Me, Myself & I Review

I have always been a fan of any television series daring enough to try and break the conventional boundaries of the network series. That's why I've been such a huge fan of Life in Pieces and This is Us. The most recent addition to this kind of multi-viewpoint series is Me Myself and I,  a comedy that tells the story of Alex Riley at three very different stages: 15 (Jack Dylan Grazer), 40 (Bobby Moynihan) and 65 (John Larroquette). Not coincidentally, each version comes we has approached a fresh trauma: fifteen-year old Alex has just moved from Chicago to Los Angeles (and worse still, finds himself transferred from Bulls to Laker country), 40 year old Alex is in the middle of going through a divorce, and 65 year old Alex has just suffered a heart attack, and is trying to come to terms with retirement.

Each Alex is exploring new and difficult territory - the teenager is in high school, trying to deal with the torments of making horrible mistakes that have involved humiliation in front of the student body, and worse still, the girl of his dreams. 40 year old Alex is struggling over a mixed career as an inventor, and is currently living in the garage of Darryl, his partner and best friend (Jaleel White - yes, that Jaleel White). The senior Alex is facing starting a new chapter, and has just run into of all people, the same girl who he never got over in high school (one of the series few problems, I just don't believe Sharon Lawrence is 65). There are some commonalities though, and its the gaps that lead to getting there that I find the most intriguing. All three Alex's have a knack for inventing. All three Alex's have a love for basketball and waffles. Alex and Daryl will meet in high school. Alex will be a failed inventor at 40, but eventually rise to own a company successful enough to ring the closing bell at the Stock Exchange. There's a daughter named Sara whose his whole world, and his pilot stepfather will be his biggest supporter. There's a stepbrother who tries to guide him through high school, but who doesn't seem to be there at forty.

In a way, this series is like This is Us, but with a lot more laughs. A series like this needs to rise more on the performance of its lead character. I have never had much use for Bobby Moynihan on SNL - he never seemed to register in any of his sketches, and though his character is trying to be lovable, he 's still hampered by my memories of Drunk Uncle. The other two Alex's, though, are far more engaging and entertaining. Larroquette is always engaging to watch, but this may be the first time in his entire career that he's had to play a likeable person, and its rather remarkable how good he is playing without smarm. The other performers are all able, and I'm particularly intrigued by some of the other actors in the cast. Whoever thought Jaleel White could play a likeable adult character? And I do want to see more about his ex-wife, if only because I'll take any excuse to see Alison Tolman.

There are also some very intriguing ideas about the future, both technological (we invent self-driving cars) and personal (just how did Alex's stepbrother Jerry become governor of California?!) I don't know if this series can sustain the momentum it did when it started or keep all three Alex in such funny places, but this is the most different CBS comedy I've seen in awhile, and I'm all for different.

My score: 3.75 stars.