A brand new series is set to kick off just in time for the holidays in Extended Family. The first episode debuts on NBC on December 23, with the next episode coming on January 2. Below I share my thoughts on the Pilot and whether you should check it out. The series stars Jon Cryer, Donald Faison, and Abigail Spencer.

Plot: Jim and Julia, after an amicable divorce, decide to continue to raise their kids at the family home while taking turns on who gets to stay with them. Navigating the waters of divorce and child-sharing gets more complicated for Jim when Trey, the owner of the Boston Celtics, enters the picture and wins Julia’s heart.

What happened in “Pilot?”

After disappearing on a trip for two weeks, Julia returns to a frustrated baby daddy who has been struggling while she was gone. As a result of her absence, their son has become addicted to video games. Instead of handling it, Julia decides to yank the wifi out of the wall.

Julia’s new man, Trey, attempts to put things together to “scare” the kids into doing more things outside of playing video games. However, his scare tactic doesn’t work as the kids are setting plans in place for the adults that resort to them being more scared of life.

Overall Thoughts:

One of the hardest things to do in TV is a pilot. You have to get so many things right hoping someone will return for another episode. Of course, weekly television finds itself in an even harder predicament in the day and age of streaming. 

Extended Family gets the tone right with some funny opening moments, including the goofy “five-second” rule when Jim drops dinner on the floor. After that, the co-parenting dynamic is shown between Julia and Jim and how it isn’t easy to do, especially when you have someone in the relationship who travels. 

Overall, Extended Family is a solid pilot that does just enough to want me to return next week for another episode. Jon Cryer seems to have found the perfect role as this hectic dad, while Abigail Spencer is his strong opposite.