In contrast to his movie career, James Caāanās TV series track record has been checkered at best (four mediocre seasons on āLas Vegasā) ā but heās a big reason to sample ABCās new fall sitcom, āBack in the Game.ā
Caan, now 73 and sporting a short grey beard, has aged himself into the role of a crusty ex-jock, which suits the actorās tough-guy image anš½d gravelly voice (if you close your eyes, he sounds a bit like Tošny Soprano).
He also demonstrates a surprisingly light comedic touch as Terry āThe Cannonā Gannon, a beer-swilling, slovenly ex-major leaguer who drives a ź§ā70s sports car and is given to recošunting how he āonce faced Vida Blue with my junk out.ā
The sitcomās setup has Terry trying to find a common ground with his daughter, Teršryš¼ Jr. (Maggie Lawson) ā who played softball in college ā and her tween-aged son, Danny (Griffin Gluck).
Theyāre now lšiving with The Cannon in his messy, dimly lit house after Terryās divorce ā and trying to cope with the old manās š¼quirks (Terry Jr. to a Senior: āThe last time I closed my eyes, you farted on meā).
You get the picture.
In Wednesday nightās series premiere, the unathletic Danny tries to impress his middle-school crush by trying out for the Little League team, failing miserably. That the team has no coach, yet is still auditioning potential players, doesnāt make too much sense ā even for a sitcom ā but it does frame ź¦what happens next.
Terry Jr., angry at overheš¼aring some local dads making fun of Danny, decides that she will coach the newly assembled team, a group of misfits and awkward kids, including Danny, fat, red-headed identical twins and a kid who perpetually sways to dance rhythms only he can hear.
Itās all very reminiscent of the 1976 movie āThe Bad News Bears,ā which revolved around a ragtag baseball team ā and Caanās crotchety Terry Sr. aš °s Morris Buttermaker, the role immortalized by Walter Matthau. Whether it continues to head down that path is anyoneās guess.
Caan and Lawson have comfortable on-screen chemistry ā which š„makes their back-and-forth banter more believable ā and Gluck ranges beyond the typical sitcom tween, adding a touch of pą²athos to young Danny (with help from some solid writing).
The showās supporting cast is headed by Lenora Chrichlow in a funny turn as Lulu, Terry Jr.ās new best friend (and the mother of that dancing kid) who pays for the teamšøās equipment and uniforms. (The team is supposed to be called the āAngelsā ā but, thanks to a typo on their uniforms, theyāre now the āAngles.ā) I donāt know if āBack in the Gameā will have a long shelf life, or if it will turn Caan into a prime-time star (like son Scott on āHawaii Fiāve-Oā), but I do think itās worth a half-hour of your time.