Leanne
Funny Dysfunction ? (the Stackable version)
(Note: This is the longer version of a review published this month in WORLD magazine and it is reprinted and expanded here with permission - see full link below)
“I Laughed”,” I Cried”, “I Love !”
This seems to be the social media consensus for the new Netflix sitcom “Leanne,” based on the stand-up comedy of Tennessee charmer Leanne Morgan . Season one “dropped” in Netflix/binging fashion at the end of July and – if my feeds are real and not AI – America is already in love and ready for season 2.
But for me and maybe a few other southern, conservative, laugh-out-loud Christians, this Chuck Lorre (sitcom god) - produced throwback to 90’s live audience shows is, at best, a missed opportunity to capture the magic of a comedienne who actually believes most of the things attached to her TV character’s culture: God, grace and goodness.
Full disclosure: I am a Leanne “darling” fanboy, if not quite there yet with “Leanne.” I’ve seen her in concert, watched the specials and followed her socials. We share a certain orange-tinted alma-mater and I even tried to take some budding TV/film students from my university to a live Hollywood taping of “Leanne” in early January – yes, the week the fires broke out.
So, I started my Netflix binge with an open, but guarded mind. Lorre reportedly sold Leanne on the idea by flying to East Tennessee and pitching on her porch while holding her grandbaby on his lap. Cute grandpa scene, sitcom worthy, but Lorre is the creative force behind “Two and a Half Men” (never watched,) “The Big Bang Theory” (watched all) and its prequel “Young Sheldon” (gave up at season 5 when Sheldon’s Baptist mom fantasized taking their very young youth pastor to bed – not kidding.)
Besides a stable of characters obsessed with sex, LorreLand doesn’t have the best track record portraying people of faith. And while I didn’t expect “Leanne” to be a “Christian” show, since she doesn’t present as a Christian comedian, I do know faith is a big part of her comedic story – as well as a longtime, loving marriage, challenging but loyal children, middle-aged female angst and menopausal roller coasters.
So, what did “Leanne” give us? Well…
Episode 1, Scene 1 - We have the mother of all inciting incidents – her husband of 33 years just ran off with a younger woman. Mic drop. Are we laughing yet?
Scene 2 - She’s recovering from her shock at a social in the church fellowship hall. We know that because of the country church exterior bumper shot (she lives in Knoxville) and the very small room with an old organ in the background. (How about a megachurch lobby with a flatscreen and coffee bar? – but I digress) Also, her potluck treats are picked up by a female church busybody (is there any other kind?) fishing around about how Leanne’s husband is doing. I almost expected the pastor to show up in a priestly white collar, but that must have been a cliché’ too far.
By episode 3 - Leanne’s twice-divorced sister tells her the answer to her woe is to “get out there,” which means trolling for men in a club with the clear inference she might get lucky and take one home (she hasn’t even filed for divorce, yet.) Thankfully, the writers play that as a joke because she ends up showing potential dates pictures of her grandkids on a smartphone. Oh, and while club night goes on, Leanne’s elderly father takes scoundrel husband Bill out for a drive and confesses his philandering years ago – (with the church organist !) – as a way to say men will be men and these flings shouldn’t necessarily end the marriage with his just-cheated-on daughter.
Then Episode 4: The family gathers to watch a University of Tennessee football game when sorry/not sorry cheater Bill begs Leanne to take him back, but – shocker – the younger other woman shows up and announces to the whole room she is pregnant. Fade to black…click next…As the Southern Swamp Turns.
Beyond the clichés, my biggest problem with “Leanne” is that her values – indeed her faith – never seem to matter when it matters. She dodges the possibility of sex with a new date because she’s not ready to share “all this” (late 50’s female body) with someone new, not because – it’s wrong.
No one in her TV family seems to share her beliefs and the other “Christians” in the show are either hypocrites or punchlines. Yes, believers sometimes cheat, divorce and conceive out of wedlock – but it’s how they deal with the consequences of those choices that form the essence of the drama and – yes – even the HUMOR of a Christian’s life.
We don’t need a “Christian” situation comedy, but we would like to see how being a Christian might shape “Leanne’s” situation. Redemption, forgiveness, peace? Grab a bottle or a beau, Leanne, or really stick it to “Bill” in divorce court. Victory is yours, with a big, fat check.
“Leanne’s” writers don’t get it, because they don’t get Leanne Morgan. The character and story arc they are looking for might be right there, in her standup and her story. How ‘bout writing a husband like Chuck Morgan (the real one) who sticks by her for 33+ years through the difficulties of parenting, financial stress, menopause and middle-aged romance issues. How ‘bout extended family members who – quirks and all – pray for and praise ‘Leanne’ as much as they tell her to play the field. And how ‘bout a church that is a source of strength and community, rather than a den of judgy snipes?
Not funny – you say? Watch her standup again. You’ll see the funny and real person who captivates audiences coast-to-coast. It’s the same hilarious spirit that’s selling out venues for Nate Bargatze, Jim Gaffigan and Henry Cho – faithful believers all - who laugh at the human condition and themselves because they know we are absurd creatures, flawed but forgiven and loved by One who accepts us unconditionally and empowers us to live better than our basest instincts.
LorreLand writers DO understand that most human drama and comedy come from our foibles. What they don’t get in “Leanne” is where her JOY comes from. In season two, maybe “Leanne’s” post-divorce redemption won’t come from a settlement, a bar, or a new guy’s bedroom…but from the bedrock of Leanne Morgan’s imperfect yet faithful, funny life. As a fan, I am still hoping for more Leanne in “Leanne.”
Original article from WORLD Magazine:
https://wng.org/articles/leanne-1755117929