Matthew Perry, who became an international star in the '90s playing Chandler on "Friends," and was last seen in 2007's failed "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," returned to television Wednesday night with "Mr. Sunshine," a new ABC sitcom. Perry plays Ben Donovan, the brash, depressed manager of a sports facility, who must come to terms with his own selfishness... and a stable of wacky coworkers, of course. The show's debut-night ratings were encouraging. But is "Mr. Sunshine" any good? (Watch a trailer for "Mr. Sunshine")
The show is a disaster: "You can't help wondering which is sadder," says David Wiegand at The San Francisco Chronicle. "Matthew Perry's self-loathing sad-sack character or his attempt to make him appealing." One of the many problems on this "unfunny" show is just how unlikable the protagonist is — Donovan seems like he's "one Valium with a vodka chaser away from ending it all." But while Perry's character is merely sad, "West Wing" alumna Allison Janney, who plays the "entirely despicable" owner of the arena, is "downright horrifying."
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