“Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?”
Tuesday 9:30pm, Fox
“Survivor” and “Apprentice” mastermind Mark Burnett came up with this new quiz show. And if anybody knows how stupid adults are, it’d be him. The concept is pretty obvious: Well-meaning adults and actual fifth graders are asked questions taken directly from basic elementary curriculum. Can they remember the names of the tribes in the Onondaga Confederacy? Do they have the ability to multiply fractions? Inevitably the answer will be “No” for the adults, and that will provide the kids with prime mocking opportunities. And I’m all for sharpening the gloating skills of America’s youth. Jeff Foxworthy hosts, which means you should be getting a whole new edition of You Might Be a Redneck If…filled with dumb-adult jokes right about…now.
“Jericho”
Wednesday 8pm, CBS
Last week this freshman drama returned from winter hiatus for 11 new episodes. The schedule is much like ABC’s “Lost,” which makes sense since “Jericho” has a lot in common with the doomed island show. Both have a great premise, and both premises have been pretty poorly executed. “Jericho” chronicles the lives of the people living in the titular small town after a big ol’ mushroom cloud appears in the sky. It seems like the major American cities have been apparently attacked and wiped out. Answers have been somewhat slow in coming, and most of the episodes deal with individual character mysteries, somewhat minor town squabbles, and the realities of life without the modern conveniences we’ve come to rely on. But some of the plots have been redundant or poorly thought out, and the momentum at times nonexistent. On the plus side: “Major Dad”’s Gerald McRaney continues to get work, and I’m all for that.
“The Winner”
Sunday 8:30pm, Fox
The line “from the producer of ‘Family Guy’” isn’t exactly a guarantee of comedy genius. The cartoon series has moments of gonzo brilliance, but a lot more moments of boring, flat filler. This live action show stars former “Daily Show” correspondent Rob Corddry as a 30-something with a serious case of arrested development. He still lives with his parents, works in a video store, and has never even done le nasty (as they say in France). He’s basically a 12-year-old in a grown man’s body. Logically he’s paired with an actual 12-year-old (Josh, played by Keir Gilchrist), and together they try to figure out the confusing world of puberty, responsibility and complicated women’s undergarments. The scenes between Corddry and Gilchrist are the reason to watch. They have great rapport and some snappy dialogue. The rest is pretty standard sitcom fare.