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Feb 09, 2011 Web Exclusive By Jeremy Nisen

It's undeniable: Matthew Perry is charming and fun to watch. Give him the right material and supporting cast, and you potentially have gold on your hands. Mr. Sunshine casts Perry as Ben Donovan, a sports arena manager (of The Sunshine Center) whose 40th birthday coincides with the arrival of the circus, the probable end of a relationship, and the appearance of his boss' strange, awkward, earnest son Roman.

As a pilot, it's a little long on set-up and short on delivery. Allison Janney is definitely playing against her "C.J." type as Donovan's boss, the rich, semi-glamorous, trashy, and slightly racist Crystal Cohen. Her performance is generally one of the spotlights, but she hams it up a little too much. Still, when she mixes with circus clowns and axes, it generates the one moment of truly inspired laughter. Roman, played by Nate Torrence, is a nice counterpoint to Donovan, a surprisingly likeable, nice, if buffoonish, guy versus Donovan's surprisingly likeable, and stereotypically egotistical, douchebag.

There's potential for this series if those around Perry can shed some ham, become less cardboard-like, and earn those laughs through character development rather than exposition. (www.abc.go.com/shows/mr-sunshine)

Author rating: 6/10