Guys with Kids is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC, from September 11, 2012, to February 27, 2013, as part of the 2012–13 television schedule. The series was created by Jimmy Fallon and Charlie Grandy and starred Anthony Anderson, Jesse Bradford, Zach Cregger, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Erinn Hayes, and Tempestt Bledsoe. The series chronicles the lives of three friends, and their respective partners, as they raise their children in a modern environment.[1]

Guys with Kids
Promotional image for Guys with Kids
GenreSitcom
Created by
Starring
Theme music composer
ComposerJohn MacDonald
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes17
Production
Executive producers
  • Jimmy Fallon
  • Charlie Grandy
  • Amy Ozols
  • Rick Weiner
  • Kenny Schwartz
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 12, 2012 (2012-09-12) –
February 27, 2013 (2013-02-27)

Guys with Kids also aired on Global as part of the 2012–13 Canadian network television schedule. Guys with Kids also aired on Comedy Central India.

Cast

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Main cast

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Children

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  • Brian Mganga as Clark
  • Marleik Walker II as Yoda
  • Mykayla Sohn as Violet

Recurring cast

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Cast members appearing in at least two episodes include:[2]

Development and production

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NBC placed a 13-episode order in May 2012.[3]

It was announced in June 2012 that Sara Rue, who portrayed Sheila in the original pilot, would be replaced by Erinn Hayes, a change necessitated when ABC decided to pick up the comedy Malibu Country, which also starred Rue.[4][5]

The series ran from September 12, 2012, to February 27, 2013. The series aired in Canada on Global, premiering one day early, on September 11, 2012.[6]

On November 15, 2012, NBC announced it has ordered four more episodes, bringing the series to a total of 17 episodes.[7][8]

On May 9, 2013, NBC canceled the series after one season.[9]

Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
US viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot"Scott EllisStory by : Jimmy Fallon, Charlie Grandy & Amy Ozols
Teleplay by : Charlie Grandy
September 12, 2012 (2012-09-12)1016.25[10]
Chris stands up to his ex-wife Shelia when he wants to go on a date.
2"Chris' New Girlfriend"Michael LembeckKeith HeislerSeptember 26, 2012 (2012-09-26)1034.84[11]
Chris has a new girlfriend who used to date Nick. It is later revealed that Nick used the same first date for multiple women.
3"Marny Wants A Girl"Ken WhittinghamCourtney LillyOctober 3, 2012 (2012-10-03)1044.76[12]
Marny decides she wants another kid: a daughter. A fight breaks out during the CPR class that Shelia forces everyone to participate in.
4"The Standoff"Michael LembeckStory by : Charlie Grandy
Teleplay by : Rick Wiener & Kenny Schwartz
October 10, 2012 (2012-10-10)1024.19[13]
Gary tries to discipline Yoda with unconventional tactics, including setting up a slip in slide in the middle of the apartment. Nick learns that there is more to a school project and gets competitive.
5"Gary's Day Off"Ken WhittinghamMatt LawtonOctober 17, 2012 (2012-10-17)1054.41[14]
