Me, Myself & I Is One of the Best New Fall Shows (CBS)

One man’s life story, told with humor and heart. Aspiring inventor Alex Riley has seen both ups and downs throughout his life – and now the viewer can see them, too. Each episode shows vignettes from Alex’s life: in 1991 at age 14, with a new middle school, step-father, and step-brother (as well as a lifelong crush); today, at age 40, a newly-divorced single dad living in a friend’s garage; and in 2042 at age 65, head of his own corporation but recently stricken with a heart attack. In each time period, Alex relearns his most important lesson: “Life is not defined by what happens to us, but by what we choose to do about it.” One of the best new shows of 2017, the first episode featured little and mild profanity, no sex, no violence…and lots and lots of genuine heart. The program’s fantastic premise, allowing viewers to see the same life unfold at three different ages and in three different time periods, gives the viewer a unique opportunity to see how small events at 14 can shape a life later…and how things that seem so overwhelming at 14 (or 40) will ultimately turn out okay from the perspective of old age. The program also avoids easy, obvious TV cliches: the new step-father, seemingly distant to Alex at age 14, has grown into a true confidant and source of wisdom to Alex at age 40. Similarly, the girl Alex thinks he lost at 14 is encountered again when he is 65…and with a lifetime of longing built up, older Alex realizes the wisdom of not wasting time. There is genuine humor on this program; but it arises naturally from the circumstances. Nobody tells sex or fart jokes, and no laugh track brays intrusively. Me, Myself & I is that rarest of programs: a comedy that’s actually funny, and which is genuinely sweet without being sappy. It’s a perfect program for families to watch together. Me, Myself & I premieres Monday, September 25 at 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS.