'Carol's Second Act' premiere: Fans praise the cast and storyline but object to the ageist jokes and laugh tracks
'Carol's Second Act' recently premiered with its pilot episode on CBS, and it's already a hit with most fans. Though a few fans claim that the laugh tracks threw them off, they enjoyed Patricia Heaton's role as Carol Kenney, and can't wait to see what next week's episode will bring.
The newly released sitcom revolves around Patricia Heaton who plays the role of Carol Kenney, a mom whose marriage recently ended. Carol who is a retired teacher, has no idea what to do with her life after he marriage falls apart, so she decides to follow her vision board and accomplish her lifelong dream of becoming a doctor.
After attending medical school, she interns at the Loyola Memorial Hospital, where she is first mistaken as a resident because she's the eldest in the group that includes Daniel Kutcher (Jean-Luc Bilodeau), Lexie Filani (Sabrina Jalees) and Caleb Sommers (Lucas Neff). Having to learn to work under her superior Chief Resident Dr. Maya Jacobs (Ito Aghayare), who happens to be younger to her, the series showcases how she tries to fit in and fulfill her dreams of becoming a doctor.
And with just one episode released, fans took to Twitter to reveal how excited they were to see Heaton back in the small screen, and that this show is sure to be a hit not just because of its star-studded cast, but also because of the comedy element present in the show.
"'Look at you in your doctor coat!' I'm in love. Laugh out loud funny and suprisingly tender. #CarolsSecondAct is a solid win," wrote a fan on Twitter. Adding to that another fan said, "Another sitcom win with @PatriciaHeaton! I loved #CarolsSecondAct and look forward to many more episodes ahead."
"#CarolsSecondAct reminded me of the comedy style of The Bob Newhart Show. Excellent job everyone! Looking forward to more fun Thursday nights to come!" wrote a fan. While another added, "Smart, funny! Great storyline concept! Ms. Heaton, you’ve got yet another hit! - a long-time fan."
"#CarolsSecondAct is one of my new fave shows this fall. Great job @PatriciaHeaton loved it," said another fan. Amongst all the love and applause the sitcom received from fans, there were a few who also pointed out that the laugh tracks used on the show threw them off, and it would be better if they wouldn't use them in the forthcoming episodes.
"@PatriciaHeaton was so excited for your show #CarolsSecondAct tonight. Way too much of the laugh track and not of the reality of being an intern (regardless of age!). Please cut back on the laugh track and add some gravitas- you’ll have a hit show for sure!!" wrote a fan on Twitter. While another said, "Need to ease up on the trite generation-gap jokes and ditch the laugh track. No cliche left behind. @nbc #CarolsSecondAct."
A few fans were also not in favor of the ageist jokes, calling it silly. "#CarolsSecondAct has potential, but they need to drop the ageist jokes. The first few pins were funny, but it gets stale rather quickly. It reminds me of American Housewife. The first season with the fat jokes, but the writers dropped it later on."
"The repetition of the word “old,” in #CarolsSecondAct isn’t funny nor clever,; it’s irritating, obvious, offensive and, well, old. @PatriciaHeaton #SarahHaskin #EmilyHalpern," said a fan on Twitter.
'Carol's Second Act' airs every Thursday night only on CBS. Check your local listings for more information.