'The Moodys' reboot is a family man's 'Shameless' set in the backdrop of Christmas in a more civilized society
This article contains spoilers for Episodes 1 and 2
Fox's 'The Moodys' reboot may or may not be similar to the Australian original that was beyond entertaining, but it sure looks a lot similar to one of the most iconic dysfunction family dramedies — Showtime's 'Shameless'.
And while we do have several common grounds between the two shows — like the adult kids and their crazy insane problems and absolutely bizarre couples for parents, 'The Moodys' might just be a more family man's 'Shameless'.
That means there is a little less swearing and a lot more Christmas cheer — basically what the Gallaghers would be like if they were well to do and all had married rich.
Maybe it's all in the recipe for a dysfunctional family on the screen, but 'The Moodys' go a long way to establish that money and supposedly healthy relationships between family members aren't all you need to keep the tight-knit group functional.
While in 'Shameless' the Gallaghers with their degenerate alcoholic father and five siblings struggle to make ends meet, owing to an in general lower-middle-class mindset prevailing where they come from, we don't really see problems of that sort in 'The Moodys'.
At least there are no problems like that yet that would cause a son to urinate on his father's head from the window.
In both shows, we have weird dads, slightly reeking of entitlement and complaints because his kids aren't all that grateful for what he has done for them.
Frank in 'Shameless' is a pure manipulative crook who can do anything to anyone for alcohol and some fast cash. However, Sean Sr. in 'The Moodys' is just pissed because none of his kids would indulge in the elaborate feast he's spread out for Christmas because they are lactose intolerant, or on a Keto diet.
Dennis Leary's return as a comedy genius through Sean Sr. might be a clear reminder of why he is man of the genre right now, and a clear rival for William H. Macy as Frank on 'Shameless'.
It's also worth noting that since both their voices sound similar, drawing a distinguishing line between the two does tend to get hard at times.
Also, a lot like 'Shameless', 'The Moodys' reboot is proving to be one of the only networks that project the turmoils of breast cancer in a man. In 'Shameless', it was the Gallaghers' next-door neighbor slash family friend Kevin Ball — who is practically family.
And in 'The Moodys', it is Sean Sr, who simply can't figure out how to break the news to his kids. Well, he doesn't have to worry because unlike the Gallaghers, the Moodys aren't poor.
They get by enough to get themselves a proper Christmas tree and indulge in some intense Christmas cheer. The fact that it all falls into mayhem is very reminiscent of the Gallaghers, but they seem to go about their crisis with cursing one another or even using heroin, for that matter.
'Shameless' might focus on the totally white herd of Gallaghers, who aren't really white in their ways, but 'The Moodys' is definitely the PG-rated white cousin of the Showtime dramedy, with a hint of elitism that comes from being financially stable.
'The Moodys' reboot premieres with two episodes tonight only on Fox.