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Bob Saget doesn’t have all the answers for once

© Steve Hatton

I must confess, I wasn't really expecting much from the WB's "Raising Dad," but when I tuned in, I was surprised to find myself laughing and enjoying myself. The return of Bob Saget as a single father yet again in this new sitcom is bound to lead comparisons with "Full House," but "Raising Dad" is a little bit more complex as it actually dares to admit that a father doesn't always have the all answers.

Saget plays high school teacher Matt Stewart at the same school attended by his fifteen-year-old daughter Sarah, played by newcomer Kat Dennings, much to her dismay. Sarah feels as though her dad is trying way too hard to be her best friend ever since her mom died. Matt Stewart is a recent widower doing his best to be both mother and father to his two girls. Come to think of it, wasn't Saget's character in Full House a widower as well. Other characters include the youngest daughter, Emily (Brie Larson), who keeps ditching elementary school to hang out at home with her understanding Grandpa.

In the pilot episode, he manages to embarrass his daughter on several occasions, despite trying to keep his distance from her. In one scene, he tells a heart warming, but inappropriate story to her schoolmates about a teddy bear she once cuddled up with. Inevitably, this leads to teasing from follow classmates, and dad must find a way to fix this. But fixing it only makes things worse and in the end, dad is the one who must apologize.

However the show does have some cheesy moments. For an example, there are a few punch lines that bomb because... well they're just not funny. Also, there is a group hug scene in the pilot after both Sarah and her father admit to each other that things would probably be different if mom were still alive. The scene is a bit of tear-jerker and somewhat reminiscent of the "Full House" era.

On the other hand, it is also slightly more sophisticated than the simple strategy used by "Full House" to have Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen read all the tear jerking lines. As well, the scene is saved by Grandpa Sam (Jerry Adler, The Sopranos) who throws in a surprise punch line saying that "if she were still alive, we wouldn't be eating this crap."

"Raising Dad" is like "Full House" with just a touch of "Everybody Loves Raymond" to bring Saget into the new millennium. While the show represents a step in the right direction for Saget, some of the more cynical television viewers may still be turned off.

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