Carpoolers (2007–2008) User Reviews

Deadpan delivery is excellent

[dread_chgo · 9/10 · 3 October 2007]

This is like a Leslie Nielsen inspired comedy in that so much is happening in the background and the actors are so unaware of their actions that it is nonstop funny. I laughed so hard throughout the show and this upset me a little in knowing that I missed jokes that came immediately after.

Along the lines of a "40 Year Old Virgin" or "Something About Mary". All I can say is try to TIVO it so you can go back and forth and catch everything because it moves quite briskly through the dialogue. The best thing about this show is that none of the actors are really known so it will certainly be a fresh approach to comedy.

This is certainly not for everybody, but for those that can appreciate offbeat humor at a quick pace, this is your show!

The next great comedy??

[Elvis_Cole · 9/10 · 3 October 2007]

Well, I thought the promos for this show were dumb. But I wanted to check it out anyway. So I watched it and it was hilarious from the opening scene to very end. I must say every character was funny in their own way, and all of the characters have good chemistry together. I personally am hard to please when it comes to comedy. I'm a huge fan of Arrested Development, The Office, It's always Sunny In Philadelphia, and other such shows. But this show could rival these after some time. Like all great comedies, it's the combination of clever writing and solid comedic acting that makes it great. The only thing that bothers me about this show is Fred Goss doing a blatant Steve Carell impression. But I think after time, he will develop his character more and it won't be as noticeable. And remember, this isn't a bunch of newcomers, it's experienced writers and actors coming together to make another great show. So before you judge this show based on what ignorant people say, watch it and decide for yourself.

A Pleasant Unexpected Surprise

[Nightcrawlr825 · 9/10 · 9 October 2007]

I watched the sub-par pilot of Cavemen and was pretty disappointed with the show when I saw my first ad for Carpoolers. I decided to give the show a chance and I found it very funny.

I have seen two episodes(first two aired) so far and I can easily see this show as being my next "Friends", which is my favorite sitcom to date. The show has four primarily main characters: Aubrey who has several kids (more than 5) and an unseen wife, Laird who just got divorced and lost everything to his wife, Dougie who is the new guy who so far seems to get hit by a lot of cars, and Gracen, a psychiatrist who has a wife and a son who has yet to move out on his own.

I strongly encourage people to give this show a chance, and i personally hope this show has a long lifespan.

Seinfeld on wheels

[Phill_E · 8/10 · 13 November 2007]

Every year, shows come out that are well below par (Most coming from the ever-so spontaneous Fox network). But when I finished watching the okay show Cavemen, I came across this show and realized that Carpoolers is not one of them.

This show is another comedy that is basically about nothing (Like Seinfeld), but still remains original and funny. Which is nice, because you can still pick up where you left off if you didn't see the last episode. But more serious than sitcoms where you just listen to a laugh-track playing after stupid jokes. The jokes are more appreciable, things you can remember, instead of being funny for the moment, and then forgetting it 5 minutes later. Even the plots are funny in their own way.

The movie centers around four guys and the time the spend sitting in their car, working, and hanging out at home.

Gracen, a married man with a 'napolean dynamite' style 20-something kid, is the sensible one of the group. Though smarter than the rest of the group, he is witty, and is hilarious when pointing out the mistakes of the others. Always having to deal with his son weird antics, and the fact that he isn't as young as he used to be, he still manages to be funny in his own way. Always assuming the worst of things, he really relates to some of the older people watching the show.

Laird, the divorced cool bachelor is always on the prowl. Looking for girls and telling stories of the never-on-screen times he has with his one day girlfriends. Definitaly the dumbest of the group, he still charms everyone and keeps you wanting more. He is best friends with Gracen, and they really do make a dynamic duo.

Aubrey, the married father of 7, is the basically the slightly happier version of Debbie Downer or Negative Nancy. He always brings up his problems at home into the conversations, yet manages to humor things up when he tries to escape from his home life by getting into other things going on around him.

Doug, the newly-wed with a baby, is my personal favorite. The newest to the car-pool, he is still adjusting to the weird habits of the group. Always commenting the others obvious mistakes, he still gets sucked into what is going on while trying to be accepted.

This is a new and refreshing show and should be given a chance.

funny funny show

[LuvBrd81 · 8/10 · 17 February 2008]

I have never heard of this show. No ones mentioned it, never saw an advertisement or anything. But being nothing to watch on TV with this whole writers strike thing, my husband and i went to our on demand and saw this title. We looked at the info and i rolled my eyes, thinking that since all the good shows are on hiatus, any stupid show can get on. But, we gave it a try since we really wanted to watch something. And seriously, to my surprise, this show had us laughing so hard. We got to watch 3 episodes and we cant wait for more. Sooooo funny. I love the friendship between the men, because seriously, how often do you get to see that? And, the strange son of one of the main characters has us in tears. And, Jerry OConnel....just brilliant! Give this show a try!

