TV Jots

You Betcha!

When people think of basic cable’s ABC Family, one of the first things that probably comes to mind is youth-oriented programming featuring lots of teenagers. Well, that’s about to change tonight when the network premieres Roommates and Sophie back to back from 9pm to 10pm EST.

Both new shows are sitcoms that focus on older than usual characters (at least for ABC Family) in their twenties, who are past college and actually have full-time jobs. Shocker! The first series, Roommates, is all about two guys and two gals who live together in New York — Tyler Francavilla (Mark), Dorian Brown (Katie), Tamera Mowry (Hope), and Tommy Dewey (James) — plus Mark’s best bud and non-roommate Thom (David Weidoff).

Sounds too close for comfort, right? Considering that Mark also happens to have a thing for Katie, his high school crush, and that Thom develops a thing for Hope, an executive recently downsized to working at a coffee shop, that’s probably where much of the humor will come from.

Following Roommates at 9:30pm is Sophie, which stars Natalie Brown as the title character, a career woman and single mother. The last is not by choice, however.

Right before she has their baby, Sophie’s boyfriend Rick (Sebatstian Spence) leaves her for Melissa (Amy Lalonde), her former best friend and top client at her talent agency. Sophie then must not only cope with parenting alone and the humiliation of being so unceremoniously dumped, but also the harsh realization that her ex is her current professional rival, and he’s stealing her clients, to boot.

Of the two shows, Sophie seems like it’s more up my alley. I can relate better to the more adult-sounding material, plus Spence has been a favorite of mine since his long-ago days on the sci-fi drama First Wave.

Comedy fans with good memories might remember that Tamera Mowry was a child actress who starred with her twin sister Tia Mowry Hardrict on the ABC and WB sitcom Sister, Sister for an impressive six seasons back in the 1990s. Since Tia currently heads up the CW sitcom The Game, it will be nice to have both talented siblings on the tube at the same time and in the same genre again.

Check out promos for the new sitcoms Roommates and Sophie below and tune in on Monday nights, from 9pm to 10pm, starting with tonight’s premieres “The Roommate” and “The Tornado,” respectively.