Meet Mr. Mom: A Preview

What is with the ultra-organized mom/helpless dad stereotype? Apparently, a reality show is what’s with it. Hey, if we’re going to be subjected to this ridiculous stereotype on sitcoms everywhere, we might as well see the ludicrous reality that yields such helplessness. Meet Mr. Mom, NBC’s newest addition to the reality TV lineup does just that. Starting Tuesday night, August 2nd, NBC will ship mom off to a place far far away and let us rant, rave, and snarfle as a hapless dad tries to do it all.

This has a male-hating feminist stamp all over it. I’m liking it. Not because I hate guys, but because such stereotyping makes for entertaining TV for me. I get my blood pressure up yelling at the idiots on sitcoms. I can only imagine what I’ll be doing for this show, when I have to admit that my family is the exception to the rule, and the world is populated by idiots. They tend to fall into a few different categories: men who really are clueless and helpless and the women who control them; men who can do it all and the women who are threatened by it, so they nitpick in the execution of duties (“You didn’t fold the toilet paper into cute little squares. I have to do everything!”); and the men who can do it all but purposefully screw up so the little lady will do it.

Yes, I’m looking forward to Meet Mr. Mom. There’s nothing like watching other families’ idiosyncracies to make you feel superior! Because I’m one of those rare women who has a Mr. Mom at home, I’m predisposed to airs of arrogance towards the poor slobs who haven’t figured out how to balance this yet. Therefore, NBC is giving me a perfect opportunity to lord it over people on TV on a weekly basis. GO PEACOCK! Woo hoo!

Let’s take a look at the families I shall be feeling morally superior to, shall we?

The Adams Family: Yes, really. I’ll skip the obvious jokes for now. Father Craig is a pro motorcycle rider and Mom Terri is a first grade teacher. They have five kids ranging from 8-14. Busy is apparently an understatement and the three boys all want to follow in dad’s footsteps. Well, duh! Plus, all five are apparently always on the run.

The Avrahams: Emmanuel and Elianah run a non-profit that helps struggling families get back on their feet. In addition, they have three kids, and I can’t tell by the names if they’re boys or girls. They look like all boys names. We’ll find out when it airs. Anyway, we learn that dad works around the clock, and so does mom, and the kids are all active.

The Beadles: Do they have one boy for sale? Sorry, beadle equals bumble equals obscure reference to me. Tragic misspent college education. Leo, a systems engineer, and Rena, advertising consultant, are stuck with five kids ages 9-16. Apparently, to them Beadle equals Beatle equals not-so-obscure musical reference, as we learn that the kids mostly play musical instruments. Well, that and shoot each other with paintball guns that Leo got them for Christmas. It’s a wonder Rena hasn’t taken a long vacation before now!

The Clarksons: Henry and Terri don’t have professions listed. Perhaps they are itinerant rodeo clowns or something. Henry is drowning in a sea of estrogen at home, with wife Terri and four girls. Apparently Terri irons her girls’ hair every morning with a real iron! I won’t even touch this one yet. I have to see it to believe it and snark on it. These girls need a testosterone burst in their life if that’s the way things are though. Sheesh! I wouldn’t let my mom within ten yards of me with a heated iron.

The McColgans: Shane is listed as a small business owner, but if you read further, he owns two popular sports bars. Sweet! Nothing like making money off people’s strange obsessions and booze. Kelly is a real estate agent who tries to do her work while the five kids are at school, but doesn’t always get it done. Kelly seems to be in charge of it all, plus her job, while Shane’s out drinking, er I mean managing, at the sports bars.