Awesome show - deserves another season!

[yeahyeahyeah182 · 9/10 · 14 February 2008]

This show is hilarious. The characters are a great cross-section of middle America and they have wonderful chemistry together. You can't just go by one episode; I've been watching this show from the start and I've really gotten attached to these characters. Dougie is a naive newlywed gen-Xer, Aubrey is an unbelievably whipped father of 9 (I think), Gracen is a mediator, wife of Leila and father of Marmaduke (TV's funniest peripheral character since Newman!), and finally Jerry O'Connel's charter, Laird, a dentist, womanizer, and recent divorcée who lost everything. Last night's episode had me rolling! And one of the best things about Carpoolers is that it promotes carpooling by showing how awesome it can be. 9 out of 10!

A Winner

[kmtlc · 8/10 · 14 October 2007]

This show is definitely a "keeper". It's not quite at the level of "...Earl" or Seinfeld but it can surely hold it's own. It's been a while since I've seen a show where the second episode was 100 times funnier that the first. And to be on ABC? Looks like they're stepping up their game over at the American Broadcast Company. I think Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley were the last great ABC comedies. So far, Aubrey and Marmaduke are the best characters. This show, as well as Cavemen and Pushing Daisies, have earned the coveted TiVo Season Pass. I don't want to miss an episode. Marmaduke? Who would name their kid after a big, goofy, comics strip dog? Hilarious!

Goss fans look elsewhere, "Carpoolers" is more live-action cartoon than anything

[liquidcelluloid-1 · 8 December 2007]

Network: ABC; Genre: Comedy; Content Rating: TV-PG (adult content, language); Perspective: Contemporary (star range: 1 - 4);

Seasons Reviewed: 1 season

"Carpoolers" is an ABC sitcom about the wacky adventures of four guys who carpool to work together. Gracen (Fred Goss, "Significant Others", "Sons & Daughters") is the husband and father. Aubrey (Jerry Minor, "Lucky Louie") is the "straight-laced wussy guy". Dougie (Tim Peper) is the sucker who obeys his wife and believes in the fantasy of marriage. Laird (Jerry O'Connell) is "the player".

Well, it's always good to see Fred Goss back on TV. In "Carpoolers" he's basically playing the same exasperated father he did in "Sons & Daughters", only trimmed of that character's more realistic and relatable dimensions. It's a walk in the park and an easy paycheck for Goss. Now he has a wife he has no chemistry with (Faith Ford) and a son, cruelly named Marmaduke (JT Miller), a character the show has no shame ripping from "Napoleon Dynamite" for.

Instead of just noting what's wrong with "Carpoolers" and how it could be better, I'm going imagine it was once conceived as a great show (highly unlikely given that Bruce McCulloch wrote the pilot) and how it could have gone horribly wrong.

What if, just hear me out, "Carpoolers" was a ballsier, more audience-challenging show. What if it spent most of it's running time inside the car with the guys. Breaking out of it only before and after act breaks, the stories would all be told through lively, well-written conversation. Much in the way that "Seinfeld's" most thrilling and memorable moments were just elaborate stories told in Jerry's apartment or in a booth at the coffee shop. Or the classic "Everybody Loves Raymond" episode "Golf for It" which takes place almost entirely in the front and backseat of a car. So, it's been done. And hey, with Goss around, the show could have been improvised with the car serving a similar roll as the therapist's couch in "Significant Others".

I'd also imagine if you pitched this to a network like ABC they wouldn't have it. It's hard to blame McCulloch for the theoretical potential of "Carpoolers" going totally unnoticed. So the show would have been taken out of the car, with the carpooling segments used only to have the guys sing together during the cold opening or simply repeat what we just saw happen to them the night before making the carpooling segments - the very basis behind the show - perfunctory.

Then just to make sure there is no confusion, all of the out-of-the-car action is as big and over-the-top broad as physically possible. If you didn't know that O'Connell's ex-wife (Rebecca Romijn) is evil we'll have a big black thunder cloud roll in over her head. Then we'll have Peper get hit by the car a few times to ratchet up the slapstick count. I'm not opposed to stupid, but I don't like broad and "Carpoolers" is as broad as the Grand Canyon. Laughs, even chuckles, are almost non-existent.

