Parents' Guide to Schooled

Nothing about this Goldbergs spin-off is offensively terrible, per se, but the show seems content to mimic the style of its predecessor rather than trying to find new life in its own set-up. Expectations for spin-offs are, historically, pretty low. And those low expectations are often met, as with all-time classic bombs like The Ropers, That 80s Show, or Joey. Maybe that's why Schooled feels like it's barely even trying.

AJ Michalka as Lainey Lewis isn't a strong enough actor to carry her own show, and she's not given much help from the show runners in terms of making the (often surprisingly decent) jokes work. Everyone performs as if there's a laugh track, taking the comedy for granted instead of actually, you know, trying to make it funny. Worst of all, Schooled wastes its opportunities for making 90s-appropriate jokes by only including the most head-smackingly obvious pop culture references from the era (grunge and Michael Jordan are the main punchlines in the first episode). And sometimes they can't even do that right -- sometimes they're in 1991, sometimes 1993, sometimes 1998! Yes, Schooled is just a lowly spin-off, but it could be a lot better with a little more care and attention to detail.