I've been a fan of Melissa Joan Hart since back in her Clarissa Explains It All days, so when I found out she was going to star in a new sitcom on ABC Family, I immediately made plans to watch it.  And I stuck with Melissa and Joey for its first half a season, although the results have not been quite as good as I'd hoped they would be.

Mel Burke (Melissa Joan Hart) is a local Politian in Toledo, Ohio.  Her life is turned upside down when her sister and brother-in-law are caught in a financial scandal.  Not only does she have to make sure her innocence is proclaim to voters, but she finds herself taking care of her teenage niece and nephew Lennox and Ryder (Taylor Spreitler and Nick Robinson).

Trying to balance all of this is overwhelming her until Joe Longo (Joseph Lawrence) walks into their lives.  Joe worked for Mel's brother-in-law and lost all his money to the man.  Desperate for a job, he agrees to stay on as the manny (male nanny).  Since neither of them have an experience raising kids, will they be able to get through this together?  And what of the sparks neither one wants to admit are there between them.

Okay, so the premise is a rip off of other sitcoms.  I'd never seen the older classics with similar set ups, so I was able to judge this one on its own merits.  Unfortunately, those merits are a mixed bag.

A few of the episodes are pretty funny.  I liked the Halloween themed episode, and there's a fun one where Mark Ballas from Dancing with the Stars shows up to teach Mel to dance.  (He was her partner when she was on the show.)  However, many of the episodes are fairly standard sitcom plots with the predictable jokes.  Heck, I wasn't surprised to learn that Joe is an excellent cook while Mel can't even make cold cereal correctly.

Meanwhile, we've got the case of the assistants.  For the first half of these episodes, Elizabeth Ho played Mel's assistant Rhonda.  She was funny and a great addition to the cast.  With no explanation, they replaced her with Lucy DeVito's Stephanie.  The problem is that Stephanie is an annoying character with hardly any personality.  I certainly don't blame Lucy who does her best with the flat "Yes Man" character she has.

The rest of the cast is quite good, and on the episodes where they are given some great material, they really knock it out of the park.  Melissa Joan Hart can be a bit over the top at times, but she has always had that tendency.  They've also go fun guest stars like Christopher Rich and Julia Duffy.

Finally, there's the sex.  I must admit I was shocked at just how much of the show is based on sexual humor and double meanings.  I guess I was expecting a little less of that since the show is on ABC Family.  This is definitely a more adult oriented show, but it is obviously aiming for a slightly younger market.  Even so, I usually find some decent laughs in every episode.

ABC Family aired twelve episodes in later summer and fall last year, and those are the ones that are collected in this two disc set.  Coincidentally, it's released just in time to remind us about the show before the second half of season one starts.  Extras include a gag reel and the cast talking about real life family dynamics and issues.

When the show comes back, I'll be tuning in because I get some laughs from it, but I doubt it will become a classic sitcom.  Melissa and Joey is fun, but it could be funnier.

Related Reviews:
Season 1 Part 2  

Season 1-1 Episodes:
1. Pilot
2. Moving On
3. Nanny Love
4. Boys Toys ‘R' Us
5. The Perfect Storm
6. Spies & Lies
7. Up Close & personal
8. Dancing with the Stars of Toledo
9. Seoul Man
10. In Lennox We Trust
11. A Fright in the Attic
12. Joe Knows

Recommended: Yes