Between the live-action cartoon of "Carpoolers" and the much maligned "Cavemen", I'd actually take "Cavemen" any day.

* / 4

comedy of men at a certain age

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 13 July 2015]

Four men carpool to work every day. Mediator Gracen Brooker (Fred Goss) is married to real estate agent Leila (Faith Ford) with slacker grown son Marmaduke (T.J. Miller). Aubrey (Jerry Minor) is unhappily married with tons of rowdy kids. Dougie (Tim Peper) and Cindy (Allison Munn) are sickenly happy young married couple. Laird (Jerry O'Connell) is a womanizing divorced dentist.

This show was created by Bruce McCulloch and joined by his 'Kids in the Hall' co-star Kevin McDonald. It also has the Russo brothers. There is enough talent in front and behind the screen. It's an interesting attempt at a comedy of men at a certain age. Those are not always my favorite sitcoms. I prefer the father figures to be the traditional over-confident bombastic morons like Al Bundy. These are the sensitive introspective put-down-upon modern fathers with the exception of Laird. They're not quite as funny as characters. This is a good enough show that tries to be slightly different.

Best new show of the season!

[vbabe1271 · 10/10 · 18 October 2007]

Carpoolers is by far the best new show of the season. I find the cast to be very witty, fresh & funny. The show is well written without all of the same old story lines you see over & over again. I highly recommend this show to anyone. My husband & I have 2 kids so we don't watch a lot of television. This is one show that we make time for each week. It is a great comedy that you can watch even with kids in the room. All of the actors are very funny while making you feel like they are real people. They could be YOUR neighbors. After watching all the new show season premiers I can say this one is without a doubt the best one out there.

If you like "The Office" you will like this show

[rochelle-rochelle · 8/10 · 2 October 2007]

If you are a fan of Arrested Development and The Office, then you will most likely love this show.

This show was a pleasant surprise. ABC doing a 1/2 hour sitcom. Wow. I didn't think ABC knew how to do that anymore, but this show is fresh, funny, creative, unique and entertaining. It's about these four men that carpool to the same office park together. I don't think they work in the same office, though, from what I could gather from the Pilot. It also shows tidbits of their home life to explain why they are the way they are in the car.

This is not your typical "sitcom", and there is no studio audience. The writing of this show is very fresh, unique and creative and it's not a bunch of shtick that you see on most sitcoms. It's truly realistic, awkward and interesting. Each character is a unique stereotype that you can relate to, and their facial expressions and reactions to events are spot on terrific.

I like the direction ABC is going this season, and I look forward to watching more episodes of "Carpoolers" to see how the character's lives develop from what they've set up so far in the Pilot.

I rate this show an 8 out of 10.

Not the funniest

[smogrady · 2/10 · 28 April 2007]

Just saw it this morning, and frankly I didn't find it funny. It was all way too expected. Stupid Humor, A couple of annoying characters, and "the Player." Please write something smarter Hollywood. I realize we only saw the pilot today, but it would help if the characters had some depth. The player is a divorcée on the wrong side of her lawyer. There are two "whipped" characters, and the young kid who just started carpooling. The husband is is worried because his wife makes more than him should worry more about the son named after a comic strip dog who usually goes sans pants. The whipped husband who's wife watches TV as "work" come on, give me a break. Stay away from this show, lots of bubblegum, not a lot of substance.

That's my story.

Surprisingly Hilarious!

[dfayathens · 9/10 · 16 November 2007]

I was surprised to see just how funny this show could be. I was skeptical at first because I didn't think there could be much of a story line with 4 guys riding in a car to and from work each day. The ride to and from work for the 4 car buddies is a hilarious gossip fest. The way the show writers take the plot "home" into their personal lives is great. Ironically, the funniest character on the show, "Marmaduke," is not one of the main characters. They need to write more lines for this character, even at the risk of him stealing the show. I do hope this show makes a long run. The show's theme is a breath of fresh air and a great change from the average sitcom we have known in the past.

Love this show!

[kbarker83 · 10/10 · 8 November 2007]

I know the writer's seem to be gearing this show towards men, but women love it too! It is one of the funniest shows ever! I will admit that I started watching because of Jerry O'Connell (as he is my favorite actor) but the humor, the stories, and ALL the characters is what has kept me watching! A Divorce to Remember has been my favorite episode so far. There is a lot of humor that is subtle that you almost miss it, but if you catch it, is sure to have you cracking up! All the characters are so different by tie in well to each other. Laird and Marmaduke are my favorites.

