Television
'My Dad is Better,' better than nothing
By Diego Vasquez
Feb 15, 2008 - 1:15:14 AM

With the writers’ strike forcing many scripted shows into reruns, there are a number of new shows premiering at midseason.

This is one in a series of Media Life previews of those programs.
 
Name of show 
“My Dad is Better than Your Dad”
 
Timeslot 
NBC, Monday 8 p.m. (Monday’s premiere airs at 9 p.m.)
 
Plot synopsis 
Through the years, kids talking tough on the playground have used the phrase “My dad is better than your dad.” Now NBC’s taking this playground challenge and turning it into a reality competition in which 8- to 12-year-olds pit their dads against one another.
 
Hosted by Dan Cortese, the family reality/game show puts four teams of kids and dads in head-to-head competition in various challenges, both physical and mental, with such enticing names as Human Dart Board, The Spinning Discs, Snake Bobbing, Alphabet Soup, Happy Hour, Uphill Battle, Empty Nest, Target Practice, Quiz Round, Scorpion King, Paper Boy Shoot-Out, Arachnophobia and Stinger.
 
On each episode the last dad standing gets bragging rights and the opportunity to compete in a later money round for $50,000.
 
Outlook
"My Dad" premieres on Monday at 9 p.m., right after “Deal or No Deal,” and that could give the show some momentum. The Monday edition of "Deal" has averaged a 4.4 rating among viewers 18-49 so far this season. 

But the "My Dad" premiere also faces stiff competition. It airs head-to-head against an original episode of Fox’s “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” which is averaging a 5.1 among 18-49s. It also goes up against the premiere of CW’s younger-skewing “Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious” and a repeat of “Two and a Half Men” and a new “The New Adventures of Old Christine” on CBS, as well as the second half of ABC’s low-rated dance show “Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann.”
 
Things don’t get much easier the following week, when “Dad” moves to its regular 8 p.m. timeslot, where it faces Fox’s newly relocated “Moment of Truth,” which has averaged an 8.5 18-49 rating on Wednesdays this season, as well as the first hour of ABC’s TV movie version of “A Raisin in the Sun.”
 
In the same hour it will face lesser competition from a repeat of “How I Met Your Mother” and a new “Welcome to the Captain” on CBS and a repeat of “Gossip Girl” on CW.
 
The buzz 
Media people clearly see "My Dad" as strike fodder--primetime filler until NBC can get its scripted shows back into production. But that alone won't doom it.

Working in "My Dad's" favor, media people note there’s a relative shortage of family-friendly programming on primetime broadcast TV.

“It’s something the whole family can watch together, so there’s a possibility that it could fill a niche,” says Karen McCallum, media director at Esparza Advertising in Albuquerque.

But then people won’t tune in and stay tuned simply because it’s family-friendly. Says McCallum: “People will watch anything once, but whether they come back is the critical difference.” 
 
McCallum recognizes the timeslot competition as formidable, but says it’s not impossible for the show to succeed on Monday nights.
 
“CBS sitcom-watchers are loyal to those shows, and for ‘Sarah Connor,’ that’s an edgier crowd,” she says. “It is tough competition, but everything [it’s up against] has a different audience.”
 
What critics are saying 
“Blame it on the writers’ strike, but network TV is rushing to embrace cheap and sponsor-friendly unscripted programming that makes gross-out contests [such as ‘Fear Factor’] look like ‘St. Elsewhere.’ And leading the way is NBC, the network that for two decades staked its reputation on upscale, high-quality shows such as ‘ER’ and ‘Law & Order.’” – Scott Collins, Los Angeles Times
 
“The beauty of reality TV is that just when you think they’ve thought of everything, someone gets drunk and comes up with a show that's so ridiculous, it makes their last crappy show look good. Booze, of course, is the only explanation I can think of for ‘My Dad is Better than Your Dad.’ The NBC competition series pegs father-son and father-daughter teams against each other, and ultimately ends in therapy sessions for all (or so I’m assuming).” – Lindsey Ward, Sun Media
 
“As it stands, ‘My Dad’ will pit fathers and their children against each other in ‘stunt-driven challenges.’ But why not make these papas prove their worth in the most grueling and important tests of all? If I produced ‘My Dad,’ I’d have contestants face off against each other as they attempt to do the following:
 
“Change a poopy diaper on a surly toddler with a severe rash.
 
“Navigate a crowded Wal-Mart toy aisle on Black Friday with three kids — without any temper tantrums, and without making a purchase.
 
“[And] help a teenager with her trigonometry homework. (Pythago-who?)” – Michael Slezak, Entertainment Weekly’s “PopWatch” blog