Well, this show finally has a character with a disability as one of its main characters. It only took Hollywood long enough for that to happen. And it is done with grace without the nitty, gritty for sure, but instead treats him as another character.
Minnie Driver is top-billed as Maya DiMeo, a hover mom with three kids, including the disabled JJ (Micah Fowler) who is wheelchair bound and can't speak though he can still be understood with some limited hand gestures and a light attached to his head which points to letters, giving him a way to spell out words so he can be understood.
Her other son, Ray (Mason Cook) on the other hand, isn't thrilled with Maya always making decisions based on what is best for JJ and disregarding her other two children. Daughter Dylan (Kyla Kenedy) is a brilliant track star and is disgusted with her track coach praising everyone even if their times aren't spectacular. Ray likes astronomy and is actually enjoying sixth school in two years, but Maya isn't thrilled with the janitor (Cedric Yarbrough) who calls a wheelchair bound grandmother crippled and is livid that her son has to enter the school on a garbage ramp in the back of the school. She wants to switch him to somewhere else. And, for the first time, Ray puts up a fight, exclaiming in a stunner that JJ did get the right mom.
Meanwhile, Dad (John Ross Bowie) is thrilled that she still has hope that each situation will be better than the last. He and Ray bond over watching cars not handle a sudden speed bump well. But he is also the voice of reason, urging his wife to finally consider her other children. Which she does, only to discover that Ray ran off to attend the school's fair.
The ending of the episode is terribly rushed with JJ finally his voice through Kenneth, the janitor, who does mostly get him and Ray does something typical only to discover that his astronomy friend has a boyfriend and a jock one at that. JJ decides to divert attention away from Ray. Maya does apologize, something that doesn't come easily for her and, for now, at least, the family is fine and functioning normally. They will stay in the new area.
The show has a good cast, with Micah Fowler as the true breakout star, brilliant without saying a word. Driver is also good and it is nice to see John Ross Bowie as a character I can actually like without an annoying lisp. Cook and Kenedy are also good and will get better once their characters are more developed. It is also great to see another truly crappy house on TV. So far, this is the pilot to beat. Grade: B+
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