Later, when they go cover breaking news, she starts freaking out, crying and then puking. Even though Mike works at NBC New York, the former home of legendary awesome lady Sue Simmons, women are either inexperienced and shallow (like Kay or the intern Harris who creepily hits on in the pilot) or bitchy, like Susan, a competitor of Mike's played by Anne Heche. Sure, Mike's supposed to have his flaws in the Heche plot line—mainly being an uncool dad—but he's still the good-guy hero of this story.

And it's not just the woman at Mike's workplace that have issues. Take, for instance, his sister Leigh, played by Katie Finneran, who deserves a better role. Leigh is a ball of unflattering tropes. A middle aged woman trying to look younger who constantly complains. She's a writer, who comes off as not very good at her job. In one episode she complains about having to write a 200-word story for Us Weekly, in another she's writing a bad Twilight knockoff. Mike's daughter meanwhile is falsely deep, trying to get away with making a documentary about her family in lieu of a project about The Grapes of Wrath and in the second episode becoming friends with another girl just because she thinks it would be cool to have a lesbian friend. (Cue the stale Melissa Etheridge jokes.) Even his wife Annie, played by Breaking Bad's Betsy Brandt, seems to exist to support her husband, even though she's a teacher herself. The second episode revolves around Mike's crush on a sexy neighbor played by Fox's real-life wife, Tracy Pollan. Her attraction to Mike validates him and that's the whole reason any of these women are there, to prop up the men.

What makes Michael J. Fox's issues with its female characters so egregious is that it's coming after Parks and Recreation in NBC's lineup. As of now Parks is the only holdover from NBC's poorly rated but ambitious comedy lineup which formerly featured The Office and 30 Rock. In the premiere of Parks the gang goes to London so that Leslie Knope, perhaps TV's most outspoken feminist, can accept an award for women in government. On the Michael J. Fox show the women are crying, complaining, undermining, and being sexy. You know, women stuff. It's nice to see Michael J. Fox on screen again, but this show makes him seem like he's behind the times.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.