Shelia moves out of her old place with Chris, Nick and Gary's help so that Chris can have his Giants tickets back. Marny gives Gary a day off which results in her needing help from Emily.
6"Apartment Halloween"Leonard R. Garner, Jr.Donald DiegoOctober 24, 2012 (2012-10-24)1063.83[15]
After the new co-op board president tells Nick he can't have his hall haunted house, Shelia and Nick set her up with Chris to get what they want. Meanwhile, Chris wants Shelia to become friends with Nick.
7"The Bathroom Incident"Michael LembeckCharlie GrandyOctober 31, 2012 (2012-10-31)1073.62[16]
Freddie and Ernie lock themselves inside a bathroom causing Nick to realize he needs to be better prepared. Emily helps Gary organize his apartment.
8"First Birthday"Leonard R. Garner, Jr.Alan R. Cohen & Alan FreedlandNovember 14, 2012 (2012-11-14)1083.91[17]
Ernie's first birthday arrives and Shelia and Chris fight over the birthday party.
9"Thanksgiving"Betsy ThomasKeith HeislerNovember 21, 2012 (2012-11-21)1093.47[18]
Shelia hosts a crazy thanksgiving as Gary waits on line for three days to get a new TV.
10"Christmas"Michael LembeckStory by : Charlie Grandy
Teleplay by : Rick Wiener & Kenny Schwartz
December 5, 2012 (2012-12-05)1103.59[19]
Gary and Marnie get drunk and insult Emily and Nick's idea of a romantic date.
11"First Word"Leonard R. Garner, Jr.Story by : Rick Weiner & Kenny Schwartz
Teleplay by : Charlie Grandy
January 2, 2013 (2013-01-02)1114.39[20]
As Shelia sticks around due to waiting on Ernie's first word, Nick and Chris reminisce on the past, including the night that Nick got engaged to Emily while Chris was dating Sage (Fiona Gubelmann), the night that Violet was born and they met Gary and Marnie, Chris's wedding to Shelia, the night that Gary chipped his tooth, and the night that Chris had told his friends that he was getting a divorce. In the present, Nick and Emily try looking up Sage.
12"Marny's Dad"Betsy ThomasCourtney LillyJanuary 9, 2013 (2013-01-09)1123.97[21]
Gary learns why Marnie's dad doesn't like him when he comes to visit.
13"Me Time"Michael LembeckAlan R. Cohen & Alan FreedlandJanuary 30, 2013 (2013-01-30)1132.93[22]
Marnie wants some alone time as Shelia, Nick, Chris, and Emily start competing in trivia nights at the bar.
14"The Will"Mark CendrowskiLauren CaltagironeFebruary 6, 2013 (2013-02-06)1143.20[23]
After suffering a health problem, Marnie and Gary decide whom to leave their kids to in their will. Chris becomes overwhelmed by Shelia's nanny, Andy (Mark Consuelos).
15"Gary's Idea"Leonard R. Garner, Jr.Lauren Caltagirone & Donald DiegoFebruary 13, 2013 (2013-02-13)1152.85[24][25]
With Chris deciding to change something in his life, he decided to pick up a new hobbie. Nick and Emily's babysitter Stacy (Sara Paxton) likes Chris.
16"Rare Breed"Leonard R. Garner, Jr.Story by : Charlie Grandy
Teleplay by : Rick Weiner & Kenny Schwartz
February 20, 2013 (2013-02-20)1162.83[26]
Gary tries to be a stay at home dad while working on his wrapkin.
17"Divorce Party"Betsy ThomasMatt LawtonFebruary 27, 2013 (2013-02-27)1173.07[27][28]
Marnie's sister Bridget (Keshia Knight Pulliam) comes to town and Marnie hires her to work with Gary. When Nick learned that Shelia and Chris were thinking of having another baby, he decided to host a divorce party and invites Sage. Shelia and Sage meet when Chris stayed at the party. The show ends with a cliff-hanger.

