see a mom on the brink of desperation then find her way back; we all have been there. I wanted to see the craze of breastfeeding, managing being a wife, home manager, employee and mom. I wanted to see the complete confusion and the magic of pulling it all together that goes into being a mom everyday. That was not what I saw, instead I saw the witty banter of women that happen to have children. Albeit funny, but I can get that on any sitcom with a feminine cast.

Having said all that, I will watch it again because I like to give shows a chance, I like to get to know the characters more and try to relate to them (though I might have a little difficulty since I am an African-American woman and wife, working a full-time job and only dreaming of being able to afford a nanny and I can't remember the last time I got to enjoy a glass of wine with my friends without a baby clinging to my back!). Yes, I will watch it again, but I don't know if I will call my mommy network and require that they set their DVRs/Tivo to record this show.

Michelle Blanc, Glenn Dale, Md., mother of a 6 year old and a 5 year old:

The initial show did not do a great job introducing the characters of the show. I didn't feel a connection right off with any of the characters. I was not quite clear until much later in the show that the children at the top of the show were products of a biracial marriage (which is fine). It would have been nice to establish that up front. They did not seem to "fit in" at first since there were no other black characters in the scene.

I did not recognize any actual "mommy" stories in the script. I was very disappointed in that aspect. Felt uncomfortable about the character faking a pregnancy. Isn't that illegal? Not too funny to me.

I'm not a prude, but the humor in this program did not really appeal to me. It was not rated, so I had to change the channel a couple of times, because the topics (no Santa, no tooth fairy, sex) were not appropriate for my children, ages 6 and 5.

I will give it another try next week, but so far, I'm not impressed.

Kara Peralta, SE Washington, D.C., mother of a 6-month-old girl:

As a new mom, I particularly am looking for shows with characters I can relate to. I’m still learning to find the humor in the life that comes with being a working parent.

The show had a promising start. When Jane walked in and saw chaos with her “manny,” I think many working moms could relate to the desire to walk back out. The fact that there was a manny was a great story line and a fun reference to “Friends,” which I watched for years.

The show seemed to go downhill after that, though. It felt forced and too exaggerated. While I would have loved to cut in an ice cream shop line while pregnant, those things never happened. It was rare to be given a seat on the Metro when commuting home from work, even within a week of my due date.

I did like the dichotomy of the “super mom” who tries so hard to be perfect and the “regular mom” who lets things slip every now and then. They could have been more realistic if they weren’t so strictly stereotyped, though.

The show did pick back up in the last five minutes or so. (The falling Santa and the discovery of the fake pregnancy were fun slap-stick moments.) I really like the actresses and so I’ll watch one more episode to give it another chance. If the writing and timing improves in future episodes and I feel more of a connection to the characters perhaps I will continue watching it. If I it still feels forced I think I’ll pass.

Many nights an 8 p.m. show is hard to catch anyway since it conflicts with my little one’s bedtime and time for TV is hard to find most evenings. A show has to be good for me to keep watching it.

Njeri Santana, Washington, D.C., mother of a 7-year-old son:

First the good. Loved the themes. I truly identified with a lot of them ... the whole lying to your kids so you don't feel guilty about being out, the reference to "Who's the Boss" was cute, the over-acheiving mom/relationship expert (so know her), dating after divorce, and lastly the kids spilling the beans about Santa.

Alright the bad. I chuckled only once and was expecting to laugh a little harder. When I did chuckle I don't think it was intended for laughs. I'm referring to the part where the teacher started singing "in-door voices." Ok I laughed twice. When the manny ran off and the baby started crying [after the baby shower and the bug fell out] ... I fell out [laughed really hard]. I will give the show another chance. I just hope the punch lines don't seem so forced.

Heather Fink, Rockville, Md., stay-at-home mother of a 14-year-old son, a 21-month-old son and a boy due on May 2:

As a stay at home mom I can totally relate to coming home, taking a peek inside the house and just wanting to walk right back out. And yes, I think the kids in the house portrayed perfectly what it sounds, looks and feels like when you walk into a house full of kids after being out. It wasn't too exaggerated at all.

I had to laugh at the women sitting around because it sounded just like my friends sound. We all have different parenting styles, senses of humor and although the women on the show were a tad bit extreme, they did represent mothers fairly accurately. Of course, I do not know anyone who has faked a pregnancy for perks. That was just weird; funny, but weird.

At 34 weeks pregnant I do not feel I receive goddess status from anyone, no back rubs for me or cutting in line due only to my large belly or free coffee thrown my way. People smile at you and will hold a door, but they really don't go as far as the show would like you to think they do. The pretend pregnancy did add a little to the show, though. It really is "magical" to be pregnant, not so magical though [that] I would fake it for mom friends or perks. I loved the angry pregnant women at the baby shower. They made me chuckle.

