The Grinder (2015–2016) User Reviews (50)

I'm not a lawyer but I play one on TV

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 19 September 2017]

"The Grinder" was a one-season series that starred Rob Lowe as a TV lawyer who comes home to his family and decides to practice law with his brother (Fred Savage) and father (William Devane).

Dean Sanderson worked for eight seasons on a hit TV show, "The Grinder," whose final words in court were "The Grinder rests." Back home in Idaho, his brother, Stewart, has his own law firm and practices with their dad. All is well until Dean, the fair-haired, can-do-no-wrong son, comes home, moves in with Stewart, his wife (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), father, and two children, and wants to practice law.

Very funny show that for some reason didn't make it. Rob Lowe is great as a delusional, over the top actor given to dramatic statements. Savage does a wonderful job as his hapless brother who has to put up with people befriending him to meet his brother, judges allowing Dean to talk in court, and his father encouraging Dean's legal fantasies. The office people - Natalie Morales and Steve Little -- are very funny, Morales who can't take Dean seriously, and Little, who loves him.

At one point, the network brings on Timothy Olyphant to play The Grinder's brother.

Each episode begins with a scene from "The Grinder."

Clever, excellent acting, entertaining, sorry this was only one season.

Simple, understandable and genuine story ,,. A : for the script and A : for Lowe and Savage .. you better start watching it now :D

[Aktham_Tashtush · 8/10 · 30 September 2015]

The plot is so Original and fresh, with so much potentials, the Script is perfectly sculptured So many laughable scenes. I really enjoyed watching every minute of it as it felt the shortest Half an hour ever.

Jarrad Paul as a screenplay or a script writer i'v seen for him the famously funny "Yes Man" and "The D Train" this year .. and here he really outdone himself. Add to that .. the nicely sound-mix which blends with the suspense comic scenes to make it even more enjoyable and hilariously theatrical in an Ironic way.

First time seen Rob Lowe was in "Parks and Recreation" and he had almost "somehow" the same character as the one in here with all of this tightness and glamorous perfection and the fast funny talk and fast jokes .. and now with Fred Savage they are indeed making a great dual and since i'v watched the trailer before i knew this will work perfectly with such story and such amazing cast.

Fox is well known of premiering a wowzers Fall shows but few survive the winter ;) Hence I am seriously praying that this one to have a chance of staying on the network for a while as we now have high expectations, That's of course if it stays running on the same rhythm as this .. and i believe it will.

Super funny over the top witty and very enjoyable

[Dableo · 8/10 · 30 September 2015]

I loved this show so much starting from the acting to the superbly written script. The concept overall is unique to the usual sitcom world of 5 friends or such stuff which is very refreshing (it being the super famous actor lawyer and his little brother and father who are real lawyers and how them and the entire family play out life). Also the script is actually funny and is hyper complemented by the acting and the excitement and pace of the shooting and directing made for a very enjoyable pilot. I highly recommend you watch the pilot you will like if you are tired of sitcoms with drama monologues this one is just pure funny. Loved it fox with this & Brooklyn nine-nine and empire you are crushing. Also big kudos to the directing as it is setting a very brilliant manner.

Great Show! Cancelled too soon!

[mlenoddin · 10/10 · 31 May 2017]

This show had me laughing for days! It was genuinely funny and didn't try to overdo it with a laugh track or bad jokes. I hope this show gets picked up by Netflix! It definitely needs a second chance. Besides the main characters being the perfect odd couple the side characters, especially the son and daughter, were great comedic additions.

Good ingredients but the mix lacks punch.

[Dr_Sagan · 3 October 2015]

A retired TV star, who played a kick-ass lawyer on TV, pairs with his brother (an actual lawyer) to practice law in real life and win cases because of his well known TV persona.

Nothing really to complain about Rob Lowe's new series. Good premise, likable actors, although Fred Savage tries too much...everything seems right.

But overall it lacks punch. It has some energy but doesn't seem to focus it right. Maybe it does in future episodes.

