Oh that Mel! And some said he’d become a pariah!
This one’s an hourlong centered around a major-league batboy from Mel, writer-producer Daniel Cerone (“Charmed”) and producer Aaron Spelling (“Charmed,” “10-8,” “Summerland”).
Which begs the question: Has Mel seen “Charmed”? Does he like it? That show sucks! Pariah-hood may be his yet!
“Clubhouse” stars Dean Cain (Lifetime’s “The Division”), Christopher Lloyd (“My Favorite Martian”) Mare Winningham (“The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire”) and Jeremy Sumpter (“Peter Pan”).
Variety says:
Which begs the question: Has Mel seen “Charmed”? Does he like it? That show sucks! Pariah-hood may be his yet!
“Clubhouse” stars Dean Cain (Lifetime’s “The Division”), Christopher Lloyd (“My Favorite Martian”) Mare Winningham (“The Brotherhood of Poland, New Hampshire”) and Jeremy Sumpter (“Peter Pan”).
Variety says:
Variety says:
Writer Daniel Cerone takes a few hacks at finding a "Natural"-"Field of Dreams" moment, but never hits it out of the park in the dialogue, but he has come up with two winning characters: Jeremy Sumpter, playing Pete Young, the 16-year-old batboy at the center of "Clubhouse," and Dean Cain, as superstar Conrad Dean, are a winning double-play combo that should have fans returning to the stands. … the pilot plays like an old afterschool special … could go beyond its initial subplot of a ballplayer on drugs and a teen love story to become a show about partnerships that also happens to celebrate the greatness of baseball. …
The Hollywood Reporter says:
Far-fetched? Sure … touching and sweet … you simply want to believe. When a show has this much heart, there's no need to let cruel, hard reality ruin it for us. … that rare family series that leaves you with a lump in your throat and a feeling that, "The O.C." notwithstanding, America's core values of integrity and fair play will indeed survive at least one more generation. … for "Clubhouse" to succeed it has to work on a personal level, enticing us with well-drawn and sympathetic characters. On that score, it also hits the ball out of the park. Credit creator-writer Daniel Cerone with a script that is touching without being schmaltzy, affecting without being manipulative. … Jeremy Sumpter gives a consummate performance … if there is one new show in the CBS lineup that demands patience, this is it.
TV Guide says:
… the season’s sweetest show, a borderline cloying coming-of-age fable … At times, the schmaltz is so thick you’ll choke on your Cracker Jack. … This one will be lucky to hit a single.
The Los Angeles Times says:
… Pete has knowledge that can make or break a couple of careers, including his own, and what he does with it drives the first episode to a predictable conclusion. The show's creators have cast a wide audience net, going for the "SportsCenter" crowd as well as families. But will sports fans accustomed to "Playmakers" and its ilk sit through subplots involving Pete's grandmother's birthday and his sister's spats with Mom? …
Entertainment Weekly gives it a "C" and says:
... my daughter, who's close to Supter's age, says she'd never watch a show with a kid who seemed so perpetually callow. (I thinjk she was not-so-gently implying "square"). ... I think it'll be more attractive to the older demo CBS has been trying to shed the past few seasons ... The plot turns on the intervention of Conrad Dean [Dean Cain] to reassure [the batboy's mom], setting up an underwhelming future for the series ...
8 p.m. Sunday. CBS.
