Greetings,
Sometimes I like shows that fly under the radar for the duration of their time. This does not mean they aren't good. On the contrary, I think some of them are very good, but they just never hit the masses like other shows, for whatever reason. One of these was a TBS program called My Boys, and it is an enigma that I like it.
This is a show that talks about the sports quite a bit, and I hate sports. What are you gonna do? The lead gal, P.J. (Jordana Spiro)is a sports writer, so I guess we have to mention it. Still, more than anything, the show has more to do with the relationship she has with "her boys". By that, we mean the group of guys that are her best friends. Yes, that is the concept. She is a tomboy with a boatload of guy friends. Hey, why not? And who are these boys of hers? Well, let me tell you about them.
We have Brendan (Reid Scott), a roommate of P.J.'s who was a rock DJ and was once in a rollercoaster-y relationship with a girl that P.J. though was annoying as all heck; Kenny (Michael Bunin), the owner of a sports memorabilia store and a man who is not exactly a master of dating; Mike (Jamie Kaler), who worked for the Chicago Cubs and is a bit commitment-phobic; Bobby (Kyle Howard), another sportswriter and the new guy in the group who comes from a wealthy family and eventually becomes P.J.'s love interest; and finally, Andy (Jim Gaffigan), P.J.'s brother and the most settled down of everyone, having a wife and kids. Those are the boys, but I would be remiss to not mention Stephanie (Kellee Stewart), who is pretty much P.J.'s only female friend. One might think that, because this show is supposed to be about a woman and her male friends, this may have been forced, but I really liked the friendship of P.J. and Stephanie. It was a very sincere and enriching relationship for the two women. And we all know there are some things you just cannot discuss with your guy friends.
So there are the characters, who are obviously portrayed by a stellar cast. Now that you know a little about them, I'm going to share my top ten episodes of this hilarious, but underrated show.
#10. "110% Solution" (Season 1) - While P.J. invites her boyfriend to poker night with not a good result, everyone thinks that Andy is going through a midlife crisis because he buys a boat and refuses to tell his wife. Yeah, I'd say a midlife crisis is pretty accurate.
#9. "My Men" (Season 4) - This is the final episode of the show and I don't think they could have picked a better title for it. Everyone has finally grown up, which is good considering their ages. P.J.'s boys are now men. It was a good way to finish.
#8. "The Shirt Contest" (Season 2) - After a mention of Project Runway, the boys are convinced that they could all make shirts of their own and have a contest to see who can do it best. Loser buys booze for the winner for a month. Why not? And, yes, the outcome of the shirts are exactly what you would predict, only better. By better, of course, I mean worse.
#7. "Facebook the Past" (Season 3) - A lot of good things have come from Facebook, but so have some not so good things. This episode deals with some of those not so good things, such as the reappearance of exes and whatnot. Not to mention people like Kenny who constantly utter words like, "Join my mob!" Whatever that means.
#6. "Take One for the Team" (Season 1) - Here we are introduced to Kenny's friend, Trouty, played fantastically by Johnny Galecki. He is a very . . . interesting person who always, and I mean always, wears his hands free phone piece in his ear. The gang uses him here to get into a club called "The Streisand". Yes, "The Streisand", and you have to say those two words in a dramatic whisper or it won't work.
#5. "Pilot" (Season 1) - Obviously, this is where it all began. We meet the group that has been together for years, but we are also introduced to Bobby, the new guy, as they are as well. So we get to go through the whole thing together. It was a very solid start for the show.
#4. "Hanger Management" (Season 4) - While Bobby is deciding what direction in which to take his life, Kenny thinks he already has a plan with his new closet organizing business. P.J. becomes his guinea pig for the project, and he nearly becomes her first victim when he throws out her Crocs. The horror!
#3. "The Transitioning" (Season 2) - P.J. and Stephanie have planned a trip to Italy. Stephanie will be bringing her boyfriend and P.J. will be bringing . . . well, we don't know at first. At the end of the first season, she has boarded the plane, upset that who she asked has not shown up. But he actually does come, and in this, the first episode of the second season, we see that it is Bobby. I really loved seeing them go around Italy, whether those shots were authentic or not, I don't know. But it was fun to watch. And of course, the boys have their own fun back in Chicago, including a scene with Mike "busting out the McConaughey" That could not have been said better, Brendan.
#2. "Free Agent" (Season 1)/ "Decathlon: Part Deux" (Season 3) - I had to make this a tie. It is for a good reason. Though each of these episodes has its own independent plot, there is something that hooks them together. That thing is "The Decathlon". Now on this show, "The Decathlon" is a contest where the group divides into two teams and spends several nights playing board games. Losers buy winners booze for a month. Yeah, they are not very creative when it comes to the prizes for these friendly competitions. But still, there is nothing funnier than watching grown ups play Candlyland and Ker-Plunk. Classic. I just wish I could find a group of nice boys do to this with me.
#1. "Second Chances" (Season 1) - In this episode, we are visited by Thorn, an ex-boyfriend of P.J.'s, whose return basically turns her into a giggly fourteen year old. What? No, that's not P.J.'s style at all. How could she be so . . . Oh, wait, the guy's played by Jeremy Sisto. That explains it. Yeah, if you know anything about me, you'll know why I really don't need any other reason than that to call this my favorite episode. I do love the Sisto. He does make one other appearance on the show, but this is the introduction, and it is a great episode.
Well, there it is. If you have never seen this show or never heard of it, I would recommend you to look into it (Hello, Netflix Instant Streaming!). It's pretty funny, and if I, someone who does not like the sports, can give a show like this a chance, anyone can. I certainly was not disappointed.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
