Fall TV preview: ‘We Are Men’ combines Kal Penn, Jerry O’Connell, and testosterone

For this edition of our Fall TV Preview series, we’re getting manly. Specifically, we’re talking about CBS’ ambitious new series “We Are Men.” This was a show that was in development longer than almost anything the network picked up, and they clearly took their time getting the casting and the story just right … even if it’s rather simple. We have a guy with an awesome name in Carter (Chris Smith) who was left at the altar, and makes the decision to move into a housing complex for guys that are basically down on their luck.

The reason we though this idea was ambitious is that this show is a departure for CBS. It’s single-camera, which is something that they are experimenting with a little bit this year (see Robin Williams’ “The Crazy Ones”). However, it hasn’t worked that well for them in the past. It’s also easily the most male-centric show they’ve done since “Two and a Half Men,” and the pattern of the jokes feels almost like they are going down a similar path at times.

At this point the casting is the best thing about the show. While Smith is a relative unknown, you have Kal Penn, Tony Shalhoub (his first series regular role since “Monk”), and Jerry O’Connell all playing his friends. All of these guys are funny, and with the right scripts this could be a gem for the fall season.

“We are Men” is very promising, but our main concern here can be summed up in two words: Asian jokes. We don’t want to see it stoop to the obvious, easy joke, and we think that Shalhoub’s character can be a horn-dog without saying that much. Comedies do sometimes need tweaks, though, and that can be easily fixed during the show’s run.

Do you think that “We Are Men” looks promising? If you want to check out all of our other entries in the Fall TV Preview series, the best way to do so is over here.

Photo: CBS