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Season 1 – About a Boy

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – About a Boy 2014 Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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74% Tomatometer 39 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Will Freeman hit the jackpot when he penned a hit song, the proceeds of which allow him to live the single life unhindered by the responsibility of having a job. Things start to change when a needy mother moves in next door and her 11-year-old son, Marcus, starts dropping by unannounced. Will resists forming a relationship with the kid until he learns that women find fatherhood attractive, then the two reach an agreement: Marcus will pretend to be Will's son in exchange for being able to hang out at Will's place. As the two spend more time together, Will finds there are more benefits to having Marcus in his life than he could have guessed.
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About a Boy — Season 1

About a Boy — Season 1

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Critics Consensus

It may not win any points for originality, but About a Boy gets by on laughs and warmhearted charm.

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Critics Reviews

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Brian Tallerico RogerEbert.com The premiere has moments of clever insight into the dating process and how parenthood can change you but the show spins its wheels for the next two episodes sent for press, often repeating the same jokes. Mar 4, 2014 Full Review Emily St. James AV Club This version is empty, and constantly feels terrified of establishing dramatic stakes with meaning. Rated: C+ Mar 4, 2014 Full Review Christopher Muther Boston Globe It's sweet but not syrupy. The pilot is so beautifully written and acted that it's difficult to offer any kind of resistance, flaws and all. Mar 4, 2014 Full Review Jessica Johnson Time Out Chicago There's a shocking lack of heart in About a Boy. Without Jul 2, 2018 Full Review Jim McMahon IGN Movies The single biggest victory here is the casting of Benjamin Stockham as Marcus. He's likeable, vulnerable and doesn't feel like a child actor. Rated: 7.8/10 Mar 4, 2014 Full Review Mark Dawidziak Cleveland Plain Dealer About a Boy easily ranks as the network's best new comedy of the season. Mar 3, 2014 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (12) audience reviews
Nate M I absolutely loved this show... so, naturally, I never knew about it until it was advertised to me all these years later. Now I see there are only 2 seasons, which makes sense, since I didn't know it was a show! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/31/24 Full Review Audience Member This show is so darn good—of course it was cancelled. Perfectly cast, funny as hell..just when Will & Fiona showed a glimpse of romance the show gets cancelled after 3rd season. Buy from Amazon Prime to watch the 3 seasons over & over. David Walton, Minnie Driver, Jason Stockman (sp) are all a joy to watch along with the supporting cast: Al Madrigal & his wife Laurie (Character name) are hysterical as well. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member It's funny how the same old Peter Pan guy story can still make you smile, laugh and eventually cry. The credit for this belongs also to the enjoyable script and to the well-chosen soundtrack that definetely turns your mood. Absolutely cool. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member It's like somebody took one of my favorite foods, chewed it up, spat it onto my plate and said, "Here, you'll like this just as much." The three focal characters, as played by David Walton (Will), Benjamin Stockham (Marcus) and even the usually-great Minnie Driver (Fiona) are horribly thin. They seem to be trying so hard to demonstrate all the established traits of the characters from the book or the film, with none of the charm of the actors who originally played them in the film. The whole affair, in fact, feels dreadfully forced--the pilot grinds through all the "major" plot points of the film with unnatural speed (simultaneously glossing over all of the film's deeper moments), then week after week comes a nonstop barrage of typical sitcom escapades, many of which have been done repeatedly (and better than this) since the days of "I Love Lucy." Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member cute, kind of cheesy, but it's a feel-good show with good acting and a pretty good storyline. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Audience Member About a Boy, definitely delivers laughs, but is too generic and basic to be enjoyable on any other level. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews
About a Boy — Season 1

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Cast & Crew

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David Walton

Will Freeman

Minnie Driver

Fiona

Benjamin Stockham

Marcus

Al Madrigal

Andy

Annie Mumolo

Laurie

Zach Cregger

T.J.

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Feb 22, 2014 Pilot After writing a hit song, Will is able to lead a life of leisure, free of financial woes; when a needy single woman and her charming 11-year-old son move in next door, Will's perfect life is impacted. Details Episode 2 Aired Mar 4, 2014 About Total Exuberance Will gets an invitation to a pool party hosted by Lil Jon, but has already committed to watching Marcus; Fiona learns telling the truth isn't always the best way to get a job. Details Episode 3 Aired Mar 11, 2014 About a Godfather Will's night out with Andy does not go as planned, forcing Will to reach out to Marcus for help; Andy's wife, Laurie, reluctantly agrees to ask Will to be the godfather of their son. Details Episode 4 Aired Mar 18, 2014 About a Girl Marcus turns to Will for advice on getting invited to a party, but when that doesn't yield results, Fiona gets involved. Details Episode 5 Aired Mar 25, 2014 About a Plumber Marcus hints that Will and Fiona should start dating; after Dakota (Leslie Bibb) gives her dating advice, Fiona asks out her plumber. Details Episode 6 Aired Apr 1, 2014 About a Buble Marcus gets his own house key when Fiona puts in extra hours at work but quickly loses his mother's trust; Will becomes smitten with Dr. Samantha Lake (Adrianne Palicki). Details Episode 7 Aired Apr 8, 2014 About a Poker Night Will hosts a poker night for his friends Andy, Crosby (Dax Shepard), T.J. (Zach Cregger) and Richard (Keith Powell), but Fiona hijacks the evening; Marcus has a difficult time when he goes to his first sleepover. Details Episode 8 Aired Apr 15, 2014 About a Slopmaster Fiona runs a school project for Marcus' class; Will takes Marcus on a shopping spree; Will plans a party to impress Sam. Details Episode 9 Aired Apr 22, 2014 About a Kiss When Laurie and Andy have a game night, Will invites Sam (Adrianne Palicki); Marcus feels apprehensive about his new baby sitter. Details Episode 10 Aired Apr 29, 2014 About a Boy's Dad Marcus is thrilled when his father, Hugh (Tony Hale), visits unexpectedly; Fiona fights her attraction to Hugh as she also notices his lack of interest in father-son bonding; Sam's work schedule gets in the way of romance. Details Episode 11 Aired May 6, 2014 About a Birthday Party Will agrees to help plan Marcus' birthday party, but complications arise when Will and Andy learn of another celebration the same day; Sam and Fiona have a disagreement. Details Episode 12 Aired May 13, 2014 About a Hammer When Sam is forced to evacuate her apartment, Will lets her stay with him; a misunderstanding leads Fiona to believe that Sam is pregnant. Details Episode 13 Aired May 13, 2014 About a Rib Chute Fiona and Marcus try to comfort Will after he learns that Sam has received a job offer in New York; Andy advises Will on how he should move forward. Details

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About a Boy — Season 1

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Season Info

Executive Producer
Jason Katims, Jon Favreau, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Liza Chasin, Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal
Network
NBC
Rating
TV-PG (D)
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date
Feb 22, 2014
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