Marlon (2017)

Wayans’ fans will probably savor them. Like the overgrown kid he plays on TV, his charisma is undeniable and his wisecracks usually hit the bullseye.

Except for its familiarity, not necessarily a liability in TV comedy, there's nothing wrong with Marlon except its dated joke-punchline structure, deafening audience laughter and the tendency of the cast to shout all the dialogue.

Don’t expect to take any ha-ha showers. Marlon isn’t up to that task either. Instead it over-blows everything in service to a star who doesn’t know how or when to stop.

[Wayans] shouldn’t have to work this hard, but that’s the funny thing about comedy. When the material’s this light, somebody has to do some heavy lifting.

Athough Wayans has fewer limitations as a performer, he'd have been wise to realize something similar and not leave his TV family as such an afterthought. As impressive as Wayans' skillset is, Marlon is too much Marlon.

Wayans’ performance is so outsized that it’s impossible to take him seriously; it’s like his character absorbs conflict, taking discord out of commission the way a bodyguard takes a stray bullet. Marlon is a steadfastly more comforting show--but it is less interesting, too.

All in all, Marlon's a satisfying throwback to '90s-era family sitcoms--just as long as you ignore the YouTube references. [18/25 Aug 2017, p.98]

Extraordinary.

The comedy doesn’t take off as it might have were it not trying too hard to be a family comedy.

Although Marlon may not come close in quality and sophistication to, say, “Modern Family,” or even “The Middle,” it’s modestly enjoyable and a smart move on NBC’s part.