“Bless This Mess,” which was to begin its six-episode run Tuesday on ABC, finds Lake Bell and Dax Shepard as Rio and Mike, leaving New York City for the complicated simplicity of rural Nebraska. They are clueless cosmopolitans, ready to trade city life for farm living, without having given the matter much thought at all. “I’m a Midwesterner at heart,” says Mike to Rio. “I’ve got farming in my blood. You’ve seen me in Whole Foods: I always walk straight up to the right heirloom tomato, I know the best one, I grab it.” “I mean, you’re from the suburbs of St. Louis,” says Rio, suppressing her skepticism, “but I understand what you’re talking about.” The series was created by Bell (who wrote, directed and starred in the 2013 film “In a World ... ”) and Elizabeth Meriwether (“New Girl”). Only the pilot was available to review, but it is fully formed and funny, a dry contemporary comedy built on an old foundation. Mike and Rio have been married a year — a year in which they claim to have had “no fights.” That, obviously, will change. Mike, a music journalist, has inherited from his great aunt the farm where he spent what he recalls as idyllic childhood summers. (That he once “wrote an article about Terminator X, the DJ from Public Enemy who started a very successful ostrich farm” is his idea of “studying farming quite a bit.”) Rio, a therapist, believes, on the basis of an old photograph, that she will soon be living “in a Pinterest page.” Must I tell you that the property they find, once they arrive to the accompaniment of Canned Heat’s cheery “Goin’ Up the Country,” is something short of pinworthy? (“Guess it could use a coat of paint,” says Mike, “something warmer, like a light brown or a medium yellow.”) Its state of disrepair allows for some good visual jokes, which have that flavor of being both utterly expected and a complete surprise. Viewers of a certain age or those with an interest in television history may detect in the premise certain similarities to “Green Acres,” the 1960s sitcom in which Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor, as Lisa and Oliver Douglas, leave Manhattan’s Park Avenue for the whimsical hamlet of Hooterville. There is also “The Egg and I,” the 1947 film in which Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert head off to the country to raise chickens. And to some extent, it is “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House,” the 1948 film in which Cary Grant and Myrna Loy brave the wilds of Connecticut to make a mess into a mansion. And, for that matter, it is a little bit “Schitt’s Creek.” Just as the Douglases of “Green Acres” inherited a hired hand, Mike and Rio get Rudy (Ed Begley Jr., in a part, for a change, not playing off public perceptions of Ed Begley Jr.), who lives in their barn and sometimes uses their bathroom; they learn this while in the shower. Rudy has “a lot of sexual chemistry” (of a particularly nebulous kind) with Constance (Pam Grier), who in addition to running the local hardware store, is “the sheriff too and I run the local theater, and we just did a production of ‘Les Mis’ and I played a French ho.” She is also a Voice of Wisdom. (“Curb Your Enthusiasm’s” Susie Essman, as Rio’s mother, who participates by phone, is another sort of voice — a New York voice, frantic and loud. Her “Put the cow on the phone, Rio!” is comedy’s gift to you. ). Though “Bless This Mess” mocks the pretensions of (not exactly) young urban professionals going country — they have come to Nebraska toting biscotti, unsweetened ginger beer and ashwagandha tea — this is not the Red State Comedy that networks fretted they’d forgotten to make in the wake of the 2016 election. If the pilot is anything to go by, these characters will exist outside current events; clashes will be cultural or a matter of sense versus nonsense. Even the neighbors Beau (David Koechner) and Kay (Lennon Parham) and their fractionally oddball son Jacob (JT Neal), who want to buy Mike and Rio’s place and turn it into “a meat locker,” are no worse than ironically mocking of the newcomers. And, of course, they have a right to be: “What do you mean you’re farmers, just all of a sudden?” says Beau. “We’ve been doing this all our lives. You don’t just announce one day you’re a farmer. I mean, my wife’s a supermodel!” “I’m Christie Brinkley!” says Kay. Like most such stories, “Bless This Mess” privileges the country over the town, prizes the hicks above the slickers. In our mythmaking, it is almost always the city people who are changed by the country and the country people who bring change to the city, though there are signs Mike and Rio may be of value in their new community. To the extent the couple patronize their neighbors, it’s not that they look down on them but that they invest them with magical qualities. (“That felt amazing; that was like a victory for me,” says Rio after a nodding interchange with a local.) Where the Nebraskans just live their lives, Mike and Rio compulsively narrate theirs, to themselves and each other, because they don’t know who they are yet. This makes them likable; they’re confused but sincere and mean no harm. Bell shuffles facial expressions the way a magician riffles cards and can switch directions three times in a single sentence. Shepard pulls off a nice mix of leading man and dope; Preston Sturges could have put him to work. The show has a short order because it’s coming on at mid-mid-season. But a six-episode season was enough for “Fawlty Towers” to become a colossus of television. (And there were only two seasons.) We may not be rewatching “Bless This Mess” in 40 years, but it’s worth embracing now.