The name that this show was given is a total understatement. Who wants to remember their atrocious middle school years? I’ll pass on that one. This horrific trip down memory lane was triggered by the sitcom Everybody Hates Chris. (WARNING: Avoid the CW Mondays from 8-8:30 pm) This sitcom is about the childhood experiences of comedian Chris Rock. He narrates a useless and juvenile story of a teenager growing up in Brooklyn, New York during the early 1980’s. It has a basic and unoriginal story line of a kid just trying to make it through life. Everybody Hates Chris should be avoided at all costs because of its predictable plot, its dull and monotonous characters, and childish themes.

The plot of this sitcom is what drags it down the most. Got to hand it to the writers on this one. The show is basically about some 40-year-old dude looking back at his childhood. It seems to me like this type of show appeals to more of a younger crowd. With the exception of some vulgar language and occasional adult content, it seems like a show right off Disney or Nickelodeon. Surely not for the mature and sophisticated adults it’s intended for. Furthermore, when you watch this show you seem to gain a psychic ability; or maybe it’s just the fact that every action is so predictable. On the episode “Everybody Hates Eggs”, Chris is given an egg to take care of as if it were a child. Of course, he ends up loosing it, and then gets it back. It’s also pretty apparent that at the very end something is going to happen to the egg that unexpectedly breaks it. It’s obvious, it’s boring, and it’s a 30 minute waste of time.

Now for the characters, I’ll start out by saying…YAWN! I could fall asleep now just writing this. Can you say boring? There is nothing special about the characters that set them aside from any other character on any other sitcom. The main character, Chris, is just a kid that tries to make it through life. A real shocker! Chris’s mother, Rochelle, is an overprotective parent. Chris’s father, Julius, is cheap. Both of them are stubborn. Some real individuals, huh? Chris’s sister, Tonya, is just daddy’s little girl. Wow, I’ve never seen that before. And Chris’s brother, Drew, just comes on and off camera occasionally. A real character there! There is no depth to any of the characters, one-dimensional, like paper. One of the best examples of this is in the episode of “Everybody Hates the Bachelor Pad” when the guys from the barbershop show up at Mr. Omar’s apartment. The reaction the audience was expecting was a little more dramatic than was delivered. Chris just stood there and said nothing while the guys took over the apartment – The apartment that he and Tasha were supposed to be spending “alone time” in. A more dramatic and realistic “get the heck out of here!” reaction was expected. But alas, Chris’s character just stood there dumbfounded. No depth, no emotion, just… paper-like.

Something even more childish than the show itself: its themes. There are the classic themes of eat your veggies, don’t talk to strangers, and look both ways before crossing the street. These should be classics in the world of Sesame Street and Blue’s Clues; not in the world of Everybody Hates Chris which is targeted at “adult” audiences.

Frankly, I expected better from the CW network. Everybody Hates Chris should be removed from the air because of the obvious outcome of each episode, its just plain lame-o characters, and for its kiddy-like themes. I don’t know about you, but I definitely have better things to do with my Monday nights. But, just incase you do have an ill-fated run in with Everybody Hates Chris, spray yourself in the eyes with mace, trust me it’ll be less painful.