Such a poster for Assisted Loving would likely feature two young people making exasperated faces on either side of an elderly man, as the show concerns two half-siblings who are taking care of their father. And because it’s based on Bob Morris’ book of the same name, which features true tales of double-dating with his spry, 80-year-old father, that elderly man may or may not be doing something lascivious—whistling at a nurse, for example, or maybe ogling a swimsuit calendar from the 1950s. Perhaps he’s covered in lipstick to suggesting he’s recently been kissed, despite his being very, very old.
Indeed, there are just some of the many comedic possibilities when you explore the premise of old people interacting with young people, which is why it still accounts for approximately 40 percent of network comedies—including the last sitcom by Assisted Loving showrunner Claudia Lonow, whose ABC comedy How To Live With Your Parents (For The Rest Of Your Life) perhaps would have lasted a little longer if it’d had a zippier title. Welcome To The Parent ‘Hood, maybe.
(Assisted Loving is a play on “assisted living,” except instead of providing the elderly with meals and medical service, it provides them with a chance to get biz-zay. Also, the family loves each other, so it’s heartwarming as well as funny. That’s what makes it a television show.)