<doc-sep>Good start for ABC’s Bless This Mess (0.9 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic, 4.69 million total viewers), which built on its Black-ish lead-in (0.8, 3.52M) Tuesday – something slot predecessor Splitting Up Together had not managed this season or last. Bless This Mess’ demo rating climbed 50% compared to the prior eight originals of Splitting Up Together, which had equaled that show’s series low. In total viewers, Mess built 32% on its Black-ish lead-in, delivering ABC’s biggest time-slot crowd of the season. At 10 PM, ABC’s The Rookie season finale (0.7, 3.99M) improved by a tenth in the demo off last week’s season low to rank No. 1 its hour with the demo, tying CBS’ NCIS: New Orleans (0.7, 6.63M), but third in its hour in total viewers. Even so, it spiked by 400,000 viewers compared to the previous week, drawing its largest crowd in three weeks. Leading off ABC’s night, American Housewife (0.8, 3.90M) improved over the prior week in both metrics, after which The Kids Are Alright (0.7, 3.12M) did same. NBC’s The Voice (1.0, 7.09M) marked a new series demo low at 8 PM, ceding first-place slot status to CBS’ NCIS (1.1, 11.68M). After which The VIllage (0.6, 3.88M) and New Amsterdam (0.6, 4.45M) clocked demo season lows. NCIS topped Tuesday in both metrics, besting closest competitor The Voice by 4.6 million viewers. CBS’ 9 PM return of F.B.I. (0.9, 8.73M) finished first in its hour in both metrics with a 4.7M lead over its closest slot competition. Week 5 of Fox’s Mental Samurai (0.5, 1.71M) matched last week’s lowest-yet in the demo and slipped to a new total-viewer low, following MasterChef Junior (0.7, 2.51M). CW’s The Flash (0.6, 2.51M) topped its last two originals, after which Roswell, New Mexico (0.3, 1.07M) also improved by a tenth over the prior two weeks. CBS (0.9, 9.01M) was No. 1 for night in both metrics, followed by ABC (0.8, 3.86M) in the demo and NBC (0.7, 5.14M) in total viewers. Fox (0.6, 2.11M) and CW (0.4, 1.45M) followed.<doc-sep>“Like a fish out of water” is as tried and true a premise as a sitcom gets, which means two opposing things. One the one hand, the setup has a proven track record of success. On the other, it gets harder to innovate with every new iteration. “Bless This Mess,” to both its credit and detriment, doesn’t especially try to reinvent this particular wheel. ABC’s new comedy, co-created by Lake Bell and Elizabeth Meriwether, takes a yuppie New York City couple (Bell and Dax Shepard) and throws them headlong into an ill-advised adventure taking over a farm. Neither has any experience growing their own food, fixing their own house, or generally operating in the world without some serious shortcuts. But one year into their curiously conflict-free marriage, Rio and Mike are determined to make the most of their lives by upending them completely. Rio quits her therapy practice, Mike leaves his writing career behind, and just like that, they’re off to Nebraska to live in marital bliss off the grid. (Or at least, that’s what they hope.) This being a network comedy pilot, Bell and Meriwether’s script has precious little time to set up what the series is going to look like, and therefore gets to quick work making it all happen as soon as possible. Rio and Mike get to their new crumbling home and meet their off-putting neighbor Rudy (Ed Begley Jr.), the scheming couple (Lennon Parham and David Koechner) trying to buy the farm out from under them, and the local jack of all trades (Pam Grier) within minutes. Mike confronts his fear of conflict; Rio confronts her fear of cows. Bell and Shepard are fun together, but their enthusiasm can’t quite distract from the fact that, for a show about a couple uprooting their livelihoods to move halfway across the country, the stakes here are remarkably low. As with any comedy, this show may live and die by how quickly the writers and cast can gel into dynamics all their own, and there’s no doubt that they’re game and up for the task. Meriwether moving from the wild single friends antics of “New Girl” to produce a slightly more adult version of the same with “Single Parents” and now “Bless This Mess” is a logical move; as seen in her movie “In a World,” Bell is a sharp writer and director. And in their one brief scene together, Begley and Grier instantly click into an oddball rhythm that almost steals the entire show. If “Bless This Mess” is going to distinguish itself from the rest of the pack, it’d be smart to follow their lead. “Bless This Mess” premieres Tuesday, April 16 at 9:30 p.m. on ABC.<doc-sep>Dax Shepard struggled with coming to terms with the fact his character on the new ABC comedy “Bless This Mess” isn’t an all-American handyman like he is. Speaking to reporters at the Television Critics’ Association winter press tour at the Langham Huntington, Pasadena in February, the executive producer said he found his character’s lack of DIY acumen difficult to adjust to in the “fish out of water” home renovation comedy, considering he’s very handy in his personal life. KRISTEN BELL, DAX SHEPARD LAUNCH AFFORDABLE BABY PRODUCT LINE FOR WALMART “It was a big blow to my ego to not be able to wield the hammer like a pro in this,” said Shepard speaking about the series’ plotline of a married couple who decide to leave their lives in the big city behind for the simple life in rural Nebraska – only to find that the farmhouse they’ve inherited is in dire need of some TLC. “In fact, I said many times I almost don't know how to make it look bad.” The “Parenthood” star, emphatically suggests he’s a better handyman than the average person, and even said he’s got the