Crowded: Packed With Great Jokes

Crowded starts out with a scene that we've all lived through recently. Martina (played by Carrie Preston) and Mike (played by Patrick Warburton) are parents dropping off their oldest daughter Stella (played by Mia Serafino) at college. Martina seems to be composed as she reminds Stella to be safe and use two forms of birth control, but as soon as she leaves to go up to her dorm, Martina breaks down crying in Mike's arms. The typical parents dropping their kid off at college scene is repeated with Mike and Martina's youngest daughter, Shea (played by Miranda Cosgrove). Martina and Mike realize that dropping Shea off means they officially have an empty nest back home, which results in them collapsing and sobbing on the steps of a building in Shea's college as the other parents observe with judging looks.

After the initial sadness of living in an empty house, Martina and Mike realize that having the house to themselves might not be such a terrible thing. They start doing rebellious teenage activities, when their fun is cut short by the return of their daughters. Stella returns first, stating that she just got in a huge fight with her boyfriend, which means she has no where to stay. In the middle of her story, Shea bursts through the door lugging a suitcase behind her. Shea reveals that the science funding at her job was cut, so she considered her options and decided that the most economically sensible decision would be to move back home. Mike's pushy parents hear the great news about Shea and Stella's return and decide that instead of moving to Florida to retire, they want to stay close by to help with any issues that arise. Although Martina and Mike love their daughters, they are thoroughly disappointed that their teenage lifestyles must end. They're even more disappointed that Mike's parents won't be out of their hair as soon as they had anticipated.

I was pleasantly surprised by this pilot. The plotline seemed to be one of a typical family sitcom, but the characters were each well developed and there were lots of good jokes written in. Martina and Mike are laid-back parents who obviously care about their childrens' well-being; Stella is the typical wild child while Shea is the polar opposite, always level-headed and making sure to stick to the rules; and last but not least Mike's parents love being involved in Mike and Martina and the girls' lives. Although the plotline might have been used before on other shows, Crowded definitely puts its own spin on it.

Martina: “Wow. The empty nest."
Mike: “We're gonna die in this house."
Martina: “I need alcohol."