TORONTO – Christopher Moynihan’s grandfather was a contractor who was wounded on a beach in Italy fighting in the Second World War, while his dad was a hard-boiled cop patrolling the Bronx in the 1960s. Moynihan himself writes and stars in TV sitcoms.
And that contrast is part of what inspired “Man Up,” a new comedy premiering Tuesday that follows three ineffectual thirtysomething men who never managed to quite conquer adolescence.
“I (live) a very different life than the guys before me,” the cordial Moynihan said over the line from Los Angeles on Monday, re-iterating how dramatically his lifestyle differs from that of his ancestors.
“I’m an actor in my mid-30s … and I was sitting in Baja Fresh talking about Spider-Man all day long with my friends, and going to auditions for Best Buy commercials and ‘According to Jim.'”
“There are plenty of real men out there – they’re in Afghanistan fighting the war right now, they’re police officers and firemen, (they’re) rebuilding the World Trade Center…. Make no mistake, they’re still out there, you’re just not going to see them on our show very often.”
Instead, Moynihan’s show aims to mine laughs from a group of feckless friends who can’t keep command of their own lives – let alone a military battalion.
Mather Zickel stars as Will Keen, a family man who makes no effort to challenge the authority of his far more competent wife. Dan Fogler (“Balls of Fury”) portrays his volatile, divorced brother-in-law – picture a hotheaded Jack Black-type with a depressive streak – while Moynihan rounds out the trio as a lovesick sensitive guy still reeling from the dissolution of his last relationship. Henry Simmons plays a romantic adversary for Fogler’s character whose role grows with the series.
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The pilot episode revolves around a child’s birthday party, but the show’s hapless heroes manage to derail a wedding and instigate a lawn brawl before the half hour is up. While the episode ends on a sweet note, Moynihan says that such heartfelt finales might not be the norm as the show finds its footing.
“It’s getting a little more silly – it’s more in the vein of those four guys out on adventures,” said Moynihan, who said that upcoming guest stars include “Star Wars” stalwart Billy Dee Williams and comic actor John Michael Higgins.
“We have good moments … but they’re peppered throughout a lot of ridiculous nonsense.”
“Man Up” will premiere on ABC and CTV2, and Moynihan could be forgiven if he spends his evening anticipating the show’s ratings. While Moynihan didn’t endure the daunting trials of his fearless forebears, he still hasn’t exactly led a charmed existence in his television career.
His resume is littered with under-seen projects that sputtered in a season or less, including “The Fighting Fitzgeralds,” “Gary & Mike” and the U.S. adaptation of “Coupling.”
Just last summer, “100 Questions” – which Moynihan created and starred in – was cancelled by NBC after only six episodes had aired. Though he laments that the show “never got the fair shake,” the 38-year-old Moynihan has learned over the years that shepherding a pilot to air doesn’t guarantee success.
“I’m never a guy who thinks: ‘This is it, I can relax. I’m going to coast over the finish line with this one,'” said Moynihan, who acted in the Christopher Guest-directed comedies “For Your Consideration” and “A Mighty Wind.”
“The truth is, I don’t have a feeling about this (‘Man Up’). I don’t subscribe to the (idea) that ‘this one feels right to me’ because it might feel right, but it doesn’t mean that it’s going to stick around, you know?”
It might help that the show has been paired in the U.S. with Tim Allen’s similarly titled new starring vehicle, “Last Man Standing,” which drew positive ratings in its first week on the air.
Both shows explore the nature of manhood, though they do it from entirely different perspectives and with comedy styles that might appeal to entirely different audiences. Still, Moynihan feels the time-slot pairing can only help “Man Up” wrangle some viewers.
“I think they were thinking the word ‘man’ is in each title,” he said jokingly of the programming decision. “It’s the same coin, with just different sides of it. But Tim is the man that we are not. He’s the man of our prior generation. He’d have a lot of complaints about the three of us.
“But I like to think that funny is funny is funny, and I think both shows are funny…. The truth is, there’s an inherently different demographic between the two shows … (but) they’re both family comedies. I like to think they’re both relatable.”
Moynihan is also buoyed by the fact that this has been hailed as the season of the sitcom, with a slate of new laughers – including “New Girl” and “2 Broke Girls” – appearing to stand among the year’s early breakout hits.
“A few years ago, you couldn’t launch a comedy because everybody was watching reality,” he said. “I think comedy doing well is good for other comedies, especially comedies on our network.
“Tim Allen did very, very well last week … and I hope he stays doing well and we can just hang onto the coattails of his audience.”
Still, Moynihan has been in the business long enough to know how quickly and quietly a show can slink from the airwaves. So he isn’t taking anything for granted.
“Listen, whether this thing’s a hit or not, we got to do 12 episodes and have a really good time – and I think we’re making a great show.”
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