‘Son of a Critch’ a sweet but not sweet family comedy

Which TV shows dominate the conversation, capture the zeitgeist, have something interesting to say, or are hidden gems waiting to be discovered or rediscovered? We look forward to your weekend watch. And be warned, there are spoilers ahead.

You don’t have to have grown up in the 1980s – or in Newfoundland – to appreciate the mellow humor of CBC’s “Son of a Critch.”

If you went to school, had friends, crushes, enemies, and a family, you’ll find some similarities with 12-year-old Mark Critch (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth), the hero of this series based on the memoirs of Canadian comedian Mark Critch .

Personally, I went to high school (and high school) in Toronto in the 1970s, but I could empathize with storylines like the humiliation of not having the right pair of jeans to wear on days when school uniforms can be ditched, or the terror of a bully threatening to beat you up after school.

Since the series debuted in January 2022, other critics have compared it to the original ‘Wonder Years’, which I haven’t seen. To me, it has echoes of the Northern Ireland-set “Derry Girls,” given the time period and Catholic school environment, and the fact that the households in both shows are ruled by no-nonsense mothers named Mary.

But Mark lives in St. John’s, NL, with his father, mother, older brother and grandfather, next to the radio station where his father, Mike, works. He attends high school with his Filipino best friend Ritchie (Mark Ezekiel Rivera), the only non-white boy in the class, and the bully turned friend Fox (Sophia Powers).

What makes “Son of a Critch” so watchable is a sweetness that doesn’t carry over into the saccharine.

This is a family that loves each other, but is rarely demonstrative about it. Mary (Claire Rankin) is just as likely to call her relatives “shaggers” or threaten to stuff their asses as saying she loves them. Mike (Mark Critch plays his father) calls his father (Malcolm McDowell) a “deaf old coot” on a father-son fishing trip and Pop calls Mike “a goddamn prankster”. (Yes, the insults are often unique to Newfoundland.)

But the episode in which that exchange takes place – with the off-screen death of a family member and the revelation that Mark has a grandmother who doesn’t want to know him – offers a heartwarming illustration of the enduring but imperfect bonds between families (and friends) and is one of the best of the second season.

Speaking of friends, it’s wonderful to see how Mark, Fox and Ritchie – despite the differences in their economic and cultural backgrounds – go through developments that threaten to drive them apart, only to come back together again.

A word needs to be said about the casting. Ainsworth, a 14-year-old British actor, is charming as old Mark, while Vancouver actor Powers brings emotional depth as a young girl struggling to rise above her deprived family life.

And McDowell – yes, the “A Clockwork Orange” Malcolm McDowell – is a delight as Patrick “Pop” Critch, who has never made a deal to make money or a funeral home sandwich he didn’t like. He has great chemistry with Ainsworth’s Mark, with whom his character shares a room (and the occasional moon).

Part of the fun, as with any show set in a past that’s still in living memory, are the nostalgic references: Bob Geldof and Live Aid, ladies of Avon, the movie “Porky’s,” aka “the Called “Citizen Kane” of teen sex. ”

But the main appeal of “Son of a Critch” is the universality of its specificity and the lovable way it puts childhood memories at your fingertips.

Red Oaks is more than meets the eye

As a TV reviewer, I’m expected to keep abreast of what’s out there, but as I’ve written before, it’s impossible to keep up with everything in our TV universe beyond the top. So “Red Oaks”, a series I knew nothing about until a few weeks ago, came as a pleasant surprise.

For my story about TV shows that evoke summer, I focused on the first season and the 1980s teen movie vibe, but you have to watch all three seasons, which go beyond raucous parties, plain boyish girls and nerd hot girls.

We follow David Meyers (actor Craig Roberts from Wales), who is part of a middle-class Jewish family in New Jersey, works as an assistant tennis pro at the Red Oaks country club as he prepares to follow his father into a career in accounting and presumably to marry his sweet but vanilla old girlfriend.

Of course David wants more – would there be a show if he didn’t? — with ambitions to become a filmmaker and a new romance with Skye (Alexandra Socha), the daughter of wealthy club president Doug Getty (Paul Reiser).

The series offers a nuanced look at David’s struggle to find himself and his place in the world, as well as that of his friend Wheeler (Oliver Cooper), who is more than just the pot-dealing stoner servant we initially meet.

And it’s not just the young people who have to find their way. David’s parents, Sam (Richard Kind) and Judy (Jennifer Gray), have to rethink their sense of themselves after their divorce. Doug and his wife Fay (Gina Gershon) also have to make adjustments after Doug is accused of insider trading, as does Nash (Canadian actor Ennis Esmer), the club’s tennis pro, who finds that partying and womanizing lose their allure as he approaching 40.

“Red Oaks” has some of the carefree vibe you’d expect from a show set in a rich people’s playground, but there’s enough going on with the characters to make it both a compelling and fun take.

Debra Yeo is an editor and writer for the Star’s Culture section. She is based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @realityeo

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