TV Deep Focus: “The Bill Engvall Show”

Good sitcoms are hard to come by these days and are less commonly produced in the tragic decade of the 2020s. Although “Abbott Elementary” has created a resurgence opportunity for the best TV show genre, there is still a lack of humor on television.

Looking back in the early 2000s, there is a vast amount of sitcom material and some that has been depressingly overlooked.

The sitcom of focus is “The Bill Engvall Show,” which was on air from 2007-2009 on TBS. The vibe of the show is essentially a combination of “Modern Family” and “Full House,” with less plot and funnier humor.

The cast for this show is the most appealing aspect: the lead father, Bill Pearson, played by Bill Engvall, and the mother, Susan Pearson, played by Nancy Travis.

Also, let's take a second to think about the title of this show. Why on Earth is it titled “The Bill Engvall Show" when the father's name is Bill Pearson? Either title it “The Bill Pearson Show” or add in a plot line of infidelity.

The two lead parents have three kids, an oldest daughter and two younger boys. A very quintessential white family living in a nice home, an amazing 2000s sitcom setup.

The youngest son is Bryan Pearson, played by Skyler Gisondo and the middle son is Trent Pearson, played by Graham Patrick Martin.

The oldest daughter Lauren Pearson is played by Jennifer Lawrence. Let's please all stop for a moment and thank TBS for giving Lawrence this role, and God for creating her.

This was actually Lawrence’s first ever acting role, at the age of 17. She went on to do “Winter’s Bone” the year after the sitcom ended, which skyrocketed her career instantly.

It was insanely obvious throughout the entire show that Lawrence is at a higher standard and talent than her costars. Nothing against the other actors, but Lawrence absolutely put her whole being into this debut role.

The show follows the family as they go through average upbringing experiences, such as the kids learning to drive, starting to date and college applications. The father is a therapist and the wife once had an old fling with a famous rockstar!

What is nice about “The Bill Engvall Show” is that laughing is non-negotiable, the writers were working overtime in 2007 to create the funniest show on TBS. Lawrence should be proud of herself for picking such a funny first role, those doing research on her career are able to be entertained.

Overall, “The Bill Engvall Show” ended after 3 seasons with 30 episodes total. It was claimed that the show attracted an older audience and was officially canceled on September 25, 2009. That day will be mourned by many and should be declared as an official mental health day.

Obviously, it ended up being good that the show ended, as the actors had their big break and could finally work on larger more important projects. Lawrence went on to do “X-Men” and “The Hunger Games,” Bill Engvall had a recent touring comedy show, and Skyler Gisondo is literally the voice of B-Dawg in “Air Buddies.”

The show is wildly impossible to find on any streaming service but can be found easily through various web searching techniques. “The Bill Engvall Show” really is just the less successful cousin to “Full House.” If “Fuller House” can be produced, hopefully, one day “The Bill Engvall Movie” will happen.

Rating: 5/5

Grace Bowman is a third-year majoring in biology. To contact her, email gab5585@psu.edu.