I can't really comment on the single mom dating, although I do admire the fact she was in shape, dressed so well, and trying to "get some," of course it was TV, not real life. If I worked outside the home I certainly would want a "manny" with magical powers to stop the baby from crying once I handed him off. The fact that the baby cried for mom and stopped for the manny really helped build the characters for me. It showed how much time manny spent with little Sophie and how OK with it mom was. I thought that was great.

I also loved the anal-retentive mom and her parenting policies. As parents we really do go at it like that at times, but it's short-lived for most. I totally went into parenting my children with an attitude that I would always do the right thing, be honest, blah, blah, blah. Fat chance. It's all you can do to get through the day in one piece. ... "Carrot? No, that's not a carrot sweetie."

Overall I did enjoy the show. I was really disappointed that the pregnancy was fake, I think a third mom in the mix would have been great. As much as the show was exaggerated it was also very real, minus everyone being perfectly dressed, having clean homes and looking like they just walked out of a salon, and who has time to run on the treadmill during the day? Not me. I will definitely watch it again with high hopes for more laughter and a much more sophisticated plot line.

Renee Sekel, North Carolina, mother of a 3-year-old girl and a 6-week-old girl:

Wow, I really disliked it. It rehashed some of the worse cliches about motherhood and being a woman, without bringing anything new or fresh to the topic. The only part of it that resonated at all was the opening scene where Cheryl Hines comes home, surveys the wreckage of her house and her frazzled nanny/kids, and creeps right back out again. Not something I -- or any other real person -- would do, but I can certainly identify with the impulse.

The other story lines struck me as trite and overdone, not to mention thoroughly divorced from reality. For example, is there really anywhere where pregnant women are coddled like the portrayal on the show? If so, I wish I'd moved there about 10 months ago. The most attention I ever got while pregnant was a query from the barista at Starbucks as to whether I was really supposed to be drinking caffeine in my condition.

The Santa storyline bugged me because it was so exaggerated. First, the mom traumatizes her children just to prove a totally stupid point (every mom lies to her kids, and she had to be a complete moron not to have noticed that). Then, she fails to tell them not to pass this bit of news on to other kids, throws a tantrum when she's called on her stupidity, and then (of course) makes the whole thing worse by setting up an even more elaborate lie (and "killing" Santa). I know it's fiction and (purportedly) a comedy, but yeesh. This woman is too stupid to function.

I was actually looking forward to this show, so I'm pretty disappointed. I could have overlooked the cliched story lines if even one of the characters had a shred of likeability. But this was a nightmare portrayal of women -- three shallow, self-obsessed jerks without a bit of common sense among them. I don't plan to watch again, and I wouldn't recommend it to others.

Allison Teweles, Charlottesville, Va., mother of a 6-year-old boy and a 3 1/2-year-old girl:

I don't think I'm going to watch "In The Motherhood" again.

I'll admit that it takes me some time to warm up to a show, even when it's really a good show. "The Office" took me a while, but now I adore it for its offbeat, sometimes painfully uncomfortable, yet "so true" humor. Maybe it's just that I don't really watch sitcoms anymore, so I'm out of practice with this format. Maybe it's that it takes a little time to get to know the characters and relate to them. But even though I appreciated that this wasn't the same old show about parenting where there aren't any kids actually present (oh wait, there really weren't kids present, were there?), it still didn't click for me.

Take the opening scene, for example. How many times have I come home from a late work event thinking, "Oh yeah, I really need to get home, see the kids, etc." As soon as I walk in, I'm kind of wishing I was back at work, (or that I had taken the long way home via a good place to have dinner so that I woudn't have to eat cereal standing up in the kitchen), away from the chaos that is my family life. So yeah, I related to that intro scene, but there wasn't anything that struck me as funny or special or zingy about how it came across. It felt kind of like old news. In fact, I didn't really find the funny lines funny or witty or clever. The fast-paced banter of "Will & Grace"? Funny. Memorable. Quotable. Same with "The Office" and "West Wing.". "Motherhood" -- not so much. I mean, I get together with my book club and we've covered these kinds of topics, but with storytelling and comments that elicit wake-up-the-kids levels of laughter.

