Life in Pieces

Clever lines delivered by good actors with great timing enliven the proceedings, and the action is mild enough for whole-family watching, but sophisticated viewers will experience a "seen-it" ennui as the Short family's hijinks are rehashed by each member. This is the kind of sitcom where the birth of a child triggers jokes about the new mom's "ruined" vagina and how upset the new dad is about abstaining from sex for six weeks; where a dad who decides to throw his own funeral for his 70th birthday party gets stuck in a coffin, and where a woman who just wants to find a private place for first-date sex is repeatedly mistaken for a prostitute. 

It's not that the gag-writing is awful; in fact, these actors are old pros and can deliver zingers with panache. It's just that the plot points are so very sitcommy -- for example, if you see a pool you know someone's falling in it (and probably in a tuxedo). Still, teen and tween viewers may find this amusing enough to want to watch with Mom and Dad, and though it's not all that fresh, it's entertaining enough.