Reception

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Critical response

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Guys With Kids received generally negative reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the show received a score of 38 out of 100, from 25 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[29] Rotten Tomatoes rated season 1 as 7% based on reviews from 30 critics, with an average rating of 3.4/10 and the critical consensus reads: "Worthless and abysmal, Guys with Kids is pitiful in its lack of humor and plot."[30]

Glenn Garvin of the Miami Herald was only one of a few who gave a positive review, saying "Guys With Kids is a perfect confection of witty dialogue and slapstick action."[31] Matt Zoller Seitz of New York Magazine stated "I expected to hate Guys With Kids... My animosity faded after about five minutes, when it became clear that the show wasn't terribly interested in the kids."[32] Diane Wertz of Newsday gave it a D and stated "Nothing to see here. Move on."[33] Matt Rouse of TV Guide wrote, "The season's most depressingly generic and retro sitcom, so squishy and lacking in edge it might as well been written in nerf".[34]

Accolades

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On December 11, 2012, Anthony Anderson was nominated for an NAACP Image Award, as Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series.[35] The award went to Don Cheadle for his work on Showtime's House of Lies.

See also

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  • House Husbands, a 2012 Australian television comedy with a similar premise

References

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  1. ^ McNamara, Mary (September 25, 2012). "Review: NBC's new comedy 'Guys With Kids' dumbs daddy down". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  2. ^ Guys with Kids at IMDb. Retrieved 2013-05-17.
  3. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (May 9, 2012). "NBC Pickups Continue With Series Order for Comedy From Jimmy Fallon". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
  4. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 27, 2012). "Erinn Hayes Joins Cast Of NBC's Upcoming 'Guys With Kids'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
  5. ^ "'Malibu Country' Canceled: ABC Will Not Order Season 2 Of Reba McEntire-Fronted Comedy". The Huffington Post. May 10, 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  6. ^ "Guys with Kids | Watch Guys with Kids Online - Full Episodes". GlobalTV.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  7. ^ Nellie Andreeva (November 15, 2012). "NBC's 'Guys With Kids' Gets Order For Four More Episodes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
  8. ^ "NBC Extends "Guys with Kids" to 17 Episodes". The Futon Critic. November 15, 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 9, 2013). "UPDATE: 'Guys With Kids', 'Up All Night', 'Whitney' & '1600 Penn' Cancelled, 'Parks & Recreation' Renewed". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
  10. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (September 12, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'The Voice' 'The X Factor' & 'Big Brother' Adjusted Up, No Adjustments for 'America's Got Talent' or 'Guys With Kids'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 16, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  11. ^ Bibel, Sara (September 27, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'X Factor', 'Survivor', 'The Middle' Adjusted Up, 'The Neighbors' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  12. ^ Bibel, Sara (October 4, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings:'The X Factor', 'Survivor' Adjusted Up; 'Animal Practice', 'Guys With Kids' & 'The Neighbors' Adjusted Down Plus Final Debate Numbers". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  13. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (October 11, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings:'The X Factor', 'Survivor', 'The Neighbors' & 'Modern Family' Adjusted Up; No Adjustments for 'Arrow'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 4, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  14. ^ Bibel, Sara (October 18, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Modern Family', 'Survivor', 'Animal Practice' Adjusted Up; 'CSI' Adjusted Down Plus Unscrambled FOX Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  15. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (October 25, 2012). "TV Ratings Wednesday: 'Arrow' & 'Supernatural' Down, 'Animal Practice', 'Law & Order', 'Modern Family' & 'Chicago Fire' Up + World Series". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Archived from the original on October 27, 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
  16. ^ Bibel, Sara (November 1, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Survivor', 'The Neighbors', 'Modern Family', 'CSI' & 'Chicago Fire' Adjusted Up; '30 Rock', 'Guys With Kids', & 'Supernatural' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  17. ^ Bibel, Sara (November 15, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'The Middle', 'Law & Order: SVU', & 'CSI' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 18, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  18. ^ Bibel, Sara (November 26, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'CSI' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 29, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  19. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (December 7, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Chicago Fire' Rises to Tie Series Debut, 'The X Factor' Dips + 'The Middle' & 'Arrow' Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 7, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  20. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (January 4, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Law & Order: SVU' and 'Nashville' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 8, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  21. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (January 10, 2013). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'People's Choice Awards', 'The Neighbors' & 'Nashville' Adjusted Up; 'Suburgatory' & 'I Get That A Lot' Adjusted Down (Updated)". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 14, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  22. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (January 31, 2013). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'American Idol' & 'Chicago Fire' Adjusted Up; 'Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 3, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  23. ^ Bibel, Sara (February 7, 2013). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Supernatural', 'Criminal Minds' & 'Chicago Fire' Adjusted Up; 'Modern Family', 'The Neighbors' & 'Suburgatory' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  24. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (February 14, 2013). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'CSI', 'Suburgatory' & 'Law & Order: SVU' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 17, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  25. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (January 30, 2013). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'NCIS', 'Raising Hope', 'New Girl' & 'Go On' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  26. ^ Bibel, Sara (February 21, 2013). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'The Middle' & 'Modern Family' Adjusted Up; 'Survivor', 'Guys With Kids', 'Criminal Minds' & 'Law & Order: SVU' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 25, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  27. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (February 28, 2013). "TV Ratings Wednesday: 'American Idol' Falls Further, 'Nashville' & 'CSI' Hit Lows + 'Arrow' & 'Survivor' Rise (Updated)". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 2, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  28. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (February 28, 2013). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Chicago Fire', 'American Idol', & 'CSI' Adjusted Up; 'Suburgatory' Adjusted down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 4, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  29. ^ "Guys with Kids - Season 1 Reviews, Ratings, Credits and More". Metacritic. September 11, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  30. ^ "Guys with Kids - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  31. ^ Garvin, Glenn (September 12, 2012). "A hilarious riff on a familiar theme". Miami Herald. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  32. ^ Zoller Seitz, Matt (September 12, 2012). "Seitz: Guys With Kids Is Charming Pro-Bro Propaganda". Vulture.com. New York Magazine. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  33. ^ Wertz, Diane (September 11, 2012). "'Guys With Kids' review: A crying shame". Newsday. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  34. ^ TV Guide September 17-23, 2012. pg.58.
  35. ^ "The "44th NAACP Image Award" Nominees Announced" (PDF). Press release. NAACP Image Awards. December 11, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 19, 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-17.
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