GREAT show and well worth the watch! -EB

please keep this show.

[kcalikarate · 10/10 · 1 March 2008]

Everything I have allowed myself to get attached to over the years has been canceled recently (Las Vegas, The Dead Zone, The 4400, etc.) Finally, a decent show with great writing comes along with great acting to boot, and of course it's in danger of being canceled...

I lost Day Break and Studio 60 recently too - I can't trust television at all.

Even if the show has to be an online-only type thing to at least keep the story going, I'll take anything at this point, heh.

Please, all you fans out there for this show - keep this one alive - not only for me, but for all fellow Carpoolers out there.

Best show on TV

[shawnmcq · 10/10 · 21 March 2008]

If you can't laugh at "Carpoolers" than you are either dead, Dick Chaney, or just an idiot! This is the best show in years. Network people, I beg you to renew this great show. Trust me...there are tens of thousands who agree with me. I urge all "Carpooler" fans to unite and contact the network to voice your opinion. When I think of all the crap on TV right now, I can't imagine "Carpoolers" being canceled. If you have not seen the show, please go to America online and watch the shows. I promise you that you will love it. The show is hip, cool and has an incredible cast that delivers laugh after laugh. The writing is terrific. I think my only complaint about the show is that it is only a half hour long. I would love to see more!

This show... what a joke and not a good one.

[bill-bill12 · 1/10 · 26 March 2008]

So obvious that the first glowing comment is written by somebody working on the show or the mother of somebody working on the show.

This show is another horrible, horrible "comedy" on television. This show is why viewers are fleeing by the thousands and finding real forms of entertainment like poking their eyes out with dirty hypodermic needles.

Seriously, it's over the top and not in a funny way. It's insulting to the audience - we won't laugh at just anything anymore. Hollywood wise up! Where's the smart comedy - like Everybody Loves Raymond or Frasier or Cheers? With real characters with real emotions and real moment the audience believes? This show is beyond repair, beyond forgiving.

ABC bring back real characters!!!!

Awful, not even worth stealing

[gvd-2 · 1/10 · 27 February 2008]

All I can say is thank the lord I didn't watch the commercials. That would reward ABC for putting this trash on the tube.

There should be no such reward; this show blows and blows HARD.

I tried to like/watch the show, but after fifteen minutes I gave up entirely. It's just not possible. The plot line was drop dead BORING and recycled quite literally from The Cosby Show. Except when Cosby did it, the actor the plot revolved around was six -- not TWENTY SIX! This isn't a case of simply the old "adults reverting back to childhood" type plot line, but more of a "oh, this character is simply unbelievable even for a microsecond" type plot line.

Every single character lands flat, without exception. Granted, they don't have much to work with, but the guy who plays the obvious Napoleon Dynamite ripoff may as well be acting with his rear, as his head surely lacks the capability to extract any funny lines whatsoever.

Fifteen minutes, not a single laugh. Not a chuckle, not a guffaw, not a snort, *nothing*. EPIC FAIL as a comedy.

Carpoolers deserves to be cancelled

[steve-4019 · 1/10 · 9 January 2008]

Last night I watched the episode titled "The Seminar". Frankly I was confused what the working relationship was with all of the characters. One is a dentist but seems to be an employee of a company that treats their staff like high school students. The whole premise is so unrealistic that the viewer cannot even concentrate on the plot line. Making matters worst is the fact that the writing for this series is awful relying on uninteresting clichés and tired plot lines. Within 30 minutes the show managed to: 1 - Introduce pornography to a newly married couple and the office where the main characters work 2 - Establish a prospective home-buyer making a decision to purchase based on the perception that the neighborhood and their real estate agent was a "swinger" 3 - Introduce a 1990's Sexual Harassment seminar and officer who was so far out of bounds that each employee would have sued the company 3 - Tagged an employee literally with a flag on their cubical as "under investigation" for sexual harassment 4 - Included the obligatory midget into the plot line for no apparent purpose 5 - Suggested a real estate agent would give away more than $2000 in espresso machines to anyone who visit her open house 6 – Force into the show a character that does an awful imitation of Napoleon Dynamite and another who is a whinier adult version of Steve Erkel 7 – Stereotyped all men to look like immature sexist idiots 9 – Not introduce a single likable character 10 - Make the primary plot line that the lead character (a dentist) would have sex with the sexual harassment officer (please)

The best part of this show is the shows musical introduction which I will down load to my ipod so I do not have to endure another episode of what I consider to be the worst sitcom I have ever experienced.