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Champions - Complete series
The title Champions is a reference to the Brooklyn Champions Athletic Club. A gym in New York that isn't doing very well. It's run by Vince Cook (Anders Holm, Workaholics). Together with his brother, Matthew (Andy Favreau, Aquarius), he lives in an apartment above the gym. The brothers work together, enjoy their bachelorhood and they devour both alcohol and women alike. Nonetheless, Vince isn't happy. He is planning to sell the gym and move to Florida. His brother isn't aware of any of this. Unfortunately for him, his ex-girlfriend Priya Patel (Mindy Kaling, The Mindy Project), who lives in Cleveland, is there to ruin it all. Unannounced, she's suddenly at his doorstep with her 15-year-old son, Michael (Josie Totah, Back in the Game) and she has an announcement that will change his life. Michael is the son of Vince. He's quite eccentric and he wants to join a prestigious theatre school in New York. As Priya has to go back to Cleveland, she demands that Vince shows some responsibility and takes care of Michael.
The premise of the show is, in my opinion, not very convincing. When Michael and Priya arrive in New York, they find out that the dean of the Manhattan Academy of Performing Arts, who was also supposed to find a place to stay for Michael, has been arrested. Michael still wants to join the academy, but is forced to audition once again. He is also tasked with finding a place to stay. This is the reason why Priya confronts Vince. I find it highly unlikely that someone would leave their son with an irresponsible man who she hasn't spoken a word to in 15 years. Next to that, I also don't understand why Vince immediately agrees with Priya's plan. Especially because he wanted to move to Florida and cut all ties with his past. As you've probably noticed, the first episode is filled with various storylines. In my opinion, the writers should've left out the part where he wanted to sell the gym as it would've resulted in more focus on the main plot. Two bachelor brothers who are suddenly confronted with their 15-year-old, homosexual and flamboyant son/nephew.
Having said that, it is still a comedy. These kinds of shows do not always have to be credible. They just have to be funny. It takes a couple of episodes, but Champions does succeed at that. After a struggling start, the show eventually develops into a decent comedy. This is mainly because of the actors. There's a lot of humour in the big differences between Michael, Vince and Matthew. Even though Anders Holm (Vince) portrays his character decently, the other characters steal the show. The young Josie Totah (Michael) portrays his character wonderfully and he shows a lot of talent. He has some amazing oneliners, with many references to modern pop culture and he's also a decent singer. This becomes apparent when he sings 'We are the Champions' during his audition. I, however, must also confess that I think that Michael's over the top behaviour can also be annoying. Andy Favreau (Matthew) was quite a surprise. I have never seen him perform in a comedy before, but he did just fine as the naive and not so bright Matthew. Next to that, most of the laughs are caused by the shameless Ruby (Fortune Feimster, The Mindy Project) and uncle Bud (Robert Costanzo, Charlie Grace).
To summarize, Champions is a decent show for those who enjoy comedies. The idea is quite simple and it reminds me a bit of Two and a Half Men. This results in various funny situations and decent oneliners. As long as you don't expect anything new or brilliant, you won't feel let down. I give the show a 6. The first season, which contains ten episodes of ±21 minutes, can exclusively be watched on Netflix in the Netherlands. The show was originally broadcast on NBC in the US. Due to low ratings the network decided not to order a second season. Universal Television, the distributor, is trying to find a different network for the show. Apparently some big networks, such as Netflix, have already declined. This is interesting, because Netflix does own the worldwide broadcasting rights for the show (apart from the US). I'm not very confident about the show having a second season. At the moment it appears as if the first season was the final curtain call for the show.
Follow ChampionsThe premise of the show is, in my opinion, not very convincing. When Michael and Priya arrive in New York, they find out that the dean of the Manhattan Academy of Performing Arts, who was also supposed to find a place to stay for Michael, has been arrested. Michael still wants to join the academy, but is forced to audition once again. He is also tasked with finding a place to stay. This is the reason why Priya confronts Vince. I find it highly unlikely that someone would leave their son with an irresponsible man who she hasn't spoken a word to in 15 years. Next to that, I also don't understand why Vince immediately agrees with Priya's plan. Especially because he wanted to move to Florida and cut all ties with his past. As you've probably noticed, the first episode is filled with various storylines. In my opinion, the writers should've left out the part where he wanted to sell the gym as it would've resulted in more focus on the main plot. Two bachelor brothers who are suddenly confronted with their 15-year-old, homosexual and flamboyant son/nephew.
© NBC
Having said that, it is still a comedy. These kinds of shows do not always have to be credible. They just have to be funny. It takes a couple of episodes, but Champions does succeed at that. After a struggling start, the show eventually develops into a decent comedy. This is mainly because of the actors. There's a lot of humour in the big differences between Michael, Vince and Matthew. Even though Anders Holm (Vince) portrays his character decently, the other characters steal the show. The young Josie Totah (Michael) portrays his character wonderfully and he shows a lot of talent. He has some amazing oneliners, with many references to modern pop culture and he's also a decent singer. This becomes apparent when he sings 'We are the Champions' during his audition. I, however, must also confess that I think that Michael's over the top behaviour can also be annoying. Andy Favreau (Matthew) was quite a surprise. I have never seen him perform in a comedy before, but he did just fine as the naive and not so bright Matthew. Next to that, most of the laughs are caused by the shameless Ruby (Fortune Feimster, The Mindy Project) and uncle Bud (Robert Costanzo, Charlie Grace).
To summarize, Champions is a decent show for those who enjoy comedies. The idea is quite simple and it reminds me a bit of Two and a Half Men. This results in various funny situations and decent oneliners. As long as you don't expect anything new or brilliant, you won't feel let down. I give the show a 6. The first season, which contains ten episodes of ±21 minutes, can exclusively be watched on Netflix in the Netherlands. The show was originally broadcast on NBC in the US. Due to low ratings the network decided not to order a second season. Universal Television, the distributor, is trying to find a different network for the show. Apparently some big networks, such as Netflix, have already declined. This is interesting, because Netflix does own the worldwide broadcasting rights for the show (apart from the US). I'm not very confident about the show having a second season. At the moment it appears as if the first season was the final curtain call for the show.
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