The series will chronicle the life of a family as told from a point of view of each character based on their own version of events. John and Joan try not to meddle as their eldest daughter considers a new baby to avoid an empty nest, their middle son loves a woman almost as much as her ex does, and their pampered youngest finds parenthood awfully messy.
The obvious irony of the series is that Life in Pieces purports to be about the small, seemingly innocuous moments that linger longest in one's memory, while offering audiences absolutely none of those moments itself.
Life in Pieces, a wacky single-camera intergenerational family comedy, is the staid network's attempt to mimic critical darling and ratings bonanza Modern Family, with edgy (for CBS, mind you) laughs and a squishy heartwarming beat at the end.
It's a finish more sitcommy than the show seems to call for, but one not weak enough to upset the balance of funny and heartfelt that made me want to see a bit more, even if it was just for the pleasure of this company.
A sitcom doesn't have to spell everything out to be funny. But viewers have to believe that what is left unsaid or ambivalent has nonetheless been thought through. The creators of Life in Pieces don't seem to realize that it is missing parts.
