“Who is really the most important woman in any man’s life?” That’s ostensibly the question being posed by NBC’s latest reality show, “Momma’s Boys.” In the end, however, it appears that what’s really being asked is, “How awful and overbearing can a mother be to her son on national television?” Brought to you by the one and only Ryan Seacrest, you will find this to be an absolute car-wreck of trashy reality TV that will almost certainly find its way onto “The Soup” on a weekly basis.
So…let’s meet the gentlemen of the series, shall we?
Michael is a firefighter, and his mother, Lorraine, does his laundry, makes his bed, and even handles his accounting needs, but she comes off as pretty cool and, at the very least, she’s a lot of fun. Rob’s mother, Esther, is…oh, let’s just say it: she’s a Jewish stereotype. Don’t mistake this for an anti-Semitic comment. I’m just saying that you won’t be able to see or hear her without thinking of Linda Richman and “Coffee Talk.” I mean, she calls her son a mensch at one point! Jojo’s mom is downright creepy with her appreciation of his looks and physique, but even worse, however, is her declaration of the kinds of girls she doesn’t approve of for her son: no Jewish girls and no Muslim girls, no black girls or Asian girls (she eventually says outright that any woman who’s going to marry her son has gotta be white), no-one from a divorced family, no-one who wears a lot of make-up, no-one who’s outspoken, no-one who’s after Jojo for his dough…oh, it goes on and on.
Cara is a complete idiot, Donna is proud to admit that she’s done time in prison but wants to underline that she’s a non-violent offender, and Natalie doesn’t even seem to know what the hell show she’s on, since she’s underlining how important it is for a guy to have a big ol’ set of balls. I’m partial to Brittany, not just because she’s from Virginia but because she’s just so darned cute; I’m also a fan of the voluptuous Jamie as well as Rochelle, who has an exotic look about her.
Predictably, though, I’m most drawn to Megan Albertus, a 26-year-old animal caretaker who has a bit of a bookworm / librarian look about her. Of course, a seasoned television veteran such as myself knows that you should always be prepared for these types to take off their glasses, let down their hair, and become the most gorgeous thing you’ve ever seen. As of the first episode, however, she appears to be sweet and legitimately geeky (she refers to her glasses as her “nerd goggles”), so maybe she’ll be the exception to that rule…but probably not.
NBC is ridiculously hopeful about this series, it would seem, given that they’ve made a point of including a mention in the show that they’re already casting for Season 2 of the show. As far as I’m concerned, however, the only real reason to watch is to see just how ignorant Jojo’s mom can possibly sound…and since I cringe every time she opens her mouth, I can’t really recommend the show on that basis. I can merely hope that Joel McHale embraces the series, so I can see the lowlights every week without actually watching.
