letterten 2003-04 fall preview

debuts Friday, Sep 12, 9:30pm

premise from	A struggling actor and single dad tries to give his 8-year-old son a stable environment by moving back in with his parents only to find his room has been rented out to a medical student. Living in the family garage, he tries to reconcile his dreams with the demands that have been placed upon him. [The WB link]
stars	Anthony Anderson ("Barbershop"), Damani Roberts, Roz Ryan ("Amen"), John Amos ("Good Times," "The West Wing"), Paul Bartholomew
producers	Anthony Anderson, Adam Glass, Marco Pennette, James Widdoes
studio	Warner Bros. Television

opinions
	At first glance it would seem misplaced and should be part of the now-infamous UPN "ethnic" comedy block. It's not. John Amos excels at comedy should prove very funny as the foil with this good ensemble cast.
	This looks to be the strongest out of the gate of the Frog's new comedies thanks to Anderson, who, "Kangaroo Jack" aside, is a funny guy -- heck, he even gave "Romeo Must Die" a few (intentional) laughs. And seeing John Amos back in a comedy after his time on "The West Wing" -- where he mostly just stands around projecting an air of gravitas as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- is a good thing. The doctor who rents Anthony's old room seems like more of a plot device than a character, though.

my thoughts on "Like Family"
	Too bad the slot is bad: 9:30 on a Friday is not the place to launch a new comedy. If it stays, it dies. Something else on The WB sked has to move for this to make it.