Michael J. Fox will be starring in his self-titled show, according to EW.
His new comedy finds him sending up his image as Mike Henry, a beloved NBC news anchor who decides to stay home with his wife (Betsy Brandt) and kids after being sidelined by Parkinson's. Harris wants his anchor to make a comeback, but Mike isn't so sure. ''NBC's going to milk it by showing me in slow motion with lame, uplifting music,'' he sighs. Before long, that's exactly what happens, to the hilariously over-the-top, tearjerker strains of Enrique Iglesias' ''Hero.'' ''Guaranteed Ratings!'' Harris exclaims, beaming.
The real NBC probably thinks the same thing. Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991, has built a brave second career by refusing to take pity jobs. Instead, he's opted for roles on Rescue Me, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Good Wife that force fans to confront his tremors and stammering while challenging them to decide whether these characters exploit the disease for sympathy.
The Michael J. Fox Show smartly trades off that history. By setting up a meta-world where ''Mike Henry's'' viewers react to manipulative TV cues with an outpouring of support, the show acknowledges that it isn't above using schmaltz to trigger a similar reaction. Episode 2 features a warm-and-fuzzy voice-over about how family are ''the ones who love you no matter what.'' Whether that strikes you as refreshingly honest or just exploitative likely depends on how determined you are to love Fox, no matter what.