resume to prove it. “Oh, boy – I’m a California 10, on the handy scale and I’m a Michigan 5. I think your average guy from Michigan can probably change the jets in a carburetor, and I think your average Californian can change a tire on the side of the road,” explained Shepard, 44, who is married to “The Good Place” actress Kristen Bell, 38. “Nonstop, I put a new wheel stud in my sister’s car about five days ago, and I plugged my wife’s tire the day before that. So, there’s always something at my house that requires [fixing]. But I’m much more automotively inclined, although I do like building stuff.” DAX SHEPARD, KRISTEN BELL TEAR UP IN ROMANTIC EXCHANGE ON 'ELLEN' FOR HIS BIRTHDAY When asked what was the last project he completed, the “Ranch” actor paused before answering. “The last thing I built – I don’t want to lie to you, so I really want to jog my memory, he said. "I built a giant wall in our back yard, a beautiful giant wall. That was one of these projects I had assessed it was going to take me maybe a day and a half, and it took me three weekends. That’s kind of my pattern.” During the series’ panel session, Shepard revealed to reporters that he renovated the first home he ever purchased in Los Angeles and while the job ultimately was completed, it wasn’t without its fair share of setbacks. “The first time I bought a house in L.A., I renovated it right before I moved in. And there was a period where they said it would be done, and I had scheduled to move in,” said Shepard. “Of course, it was not done, but I moved in anyways. And I was dead asleep, and I'll try to edit out the F-bombs, but I wake up hearing, ‘What motherf-----?’ ‘No, F you.’ ‘What?’” DAX SHEPARD SLAMS CLAIMS THAT HE CHEATED ON KRISTEN BELL WITH JULIE ANDREWS' STEP-GRANDDAUGHTER He continued: “Then I hear a scuffle break out, and I walk out in my underwear, and there's two guys that are laying hardwood floor fully engaged in fisticuffs in the living room. That's a bad remodeling story – when the workers fight on the property. And I said, ‘You gotta do this on the street. I don't want to be liable for this.’” “Bless This Mess,” which is co-created by Lake Bell and Elizabeth Meriwether, also stars Pam Grier, Ed Begley Jr. and JT Neal. The series premieres Tuesday, April 16 at 9:30 p.m. on ABC.<doc-sep>
Living the simple life isn't always as easy as it seems. On Apr. 16, ABC premiered Bless This Mess, a comedy series starring Parenthood's Dax Shepard and Childrens Hospital's Lake Bell, who is also co-created the show. While reviews have been mixed, fans of the new series are gearing up for the new adventure that lies ahead. But how many episodes is Bless This Mess? As of now, the show is expected to have a short run. Per Deadline, Bless This Mess was passed up by 20th Century Fox Television back in Dec. 2018. However, the show was later picked up by ABC Studios for a six-episode order. While the episode count for Bless This Mess may seem low, the network is known for ordering additional episodes if shows are doing well. ABC comedies like The Kids Are Alright and Splitting Up Together received shorter season orders and were later given more after airing a few episodes with solid performances. That being said, it seems that the network has high hopes for the series. After Fox decided not to pick up the single-camera comedy, Karey Burke, the president of ABC Entertainment, explained why ABC chose to snag Bless This Mess. "Bell and Shepard headline a stellar cast in this hilarious take on a classic fish-out-of-water story that we found irresistible," Burke said. According to ABC, Bless This Mess follows a newlywed couple, Rio (Bell) and Mike (Shepard), who suddenly decide to move from New York City to a rural area in Nebraska when Mike's aunt leaves him the family farm. Despite having a fear of cows, they drop everything, from their way of life to their city jobs, in order to live a simpler life in a farmhouse. As expected, neither of them know what they're getting themselves into. However, Rio and Mike must learn how to face their new lives together as well as the many challenges that come with being a farmer. In an interview with The Wrap, Bell revealed that as the series continues, Mike and Rio will begin to integrate themselves with the surrounding community. “Here are these outsiders, this sort of coastal, new age, hipster couple descending upon a small town ecosystem that’s running very well, that thrives in its core values," Bell said. "It’s not gonna save the world, but it definitely is a loving embrace between those two communities." However, not before having a few bumps in the road, including a personal wake-up all for mike. Bell shared that Mike "envisions himself as very capable" of taking care of the farm. However, "what you do as an 11-year-old on the farm is very different than being a full grown man who needs to run an operation.” ABC/John Fleenor Meanwhile, Rio deals with a few challenges of her own. Still speaking to The Wrap, Bell explained that her character has “multiple anxiety disorders linked in and around the bovine species." Though, Rio's leap of faith despite her fear of cows also reflects what Bless This Mess is trying to convey. In an interview with Vulture, Bell said, "We found a lot of fodder and fun in the idea of doing a fish-out-of-water story: people who are steeped in their neuroses, transplanting those people to a farm or a rural environment." ABC/John Fleenor Bless This Mess might not have a high episode count, but the new ABC comedy has plenty of promise for those looking for a fun "fish-out-of-water" series in 2019. Bless This Mess airs Tuesdays on ABC.