TV Guide - USA - Blue Collar comedian
Bill Engvall will join the ranks of
Bob Newhart, Bill Cosby and
Ray Romano, each of whom has segued from the ranks of stand-up performer to sitcom star, with the debut of TBS' The
Bill Engvall Show, which premieres tonight at 9:30 pm/ET. Paired with veteran sitcom writer/executive producer
Mike Leeson (The
Mary Tyler Moore Show, All in the Family, Rhoda), Engvall's goal is to return the family-friendly sitcom to the airwaves.
Indeed, this type of program has taken a hit in recent years with the loss of such shows as Everybody Loves
Raymond and My Wife and Kids. As Engvall tells TVGuide.com, "After we shot the pilot, this 70-year-old lady came up to me and said, ‘Thanks for bringing family back to TV.'"
"Is there an audience for a [new version of] Married... with Children?" Engvall rhetorically asks. "Probably — but that's not my audience."
Ironically, though, the comedic chops of Engvall's TV daughter
Jennifer Lawrence call to mind a young Christina Applegate. In an upcoming episode, a hunky grease monkey takes a shine to
Lauren. While Al Bundy would have encouraged a union in exchange for free spark plugs, Engvall's Bill takes an overprotective stance. It's a case of art imitating life. "Jennifer had a young man come to the set one day," recalls a chuckling Engvall. "We didn't know if he was a boyfriend or not, but I became her ‘dad' anyway. I said to the guy, ‘She's got two dads now.'"