Anyway, Lowe is back and so is John Stamos ("Grandfathered"). The Grinder might be a tad better but both series aren't for great laughs.

Cast is great.

[sclafunk · 7/10 · 12 July 2018]

Really good cast. Shame the writers didn't give them much to work with, but the fact that they still made something entertaining is a testament to the cast. The premises are good but they coulda done much better character development with some of the supporting cast outside the grinder. Even the grinder is super one dimenesional, tho thats kinda the Gag. Worth a stoned binge on a hungover Sunday where you don't wanna exert much Brainpower.

Great acting and good scripts

[drjgardner · 9/10 · 26 November 2015]

I enjoyed the pilot but thought I'd wait for a few episodes before reviewing. Often the pilot is the best episode you're going to see, so I don't like to jump in too soon. But this series just keep getting better and better. Strong acting from everyone, including relative newcomer Mary Elizabeth Ellis who plays the wife. I say "relative" because with such TV staples as William Devane, Rob Lowe, and Fred Savage it's hard to steal a scene, but Ellis does a great job. Let's hope they keep up the good work.

This latest episode had a guest appearance from Timothy Oliphant, one of my favorite actors ("Hitman", "Justified"). It was good fun and let's hope they have more guest appearances, perhaps from past cast members from "Parks and Recreation" or "The Wonder Years".

Good Premise So Far...

[MovieHoliks · 6/10 · 30 September 2015]

I watched the premiere of this new Fox series last night. Rob Lowe stars as the TV star of one of those slick lawyer shows, but he coincidentally happens to be a member of a family of lawyers, including bro Fred Savage and dad William Devane. So far the show has a really good premise. Savage is great playing more the straight character, and Lowe almost seems to be playing an extension of his crazy character on "Parks and Rec". Devane's presence certainly adds some class to the series. Not the greatest, but I'll give it a borderline thumbs-up so far...

What idiot canceled this show?

[jimbokwright · 10/10 · 28 July 2018]

I really enjoyed this show and looked forward to each new episode. The cast was great and the writing was clever. Why wasn't it renewed?

Not bad, but irritating

[xhidden99 · 6/10 · 19 November 2016]

Starts out strong but goes flat fast. You can pretty much predict every line of dialog. It's a sitcom not Alexander Pope. We get it, but there's not a single unexpected laugh. Paint by numbers. Which is weird because it's intended to be satire. But it's more a satire about satire. Like 'The Grinder' is a fake show in a show, the real show is a show inside a show about a show. Like a fake TV show the fake writers in 30 Rock would pretend to write. It's like an American show making fun of a Mexican telenovela. Setting that aside it relies on two things pretty common in all sitcoms; one- the big lie that always goes horribly wrong. And two- the family member who's a passive aggressive lunatic narcissist who everyone always sides with at the expense of the 'good' person. Not hard to see why this got canceled after 1 season. It had nowhere to go. They flogged that horse for 20+ episodes and 20 more wasn't going work.

Showed promise but ended up being just another one-trick pony

[riverzak · 3/10 · 20 January 2016]

I was really looking forward to this one. I enjoyed Rob Lowe tremendously in West Wing (too bad the show got away from him) and Fred Savage in Wonder Years. The segments of the fictional "Grinder" TV show were wonderfully over-acted and perfectly lampooned many of the cheesy overly dramatic moments from some of my favourite shows of the past decade or two. In the end, however, the writers just ended up presenting us with the same joke over and over. Add to that the blatant abuse of Fred Savage's family's hospitality to a point that nobody would tolerate and the show just became annoying. Watching people being abused is not comedy. Even the occasional treat of Timothy Olyphant in a comedic role is not enough to keep me watching.

Literally laughing out loud with this show

[frenchmonkeys · 9/10 · 11 December 2015]

There seems to be a trend at the moment for comedy shows (particularly those from out cousins across the pond) to show situations that are painfully embarrassing for the protagonist, and then dragging those moments out far too long to remain interesting or even amusing - they're just painful and sad.