I will say that I liked the non-sitcom set format (I'm sure I'm not using the right terminology here). What I mean is that it looked on-location versus the sets on "Friends" or "Will & Grace" (the live studio audience kind of set). That seems more modern and less like a sitcom, which, for this script, probably works better. Seriously, can you tell that I don't really watch TV before 9:30 p.m.? Which is something that I'll point out, even though it's probably meaningless. Unless your kids are infants or grown, who can watch TV at 8 p.m.? I'm in the midst of an eye-rolling battle with my husband at this very moment. The idea of dropping everything at 8 p.m. to watch TV is nuts in our house -- that's prime putting to bed time!

I think I'd rather watch "Jon & Kate Plus 8" over this show. I find that relateable, funny, and more interesting than "In the Motherhood." Maybe I'll change my mind. Maybe I'll catch it a few more times and the characters will grow on me. Tom Shales likes it and I don't think he's ever wrong, is he? Maybe I'll visit the Web site and watch the series there (I actually didn't know it was a Web series until I read Tom's article). But for now, I'm taking a pass, and will opt to stay in my mother 'hood and not ABC's.

Arnebya Herndon, mother of an 8 year old and a 5 year old, with baby No. 3 due in September:

I honestly doubt that I'll watch the show more than twice. I'll give it another try next week, but I wasn't drawn to any of the characters, and these days I'm not interested in anything that doesn't grab me immediately. I was initially drawn to the show because I like/know three of the actresses. Though there were funny moments, none of them delivered anything that garnered more than a chuckle.

I thought overall it was realistic. Not sure yet if I was grateful for the obligatory characters of color or put off. I was confused (and still am) about the character with the infant. I don't mean to say every household has to have two parents, but they never addressed her particular situation. Overall, I simply thought it was a bunch of one liners that didn't go over very well.

One pet peeve I have is when people refer to twins as "two twins." The boss did that when describing her children: "two 3-year-old twins."

Susan Carnell, mother of a 4 year old and a 2 year old:

Susan's messages were more like a series of tweets:

So far, five minutes in -- not funny.

Four minutes later: So not funny.

10 minutes later: How can a show be about motherhood that has nothing to do with kids? These women haven't even looked at their kids? Maybe about faux-single moms, but its not about motherhood.

And finally: Absolutely awful. Nothing relevant to my life at all. I could see that there was some snark that could be appealing to some, but -- seriously -- it could have just as easily been about fashion execs or grapefruit salesman as parents or motherhood. I'm very disappointed.

What did you think of "In the Motherhood"?

By Stacey Garfinkle | March 26, 2009; 10:00 PM ET | Category: Entertainment
Previous: The Changing Dual-Parent Family | Next: Why We Divide Ourselves into Parenting Tribes

Comments

i thought it was funny enough. although the writing was just ok and was full of cliches, Hines & Mullaly (sp) could carry any show and this one used their talents well.

are people forgetting it's just a silly sitcom on network tv? the postings seem to reinforce at least one tired stereotype: the self-absorbed mom who takes herself too seriously.

Posted by: interestingidea1234 | March 27, 2009 8:38 AM | Report abuse

are people forgetting it's just a silly sitcom on network tv? the postings seem to reinforce at least one tired stereotype: the self-absorbed mom who takes herself too seriously.

Posted by: interestingidea1234 | March 27, 2009 8:38 AM | Report abuse

LOL!!!

Posted by: jezebel3 | March 27, 2009 8:40 AM | Report abuse

I thought the sitcom was pretty funny. I want to point out that all three women have kids in the show. Meghan M. has a 15 or 16 year old son. That was mentioned in the show. I thought the preschool teacher was hilarious in both scenes. I think the show also focuses on the mothers, not the children. That is the point of the show. And no, I didn't get any special treatment when I was pregnant but I still thought the storyline was funny. I think everyone is taking the show too seriously. Honestly, I wouldn't watch a show documenting my lifestyle of working full time and trying to raise two children - way too boring.

Posted by: vienna2 | March 27, 2009 9:07 AM | Report abuse

The TV is Evil! You'll never get that time back!

Posted by: WhackyWeasel | March 27, 2009 9:07 AM | Report abuse

The reviews you printed should be required reading for every Writer's Guild member. Otherwise we're still going to get the same old garbage no matter what we watch.

Posted by: drazen1 | March 27, 2009 9:30 AM | Report abuse

I didn't love it, but will give it another chance. Pilots are usually terrible. (There is probably a birthing pains pun in there somewhere.)

Why is this on at 8? I taped it and watched it later because I'm in the middle of a bedtime routine at 8. But dropping the "No Santa" that early - I'm sure kids were watching! And the sex scene as well... Put it on at 9, with Samantha Who? (which I love) at 9:30. Both shows have topics that are a little mature for 8-9 pm.

