[yasr_overall_rating]
Childhood best friends Maggie Caruso and Emma Crawford have shared countless adventures growing up together. Now, Maggie and Emma are in store for one of their biggest adventures – raising a baby.
The USA network’s comedy “Playing House” opened their second season last night with two episodes: “Hello Old Friend” and “Sleepless in Pinebrook.” I wouldn’t mark this as a “family time” show, but definitely a great “after the kids are in bed” TV time for teens and adults. Sexual connotations, adult humor and situations may not be appropriate for the under 13 crowd.
If you are unfamiliar with the show, here is a background to help catch you up:
In “Playing House,” childhood best friends Maggie Caruso (Lennon Parham, “Parks and Recreation”) and Emma Crawford (Jessica St. Clair, “Bridesmaids”), have shared countless adventures growing up in the charming town of Pinebrook, Conn. When Maggie discovered that her husband Bruce (Brad Morris, “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World”) was having an online affair, Emma gave up her burgeoning business career in China to stay in their hometown and help Maggie raise her baby. As they prepared for the birth of Maggie’s first child and the fallout of her marriage ending, Emma was also forced to confront the past that she abruptly left behind thirteen years ago: her first love and local cop, Mark (Keegan-Michael Key, “Key & Peele”), her prim-and-proper mother (Jane Kaczmarek, “Malcolm in the Middle”) and a small town in which she’s never felt comfortable. Now that baby Charlotte has arrived, the two best friends must navigate their biggest adventure yet, in the best way they know how – together.
The new season opened with two very funny and well delivered episodes. In episode 1, “Hello Neighbor,” Emma is forced to confront and find a way to cope with her ex boyfriend Mark’s insanely jealous wife Tina. Tina’s borderline psychotic personality was a great springboard for both main characters’ comic timing and penchant for physical humor.
The episode starts four and and a half months after Tina’s ultimatum that Mark is to stay away from Emma and Maggie. The foursome is forced to confront each other in passing at their local photo-studio. The estranged friends try to be polite, but Maggie and Mark end up pulling Emma and Tina off each other as they come to a near beat down over the heritage of Tina’s new French Bulldog, Rene.
The second episode, “Sleepless in Pinebrook,” was a fun look at life right after baby for a single mom. After Maggie has a provocative dream about The Property Brothers, Emma insists it’s time for her to get back out there and snaps pictures of Maggie for a Tinder profile. Maggie’s younger brother, Zach, volunteers to babysit Charlotte with the help of her ex-husband, Bruce. They’ve been looking to get in some “dunkle” time, i.e. dad + uncle time. Maggie thanks him but says no thanks; she just wants to meet someone the old-fashioned way, like in a Tom Hanks movie.
With the first season having dealt mainly with Maggie’s pregnancy and Emma’s readjustment to life back home, it will be fun to watch the characters develop and the plot shift to the “fun” and “misadventures” in taking care of a baby! I also look forward to seeing more of Maggie’s ex-mother in law. She adds a distinct comic flare to every scene she’s in.
