Aired: 2002-2003 CBS 
DAD: Uncle Bill Davis (Gary Cole) / Single
DAD’S JOB: Architect/Playboy
KIDS: Buffy (Sasha Pieterse)(6), Jody (Jimmy ‘Jax’ Pinchak)(6), and Sigourney “Sissy” Davis (Caitlin Wachs)(13)
WHERE’S MOM?: Dead. So’s Dad (Uncle Bill’s brother)
STAND-IN “MOM”: Mr. French (Tim Curry) / Ethnographic-stereotype English Butler
As an impartial observer of the pop-cultural ethos, I don’t usually tell you, the Alert Viewer, to do things. I’m telling you: watch this show. It’s *funny*.
It’s really easy to mis-rennovate an iconic program. Producers Sid and Marty Krofft (!!) did it *right.* French is BACK with a vengeance, baby. Somebody should pin a medal on the casting director for tracking down Tim Curry for the Sebastian Cabot suit. And Gary Cole proves that Uncle Bill is the perfect blend of Mike Brady and Office Space‘s Bill Lumbergh. Sasha Pieterse’s Buffy has a bubbling dark edge; highlighting a heretofore unseen, Dr. Bruce Banner-styled “you-wouldn’t-like-me-when-I’m-angry” vibe. Even Sissy manages to come off as cool. Amazing.
This show had such an incredible chance of being a hit – – if only the WB could have moved it out of the Death Strip that was Thursday at 8pm ET.
Update: First casting casualty of the ’02 season: Jimmy ‘Jax’ Pinchak subs for Luke Benward in the Jody role. Apparently Luke was insufficiently cute. Sorry, Luke – that’s show biz!