Standard Of Review: An Open Letter To Fox To Keep ‘The Grinder’

Dear FOX Broadcasting Company,

You don’t know me but I know you. I have been a loyal viewer of your programs ever since I was in middle school, when I became an avid viewer of The Simpsons and Malcolm in the Middle. Since then, I have definitely watched more shows on FOX than on any other broadcast network. My favorite comedy of all time, Arrested Development, aired on your channel (I pretend that the Netflix season did not exist). The show that made me a fan of serialized television – 24 – also aired on FOX. I have never written to you before (not even to lobby to uncancel Arrested Development – the fact that fifty-three episodes aired on network television in the early to mid-2000s is a modern miracle), so I do not make this request lightly. But I write today in order to convince you to not cancel your legal comedy The Grinder, which wrapped up its first season on Tuesday (this letter will contain spoilers up through that episode).

Let’s get the awkward part out of the way first. Yes, I know the ratings are terrible. Abysmal even. Last week’s episode had a hair over 1.5 million viewers. That is not good.

But we live in a different world today. Many people in the core audience for The Grinder likely DVR it or are waiting to binge it on a streaming service. I write about it periodically and have even found it piling up on my DVR.

More importantly, The Grinder has improved so much the course of the season that it could take a huge creative leap in Season 2. And if it does that, I am sure that viewers will eventually find it one way or another. As I have written about before, The Grinder premiered with promise, but struggled to decide whether it wanted to be a workplace comedy, a family comedy, a satire of legal procedurals, or some combination of the three. As the season progressed, the show focused more on its workplace and satire elements, while paying less attention to Stewart’s children. Debbie even began working at Stewart’s law firm in order to include her in the workplace storylines.

But last week’s brilliant episode, entitled “Divergence,” illustrates how The Grinder can juggle being a workplace comedy, a family comedy, and a satire all at once. The episode begins with a clip from the show within the show in which Mitch Grinder participates in a “side story” that helps him solve the “main story.” Mitch is working on a boat, the “SS Inkspot,” when his son comes home from some undescribed concluded “war” to join him. Mitch soon scrapes away the second S in “SS” and realizes that the word “Sinkspot” will help him solve the main story of the week. After viewing that episode of the show within the show, Dean decides that he needs to participate in his own “side story” in order to help solve the “main story” of who is behind the legal malpractice lawsuit against Dean Sr. Accordingly, Dean attempts to help the ex-boyfriend of Stewart’s daughter Lizzie, who has been accused of vandalizing the school principal’s office. By participating in this “side story,” Dean is able to obtain the insight he needs to help solve the main story.

Aside from being a brutally funny critique of the trope in which legal (and other) dramas use an insight from that character’s personal life to help solve the main case of the week, “Divergence” illustrates how The Grinder can use Stewart’s family to its advantage, and not just as characters it needs to service because they are main cast members. The show clearly recognizes this problem; two weeks ago, in a meta-critique, Dean tells his mother (played by Anne Archer, who drops in for an episode) “your presence here this week really changed the dynamic and it felt good to focus on the family.”

Further, “Divergence” shows another reason to pick up The Grinder for a second season – serialized storylines. At first, every episode of The Grinder was more or less self-contained. But around midseason, The Grinder has began to play with serialized plots, such as the casting of Timothy Olyphant in a spinoff of The Grinder, Dean’s romance with his therapist (played by Maya Rudolph), and the malpractice suit against Dean Sr. While the first two plots were both very funny, I am most excited about the latter plotline. Admittedly, as a lawyer, the Dean Sr. malpractice plotline occasionally lacks coherence (I could not give you an accurate description of what the lawsuit is actually about, even after watching its hilarious conclusion this week). But I am excited to see where the show goes from here as it delves into additional legal storylines. Maybe Stewart and Dean engage in a season-long, large-scale litigation and have to work with other Boise firms. Maybe Stewart hires a hotshot new partner that tries to steal the firm away from him. Maybe a zealous prosecutor (who is not a fan of the show within the show) goes after Dean for practicing law without a license (sound like another show I frequently review?).

Finally, it would a shame for you to cancel The Grinder and lose this wonderful cast. Rob Lowe is terrific in every role he plays, so it is no surprise that he is consistently funny. But I have been very impressed with Fred Savage, who is pitch perfect when playing “exasperated.” Savage had pretty much retired from acting before The Grinder and was instead focusing on directing. Indeed, last weekend, the television at the gym was playing an episode of 2 Broke Girls directed by Savage. The possibility of Savage leaving acting again and going back to direct the likes of 2 Broke Girls fills me with sadness (yes, I know that Savage has directed many episodes of good comedies such as It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Party Down, and Happy Endings; bear with me). Keep The Grinder on the air and Fred Savage in front of the camera!

Further, the supporting cast is getting better and better. Natalie Morales, who was always solid when she showed up on Parks & Recreation, is always funny as the cool but confident Claire. And Steve Little, playing Dean’s sycophantic fanboy Todd, steals every scene.

The fact that you have not yet already cancelled The Grinder means that, despite the low ratings, you are considering keeping it on the air. You must know, then, how funny and unique The Grinder is.  Please take a risk, just like you did with Arrested Development and other low-rated shows (except Andy Richter Controls the Universe; I am still holding a grudge about that one), and keep a quality show on the air a little longer. At the very least, I’ll have another show to write about!

Sincerely,

Harry Graff

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Harry Graff is a litigation associate at a firm, but he spends days wishing that he was writing about film, television, literature, and pop culture instead of writing briefs. If there is a law-related movie, television show, book, or any other form of media that you would like Harry Graff to discuss, he can be reached at [email protected]. Be sure to follow Harry Graff on Twitter at @harrygraff19.