Surviving Jack

By: Robert Murphy

We all know that many of us prefer the nurturing and sappy feelings we have for our mothers but Surviving Jack tells the story of just what happens when the mother is away and dear old dad takes the reins. Turns out quite a bit as former Law and Order: SVU star Christopher Meloni takes the role of Jack and plays the stay at home dad while his wife returns to school after 17 years of her being in charge of their two kids. Jack’s parenting skills are a little unpolished and appear to be a bit more like how a drill sergeants would raise a family. But this more or less applies to his son as the show is told from his perspective and narrative as he talks about his crazy dad’s parenting style that often was two parts inspiring and a bit insane.

Initially I had my reservations about Surviving Jack, it had a very interesting premise and I was very excited that Christopher Meloni was able to return to television once again with a bit of twist and a less serious role. To top it all off, he bats the role right out of the park with his role as the father for the show trying to beat common sense and wisdom into his children’s heads. The form of comedy that comes from him as a character is classic deadpan where no matter how ridiculous the situation Jack maintains the same emotional state without cracking a smile or blushing at the thought of what’s being said. One of the best moments had to of been during the episode “Something to Talk About” where the mother gets her tubes tied and Jack artfully demonstrates what that means by using the turkey and some green beans without missing a beat. It’s such an amazing transition from stoic Officer Stabler to the humor and wisdom that completely makes Surviving Jack the great show that it is. 

Now don't be discouraged by my last paragraph being all about Christopher Meloni because he isn't the only thing that carried the show along when you take a look at the role of our mother. Joanne (Rachael Harris) is a classic caring mother who loves her kids and is still a little worried about leaving them to go back to school and start a career. She perfectly counter balances Jack as a character and their marriage in the show is something to be admired as it's based on mutual respect for one another and it really shows how great they are for one another despite there differences. Jack though takes on the challenge left by her with a bit of a rough start as Frankie (Conner Buckley) and Rachel (Claudia Lee) prove to be more complex than he had thought but spending time with them proves to be good for all of them. Frankie sees that even though his dad may be crazy at times, he's a smart guy who knows what he's talking about and is really trying to prepare him for the world. 

The entire show is based in the 1990's, where people wore way too much hairspray and the C.H.I.A pet was the coolest thing since sliced bread. And I bring up the time frame because of how well it hits older audiences who went through this time, my mother for instance pointed out in the very first episode how her hair was like Rachel's and how she use to have a shirt that changed color when you touched it as well. But the show also grabbed my age group too even though I was still learning to walk and talk through the 90's, I still get many of the references and they were not lost on me and my friends.

For some horrible and unknown reason, Surviving Jack was only meant for a short 7 episodes and as of last Thursday the show has come to an end, it's unclear to me why the show was so short and it is really the only negative thing I have to say about it. Each episode is absolutely hilarious and Christopher Meloni's portrayal of Jack is just so spot on as he dictates his kids lives and puts them through whole new forms of punishment they couldn't imagine. The show portrays exactly what a comedy about a family is like where so many others have failed, Surviving Jack hits it right on the mark. 

Good: 

- Christopher Meloni is back on TV and makes you wonder why he didn't do something like this show sooner

- Shows just exactly what a family comedy should be

- Every episode is absolutely hilarious

Bad:

- Why? Just why is the show 7 episodes long? FOX did you do this?!?! STOP IT?! 

Scully Rating: 9.0 out of 10