About Men of a Certain Age: The Complete First Season
Men of a Certain Age premiered on TNT in 2009. The show chronicles the lives of three men over 40 who have been friends since college and are now at different stages in their lives.
Joe (Ray Romano) is recently divorced; juggling his time between his kids, owning and running his party store, and trying to re-enter the dating scene after 20-plus years. Owen (Andre Braugher) is happily married, but works as a car salesmen for his father (Richard Gant). Owen doesn’t get along very well with Owen Sr., exacerbated because Dad defers to Marcus (Brian J. White) on many decisions because he's a stronger salesman than Marcus. Owen Sr. is considering asking Marcus to run the business when he steps down instead of having Owen take over.
Then there’s Terry (Scott Bakula), a semi-successful actor recently making ends meet by doing temp jobs in between acting gigs that have been growing longer. Terry has always had a way with the ladies and has had many relationships; his current girlfriend Annie (Carla Gallo) is 20 years his junior.
The series has covered the neurotic Joe dealing with the dating scene, and how inept he is after being married for so long; his relationships with his children (now that he is divorced and doesn’t see them every day), and his ex-wife, and his growing gambling addiction. Owen’s stories include dealing with his less than perfect health, his inferiority complex when it comes to his dad, and his efforts to step out of Owen Sr.’s shadow while trying to provide for his family. Terry's storyline addresses his angst about his waning acting career, and that temp work is the only steady gig these days. It also explores his preference for dating girls, rather than women his own age.
The best scenes are when the trio are together for a story, or at the diner giving their input on a situation, and constant topics are Terry’s inability to grow up, Joe’s numerous neuroses and Owen’s fear of stepping up to his dad. When the guys get together they support each other, but there’s also a good amount of ball-busting as men do when expressing their feelings.
