Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Earlier this morning, the new Jamie Foxx comedy Dad Stop Embarrassing Me! premiered on Netflix. The series centers on the relationship between Foxx’s Brian Dixon, a single father who runs a successful cosmetics company, and his teenage daughter Sasha (Kyla-Drew). The multi-cam sitcom is broad, very broad. We’re talking a laugh track and old school opening that explains the plot of the series (think My Two Dads, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and The Nanny).
Foxx’s theatrical bonafides are beyond reproach — the actor won an Oscar for Ray and was nominated for his performance in Michael Mann’s Collateral — but despite the star’s early success in the genre (The Jamie Foxx Show aired for five seasons on The WB), critics have not been kind to Dad Stop Embarrassing Me. If I were doing my best Brett White or Lea Palmieri impersonation, I’d lean more towards a “skip it” than a “stream it.” That said, the first five minutes are certainty worth checking out because… wow… the opening of the series is, well, I believe the technical term is bonkers.
The show begins with Brian (Foxx) and his daughter Sasha visiting a therapist (played with aplomb by Luenell) but something is amiss: The therapist mistakenly believes that Brian and Sasha are in a romantic relationship.
What an interesting way to introduce viewers to your new TV show!
Mix-ups over Sasha’s use of the terms “dad” and “thots” lead to the therapist believing the two are in an open relationship, so, naturally, she suggests a threesome. You know what? Instead of explaining the plot, I’ll just show you the scene. If a picture’s worth a 1,000 words, the following gif is a Hemingway novel.
After the very normal, extremely relatable misunderstanding, the therapist apologizes and the trio decide to take a relaxing stroll around the park. Just kidding! First, against all odds, the therapist somehow manages to make it weirder:
After that, things get back to normal. Well, normal for this show in that the therapist once again attempts to bone Jaime Foxx’s character — in front of his daughter, no less!
This storyline is intercut with another plot in which one of Brian’s employees desperately wants to have sex with him. It’s a head-scratching way to start a series, but in the show’s defense, these are things a teenage daughter would find embarrassing. So… mission accomplished?
