According to Jim ran for eight seasons on ABC, from October 3, 2001, to June 2, 2009. Jim Belushi played the title character, a suburban father of three kids, later five kids, with a wife named Cheryl played by Courtney Thorne-Smith. The show was created by Jonathan Stark and Tracy Newman. It was a comedy about a man who tried to get through life with as little effort as possible.
The premise is simple. Jim is a slacker, cheap, rude, arrogant and often lying to his wife and her sister Dana. He loves his wife and kids, but his attempts to avoid work and responsibility create constant chaos at home. His wife’s brother Andy, played by Larry Joe Campbell, is his best friend and sidekick. The show follows their family life, with Jim constantly finding new ways to avoid doing what he should.
Trailer, via FoxLife Serbia.
Jim’s Character
Jim is the center of the show, and the source material describes him as a happy-go-lucky father. He is a fan of blues music, and he supports the Chicago Bears, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks. Those details add color to his personality, but they are small touches rather than driving forces.
His problems come from his laziness. He searches for alternative ways to get things done with less effort, and those plans often backfire. He is cheap, selfish, rude and arrogant, and he lies to Cheryl and her sister Dana to cover up his failures. He hates losing to women, especially if Cheryl or Dana find out. He does not like people interrupting him when he talks, so he speaks over them to shut them up.
Jim often finds himself in difficult situations, because his slacker sensibilities cause him to search for alternative ways to get things done with less effort.
That line sums up the whole show. Jim is always trying to win, and he always loses.
The Family
Cheryl, played by Courtney Thorne-Smith, is Jim’s wife. She is patient with him, but she is also his opposite. The show’s description calls them an “opposites attract” couple who are “in their marriage for keeps.” That is the core relationship, and it drives most of the conflict.
Their three children are daughters Ruby and Gracie, and son Kyle. In the seventh season, they became parents of twin boys Gordon and Jonathan. The family grew from three to five kids during the show’s run, and the source material lists the full cast as Jim Belushi as Jim, Courtney Thorne-Smith as Cheryl, Larry Joe Campbell as Andy, Taylor Atelian as Ruby, Billi Bruno as Gracie, Conner Rayburn as Kyle, with Dana appearing alongside them.
Andy, Cheryl’s brother, is Jim’s best friend and brother-in-law. He appears in the show for most of its run without a steady girlfriend. Dana, Cheryl’s sister, often teams up with Cheryl against Jim. The show describes her as arguing constantly with Jim but flirting with him when she is drunk. She discovers after one such event that she respects Jim as a loving father despite his flaws.
Dana and the Backfiring Plans
Dana is a recurring presence who pushes back against Jim’s schemes. She works with Cheryl to stop him, and the show spends time on their arguments and occasional drunken flirtations. The dynamic between Dana and Jim is one of the more interesting parts of the series. She hates him, but she also respects him.
The show’s description of Dana is telling. She flirts with Jim when she is drunk, and she discovers after one such event that she respects Jim as a loving father despite his flaws. That moment shows a softer side of Jim that the show rarely lets viewers see.
Where the Show Falls Short
The show is a standard sitcom formula. Jim has a problem, he tries to fix it badly, and everyone laughs at the result. There is nothing wrong with that structure, but it only works if the jokes land. The source material suggests the humor is mostly about Jim’s failures, but it does not describe many specific jokes.
The show’s description focuses on Jim’s behavior and the consequences of his actions. It does not say much about the quality of the writing or the delivery of the jokes. Without that information, it is hard to judge how funny the show actually is.
The show also relies heavily on the idea that Jim is a loving father despite his flaws. That is a positive note, but it is not enough to carry a sitcom on its own. The show needs to be funny first, and the description does not give much evidence that it delivers.
Final Word
According to Jim ran for eight seasons and 182 episodes, which is a long run for a sitcom. That longevity suggests it had a strong audience appeal, even if the critical reception was mixed. The show’s description is brief and mostly positive, but it does not offer a lot of depth.
The show is a comedy about a lazy, cheap man who loves his wife and kids but cannot help causing trouble. It has a strong central character in Jim, a solid supporting cast, and a clear sense of what kind of show it wants to be. But the description does not give much evidence that the execution matches the concept.
Based on the available information, the show seems to be a competent but unremarkable entry in the sitcom genre. It has a loyal following and a long run, which suggests it met its goals. As a piece of entertainment, it delivers what it promises.
The show’s score is 6.5 out of 10.
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