There鈥檚 something immediately comforting about the new half-hour comedy Champions, which debuted Thursday and marked a return to NBC for The Mindy Project star Mindy Kaling, and that鈥檚 the recurring sense that it wasn鈥檛 that long ago when the show would not be permitted to exist.
Co-created by Kaling with her fellow The Office alum Charlie Grandy, Champions centres on a pair of brothers who own a broken-down Brooklyn gym, Vince (The Mindy Project鈥檚 Anders Holm) and Matthew (Andy Favreau). Vince is an ex-jock who has a tough time with responsibility, and Matthew, the sweeter of the two, has a hard time with, well, cognitive thought.
Both are spinning their wheels up to the arrival of Michael (J.J. Totah), Vince鈥檚 15-year-old son whom he left behind in Ohio and has to reconnect with on the fly upon the sudden return of his ex-girlfriend, Priya (Kaling, who will only appear on the series in brief guest spots).
So far, so good from a sitcom structure perspective, and it鈥檚 a testament to Kaling and Grandy鈥檚 skill that these ingredients are set in motion so quickly in the first episode 鈥� there鈥檚 an undeniable feeling throughout you鈥檙e in experienced hands that, blessedly, don鈥檛 come with a laugh track. Then there鈥檚 the twist: Michael needs a place to stay because he鈥檚 arrived from Cleveland to audition for the Manhattan Academy for the Performing Arts, and he鈥檚 gay.
From a television standpoint, this sort of thing is usually the stuff of drama; Michael could be just realizing who he is and keeping it a secret, his distant and very different father could not understand and remain emotionally distant, and so on. Instead, everyone understands and moves on; it鈥檚 2018, after all.
鈥淵ou think we have a problem with gay people? We own a gym,鈥� Vince says.
鈥淥ur big dream is that someday our gym will become a gay gym because women and straight guys are filthy.鈥�
That sort of unquestioned acceptance in and of itself feels like a breath of fresh air, particularly at a time that more backward-looking social policy has gained a foothold in our political climate.
Also, in a risky choice, Michael鈥檚 identity isn鈥檛 something that leaves him uncertain or conflicted. He鈥檚 as self-assured and musical-theatre flamboyant as a sixth member of the rebooted Queer Eye; a brown and more bookishly groomed Gen-Z Jonathan Van Ness with an arsenal of catty comebacks, eye rolls and Les Miz references.
It鈥檚 a daring move, especially given network TV鈥檚 usual clumsiness with teen sexuality, to say nothing of its bumpy recent efforts to court red state viewers (see the many military-tilted programs from last fall, and poorly executed 鈥渧alues鈥� outreaches like the dim sitcom Living Biblically).
Make no mistake, Champions wears its coastal media elite status with pride (鈥淚t鈥檚 all dudes 鈥� it鈥檚 like a congressional panel on women鈥檚 health out there,鈥� one observer pointedly says of the gym in the third episode as the brothers face competition from a female-courting fitness franchise).
But for all its forward-thinking perspective and sterling comic credentials, the breezily funny Champions might fare better if it makes things tougher on itself. With its tighter focus on Vince鈥檚 adapting to fatherhood and the characters adapting to their respective worlds, the first episode was the best of the three NBC made available for review. Michael鈥檚 dry observation of Matthew鈥檚 protein powder containers used as decorating touches deftly
underscored the differing perspectives at work, as did Vince tapping into his athlete past to deliver little league encouragements to his son so he could nail his audition.
In later episodes, however, the precocious Michael falls prey to sounding less like a kid than a tireless vehicle for quips that don鈥檛 always square with his character. 鈥淎re you from Berkeley, because you protest too much,鈥� he snipes at a would-be math tutor in the third episode, and a recounting of the Disney princesses who have been kidnapped that culminates with a Taliban joke isn鈥檛 impossible to imagine coming from a 15-year-old, but it鈥檚 far more likely
for a 30-something sitcom writer. Hopefully, as the series goes on, the show will mine more from acting his age (and all the messiness that comes with it).
That said, the moving parts that make up Champions will probably win you over. Holm channels the same affable bro energy as his role in The Mindy Project as Vince tentatively approaches maturity, and Totah, who also appeared on Glee, gamely owns every line thrown his way. Veteran character actor Robert Costanzo also turns up among the gym鈥檚 ensemble as the brothers鈥� gruff uncle, who might be challenged later based on hints about his political perspective. But as much as the show exists beyond the reach some of the world鈥檚 problems, it doesn鈥檛 have to solve them, either. The fact that it鈥檚 here feels like a victory in itself.
Champions airs on Thursday evenings at 9:30 on NBC.
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