Posted by: mdem929 | March 27, 2009 9:31 AM | Report abuse

I watched it. I thought it was okay. No, I didn't take it seriously. They need a "fourth" person...someone on the outside who doesn't relate, whom the characters need to explain all this too and to whom some of the antics would be outrageous to. That should cover the part of the audience who doesn't have kids.....

I could honestly see a story about forgetting the kids a school....a story about the perfect stay at home mom building the perfect playhouse that takes weeks to build by hand and then gets condemned by the code inspectors.....a story about the endless activities you have to schlep your kids to just to make sure your kid keeps a leg up on the competition. How about the husband who thinks making eggs and bacon with chocolate cake as the main course makes a great DINNERTIME meal? How about the sleepless nights and trying to figure out how to work a diaper genie....the crazy coordination of schedules so that you can have some sort of life?

Do these things make for good TV? Not alot. But there has got to be something to laugh about, or else we are all taking this motherhood thing WAAAAY too seriously.

Posted by: changingfaces | March 27, 2009 9:58 AM | Report abuse

I may give it a second chance, but it was pretty stupid. There are smart sitcoms out there (Big Bang Theory), but this seems like a waste of my time. Just seemed like the two sisters were unbelievably stupid. Mullaly's character was mildly funny as was her situation, but otherwise uninteresting.

Posted by: Stormy1 | March 27, 2009 10:18 AM | Report abuse

Glad I'm not friends with any of these "reviewers." It's a SITCOM people, not a documentary about being a mom. Go watch some reality shows if you want something that mirrors your own experience.

Posted by: MPAmom | March 27, 2009 10:18 AM | Report abuse

Wacky, the TV in indeed evil but I enjoy a wee bit of evil now and then.

I have not seen the Sitcom in question and don't plan on tuning in. I have done my time with every stereotypical mother being portrayed and then some, and now that my kids are older I'd like to leave that in the past.

I'm busy enough with LOST and The Office to add anything else to my viewing schedule, and the thought of watching a show on motherhood has zero appeal to me!

Posted by: cheekymonkey | March 27, 2009 10:28 AM | Report abuse

Well here's my review of RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN', a D! Violent, lacking all the whimsy of the original, easily should have been pg 13. An utter disappointment. I loved the ones as a kid and took mine to see this one. I wanted my money back.

Posted by: pwaa | March 27, 2009 10:28 AM | Report abuse

PWAA, I will take your review into consideration since we were thinking about taking our kids to see Witch Mountain. I loved the ones as kids too, so maybe we should just rent the old ones.

Posted by: cheekymonkey | March 27, 2009 10:34 AM | Report abuse

CHEEKYMONKEY, I wish i had.....

Posted by: pwaa | March 27, 2009 10:43 AM | Report abuse

My son came home and was asked by my wife "how did you like the movie?"

Him: ok, there were a lot of people getting punched in the face and a lot of guns and shooting.

You can imagine how thrilled my wife was with me since it was my idea...

Posted by: pwaa | March 27, 2009 10:46 AM | Report abuse

These screenwriters fail to understand that writing comedy about a relationship that has the most emotional resonance for folks requires at least a nod to the authentic poignancy of the mother and child bond. Geez, it's tough enough to watch real life incompetent and emotionally immature parents put their kids at risk. Actress Mullaly deserves a wittier script.

Posted by: oldmagnolia | March 27, 2009 11:09 AM | Report abuse

I don't get the impression that any of the reviewers are taking it too seriously. They just seem to have disliked the show. (This is supposed to be about opinions, right? None of them said "don't watch it".)I DVRed and watched it later (agreeing w/one of previous posters that some of the content was not really 8:00 material and it was bedtime prep for the kids). I didn't hate it, but I didn't really identify w/any of them either. Sure, I need to sneak away for a drink every now and then - I identify. Meghan Mullaly is just funny so even though I wouldn't fake being pregnant, it did hold true - people are willing to give you a pass when you're expecting (and who didn't laugh when the stuffed bedbug was thrown in her face).

Overall, I think we need to give the reviewers a break. We're all grown; no one's going to take another person's review and apply it blanketly to their life. I think the posters are the ones taking it all too seriously. Besides, "paid" critics don't care whether it's satire or not, why should these people?

Posted by: provokeitall | March 27, 2009 12:22 PM | Report abuse

I won't be watching this . . . what a shame since it has so much potential - - Sex and the City grown up! http://lipstickdaily.com

Posted by: ElaineatLipstickdaily | March 27, 2009 2:51 PM | Report abuse

I just finished a blog about this show...hope you'll check it out:http://gmgennari.wordpress.com/

Posted by: Gina8 | March 29, 2009 12:16 PM | Report abuse

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