

Four boorish men in a tub: Chris Smith, left, Tony Shalhoub, Jerry O'Connell and Kal Penn. / CBS

You are meh.

As a simple declaration of biological fact, the title of mediocre sitcom misstep We Are Men (* * out of four; CBS, Monday, 8:30 ET/PT) is accurate: The four main characters are, indeed, male. But to the extent the show means to imply these four men represent the entire sex, then both sexes should rise in protest - unless you really do think all men are boorish, babbling, immature boobs who never outgrew their childhood membership in some Our Gang He-Man Woman Haters Club.

The shame here is that three of TV's more personable men - Tony Shalhoub, Jerry O'Connell and Kal Penn - are being wasted by this misbegotten series about four recently (and deservedly) single guys living in an apartment complex that apparently puts a "losers only" covenant in its leases. There are women in this world, but outside of one of the men's daughters, they are all either bodies to be admired or shrews to be avoided.

Really: If these are men and those are women, one shudders for the survival of the race.

Shalhoub is the group leader, Frank, a four-time divorcé with the sensible offspring (Rebecca Breeds) and, it seems, a way with the opposite sex. Penn is Gil, an inept philanderer, and O'Connell is Stuart, a doctor trying to hide his financial assets from his about-to-be ex-wife while exposing his other assets via a constantly worn Speedo.

The foursome is completed by Carter (Chris Smith), who was dumped at the altar by his horrible fiancée and is immediately taken under the older men's wings. Until, that is, he decides to return to his ex - a decision his three friends work to subvert.

And there, it seems, you have it. They give him stupid bits of advice. He follows some and rejects others. And it all leads to the moment where the fiancée calls them "idiots," which is about the only line in the entire show that rings true.

As anyone who has followed his career knows, Shalhoub is a very talented actor - but even he can't triumph over material that is, at best, instantly forgettable. So what you're left with is a series that, while less repellent than the even-more-misogynistic Dads, is equally dull.

So, yeah: meh.

Copyright 2014

Read the original story: 'We Are Men' - boring, immature ones

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