Why would a woman that educated stay with a guy that stupid and self-centered?
Theyre all triumphs of decent intentions, and failures of insight and nerve.
So damn #hashtag!
Credit: ILLUSTRATION by KAGAN McLEOD for EW
I watched them with revelations of a certain presidential candidates toxic masculinity looping through my brain.
The characters played by James, LeBlanc, and McHale are by no means Donald Trump surrogates.
But they are roasts of the alpha-male lout, and theyre meant to represent men my age.
Kevin Can Wait(Mondays, 8 p.m.
ET) is a thesis statement for the lot of them.
Its technically a golden-years fantasy.
Kevin is a newly retired ex-cop who spent two decades serving others now its me time.
His selfishness fuels the comedy but also serves as soft, fuzzy metaphorical satire of white male entitlement.
In one episode, Kevin forces himself on his wifes ladies-only book club.
In another, hes appropriated a black friends tale of heroism for his own gain.
This story was originally published in the new issue of Entertainment Weekly.
Man With a Plan(Mondays, 8:30 p.m.
ET) is a corrective to Kevins clueless self-centeredness.
His victories of reconstruction are qualified.
You know what it makes me realize?
says Andi in the second episode.
How little you were doing before.
Adam agrees: Yeah, I was getting away with murder.
The Great Indoors(Thursdays, 8:30 p.m.
ET) rounds out the manly-man critique.
To be clear: None of these sitcoms are going to set the culture on fire.