This show is different. Sure, there're similar moments, but they remain funny by not being overly laboured and they're mixed in with other types of humour - I have a smile on my face throughout, and genuinely laugh out loud frequently - that's not typical for me; I'm really enjoying this show.

The basic premise is, of course, utterly ridiculous, and is both ridiculed and legitimised by other characters in the show. It's predictable, but in the most delightful way, doesn't demand too much of the viewer, but still doesn't come across as dumb, or that it expects the viewer lacks the intelligence for more sophisticated humour. It just works, and after watching an episode I feel entertained, happier, more upbeat; it does everything a comedy show should, and I can't wait for the show's return in the new year.

Room for improvement - check

[kofila · 7/10 · 16 November 2015]

Grinder is a show about a fictional show of the same name starring Rob Lowe as a star lawyer. After the show's end he moves in with his family and jams himself in the family law firm. The basic plot is a bit far-fetched but the writers are doing fair job not letting it slip too far from reality. Everything stands or falls with Rob Lowe (and partially Fred Savage) and his amazingly pathetic way of dramatizing everything. It feels like a TV character living amongst normal people leaving them baffled and confused after each interaction. That I do like. The rest of the cast is so so, I don't like the kids too much but I never do so I can't judge that I guess :-) There is still plenty of room for improvement. There isn't much going on professionally and the show focuses more on the family which I don't see as a good direction. I also demand more screen time and better writing for Steve Little, who was mesmerizing on Eastbound.

Sorry, did I blink?

[aturtle-93130 · 1/10 · 7 April 2021]

I must have blinked and missed the funny bit(s). Bland, although Rob Lowe as a full of it actor tries to pull it through. Watched 1 1/2 episodes and I am surprised it wasn't ditched sooner!

Has the world changed so much that comedies are sad?

Wow! True to the Hype!

[Jazzie-too · 10/10 · 3 October 2015]

For once! All of Rob Lowe's energetic support of this new show was more than backed up in the pilot. This was fun and fulfilling. I loved all the characters, especially Lowe, Savage, and Devane! Excellent storyline to start the series. The story and pace kept moving right along. The humor had perfect timing. Rob Lowe is like a "fine wine", he ages quite well! I liked him in "West Wing" but this is going to be fun. And it has a lot of heart. And Fred Savage was a real surprise for me. I like his brother role. When a show that moves along like this, cute, humorous moments, connectivity, and then you can feel a few tears well up in the end! Well, that really suits me! Thank you SO MUCH!!

Renew The Grinder For Season 2 on Netflix

[renewthegrinder · 10/10 · 25 October 2016]

Please sign my petition to renew The Grinder for Season 2 on Netflix. Even Rob Lowe tweeted about this petition. Deb, Lizzie, Zadack and Kristen Schaal also liked the petition on Twitter. It's a very funny show that makes me laugh out loud. Some people think this show is cheesy but the cheesiness is why the show is funny. It's supposed to be cheesy the way William Devane always supports Dean over Stu. Todd is hilarious how he idolizes The Grinder. My favorite part was when Dean was interviewing to be The Grinder and he thought the full name of the character was Mitchard. The link is on my Twitter page that directs you to Change.org :

www.twitter.com/TheGrinderer

Hilarious

[dcbeauchesne · 10/10 · 3 January 2019]

Lowe and Savage have a great on screen combo. The idea of the show is great and I laugh through every episode. How did this not get a second season?!

One note

[evans-15475 · 5/10 · 13 May 2021]

Actually found dean more annoying than his brother did, but Stewart was equally annoying why would he let him walk all over him?and where on earth could it go to.

Just a fantastic show

[jcott-854-476496 · 10/10 · 16 December 2015]

Didn't think this show would be good at all. Glad I gave it a chance. Lowe and Savage are amazing together. Could see these 2 doing future movies or shows together. Entire cast is great.

The writing is pure genius.

It might be a little too complex for the average person though. The writing is that brilliant.

I highly recommend this show.

Watch it more than once to truly appreciate its genius.

Problem this show will run into is how do you keep it fresh and complex at the same time.

Good luck

This is concerns I have of the direction show is taking hope it helps.

[btadcock · 5/10 · 2 March 2016]

I don't care for the direction the show has taken. Sleeping with psychologist, turning Fred Savage and his marriage into a joke not in a fun way. This is just my thoughts and prior to this I wouldn't miss the show. Not as entertaining now. Fred Savage's character is intelligent but with the new direction Dad has no faith in him. Grinder was conceded and an ego maniac, but he was funny now he is just stupid doesn't know he's be taken advantage of. Fred Savage's character has his kid's and wife looking at him like he's an idiot. Rob Lowe's character is trying to tell Fred Savage's character how to improve his sex life. Why not have Rob Lowe's character be in training and make fun of the mistake that he makes. Fix Rob Lowe's character up with girl in the office.

Never heard of The Grinder until last week...LOVE IT!

[kwallsea · 10/10 · 22 September 2018]

I never heard of this series when it was on. I just recently stumbled across it while Roku surfing. I loved it! Binge watched the entire season in one week. I laughed outloud during every episode. Rob Lowe was really great in this, and the supporting actors were also very good. WHY IS THERE SO MUCH CRAP ON TV WHILE GREAT SERIES LIKE THIS GET CANCELLED???

Where's the rest?

[cala3 · 9/10 · 25 October 2019]

I'm watching The Grinder on Netflix and it all of a sudden ended. It didn't continue to the next episode or the next season. That was it. I couldn't believe that's all Netflix had.

Then I came to IMDB to check it out, to see how many seasons there are to look forward to when Netflix loads the rest.

And then it hit me, there's only a total of 22. I mean, can this be real? Why did they only make 22? Was Rob Lowe needed for bigger and better things?

I am so disappoint.

It was truly funny and I laughed my way through every episode. I know it was corny but it was a WELL DONE corny. I don't watch many sitcoms so I was pleasantly surprised when I found this.

I'm so sad so what can I go on to watch now to give me a laugh?

Great cast, great writing, surprisingly involving story

[cherold · 9/10 · 17 March 2016]

The Grinder started around the same time as another sitcom, Life in Pieces. I would say the two shows are about equally as funny, and yet I've watched far more episodes of The Grinder. I think it's because, while Life in Pieces has a bunch of characters with their own stories the intersect, resulting in a very funny but somewhat disconnected experience, The Grinder is very tightly focused, with a very clear sense of the world it is creating and, as the season moved on, an increasing focus on the story arc.

The cast is amazing. Everyone is excellent, and Rob Lowe's vain but well-intentioned celebrity is the part he will spend the rest of his life trying to equal.

The story has become increasingly focused as the season has progressed. At first it was simply a matter of tossing the characters together, but as things progressed the series has really worked at making me want to watch not just for laughs but also to find out what happens next.

Definitely a series everyone should check out. Also, Life in Pieces; I really need to watch more of that.

Not closed captioned

[dtdenver-987-925546 · 1/10 · 28 February 2020]

This isn't closed captioned for the hearing impaired. Hello? Isn't that an FCC regulation? Thanks for the discrimination, Fox.

It's just Season 1, and I don't want to go too crazy, but...

[asc85 · 8/10 · 20 March 2016]

...this is a really good, really funny show. I'm showing my age here, but it reminds me of the classic screwball comedies of the 30's and 40's with the rapid-fire dialogue. The performances are solid all around, particularly the supporting roles, with Steve Little as the groupie attorney, Natalie Morales as the "hot" associate, and Mary Elizabeth Ellis playing Fred Savage's wife. Fred Savage is also very good. He was annoying at first, but I guess I got used to his character, and think he's funny.

After watching Season 1 of shows like Black-ish on ABC and The Knick on Cinemax, and then watching a big drop in quality on each of these shows during Season 2, I'm hesitant to go too crazy about how good this show is. But if Season 2 is able to match Season 1, then we're talking about a really good show here.