A Tribute To Men of a Certain Age

John Lenin once wrote, "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."  For three men entering the second act of their lives, those lives are starting to hit home in TNT's original series Men of a Certain Age.  The wry drama stars Emmy winner Ray Romano, Golden Globe winner Scott Bakula, and Emmy winner Andre Braugher.   

-Apple TV

I must admit, I was a little conflicted when I decided I wanted to talk about "Men of a Certain Age."  It's breaking my self-imposed rules of keeping the topics on my little website to pre-Y2K subjects.  Occasionally, I'll slip into my college years (2002-2005), but generally, I prefer to stick to the 80s and 90s.  Men of a Certain age hit the airwaves in 2009, so it's way outside my typical sphere of "retro" subjects, but hey... it's my website, right?  Besides, 2009 was FIFTEEN YEARS AGO already, so I think I'm ok.  Besides, it feels like anything pre-2020 was a different lifetime, so I guess we're good.  

I was 25 or 26 when Men of a Certain Age debuted on television.  I had just been laid off from my first airline and was bumming around looking for real work and simultaneously looking for things to do that occupied my mind while the economy and the airline industry recovered from 2008's "Great Recession."  I spent a lot of time watching television then.  I got into a routine of waking early, going for a 3-mile run, and then spending a few hours online searching for work.  By the afternoon, if I had nothing else going on, I'd typically retire to the television in my bedroom for the rest of the day.  There, I discovered some great stuff.  As I wrote about in my Top 5 Sopranos Episodes article, this is when I first watched the entire series of The Sopranos.  

I didn't realize it then, but the show's three main protagonists were supposed to be in their late 40s or early 50s.  To me, back then, they looked like they were well into their late 50s, but to be fair to them, the actors were 55 (Bakula), 52 (Romano), and 47 (Braugher).  Perhaps my perception of the appearance of age and people's place in life was skewed at the time.  But man, I can only think that as I approach those ages, I must look much older than I think I do!

I'll be turning 40 in a few months, and I have a different viewpoint on the aches and pains of age.  The difficulties of "adulting" and growing up, being a good husband and parent, and providing for a family that needs you are much more accurate today than they were at 25 when I was still unmarried and temporarily unemployed.  

At the time, I felt like I was one of a handful of people who found this little show.  I knew it wouldn't last long, and I savored each episode.  Admittedly, I was only initially interested because of my family's love of  "Everybody Loves Raymond."  The show only lasted two seasons, so I very well may have been one of only a handful of fans of this show.  I've since found that it has a pretty good following (among the folks who have actually heard of it.)  

I recently was flipping through our many streaming platforms (and still can't find a thing worth watching!) and saw that MAX (formerly HBO Max) has Men of a Certain Age in their lineup.  Seeing the show's title image on MAX brought back many memories, and I thought now was as good of a time as any to discuss this TV series from yesteryear.

Men of a Certain Age was a relatively simple story about three friends in their late 40s having to deal with problems related to their current stage in life.  That story grows more complex when you look at a broader issue of topics in their lives:  marriage, children, health, divorce, gambling addiction, employment, financial worries, and the decision to chase or finally let go of childhood dreams.  The show can be funny or break your heart as these guys try their best (or don't try so hard) and frequently come up short.  If they say you're only as old as you feel, then Joe, Terry, and Owen are ancient.  

The series follows the adventures of three lifelong friends in their late forties named Joe, Owen, and Terry.  

Joe Tranelli (Ray Romano) is a timid, separated (and later divorced) father of two.  Tranelli is forced to deal with the mental health of one of his children, who suffers frequent panic attacks, and the guilt of how his impending divorce from their mother has affected them.  Joe had once dreamed of becoming a pro golfer but now owns a party supply store and is recovering from a gambling addiction.  Once divorced and officially 50, Joe struggles with his addiction again.  After hesitating for decades, he finally decides to pursue a professional golf career.

Owen Thoreau, Jr. (Andre Braugher) is an anxiety-stricken, diabetic husband and father of three who works at a job he absolutely despises.  He sells cars at a dealership owned and managed by his father, a former NBA player, Owen Thoreau, Sr. (played by Richard Gant.)  During the second season, Owen's father retires, and he gains control of the dealership but Owen Sr's legacy continuously hangs over his son's head.  Still, under his father's shadow, he must figure out how to steer his own course, but he continuously complains that the ride isn't as smooth as he'd like.

Terry Elliot (Scott Bakula) is a struggling former actor and current apartment building manager who longs to return to the glory days of his youth.  Terry never married, has no children, and frequently finds himself in trouble dating women with expensive tastes, often much younger than himself.  Once Owen takes charge of the car dealership, Terry begins working as a car salesman.  He may seem to be the most well-off of the trio, but it's only a carefully manicured act.  He struggles with his age and mortality, attempting to work out often and eat healthy food while hiding his anxiety behind the mask of a "lazy slacker."

It's mentioned a few times in the show that the idea of maturity is an illusion, that even as we grow older, we are still growing up.  A mortgage payment and family suddenly become more important than an expensive sports car or childhood dreams of becoming an astronaut (or pro golfer.)  

Even though Joe, Owen, and Terry's lives and experiences are far different from mine (and I'd like to think I'd make vastly different choices than them,) I feel like I understand them well.  We all get one ride on this merry-go-round of life, and we may as well make the best of it, even if middle age and life become a bit of a compromise from our original goals.   

In late 2007, Ray Romano and Mike Royce, friends and coworkers on Everybody Loves Raymond, began shopping scripts for a new series starring Romano.  In March of 2008, TNT announced that it had ordered a pilot to be filmed based on a script written by the pair.  In June that year, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula were announced as having won the starring roles alongside Ray in the new, yet to be named, series.  

Bakula, most known for Quantum Leap, would join his first series as a regular cast member since Star Trek:  Enterprise ended in mid-2005.  Braugher was coming off 2006's The Thief, while Romano's Everybody Loves Raymond had wrapped in May 2005.  

Romano also included his friend Jon Manfrelotti in this new series.  Manfrelotti, who played Gianni on "Raymond," appeared in Men of a Certain Age as "Manfro," Romano's bookie.  Their scenes were often light-hearted but occasionally diverted into more serious tones regarding Joe's gambling addiction and the steps Manfro would be willing to take to collect his money.  As a fan of Raymond, I loved seeing Manfrelotti in another role opposite Romano.

After filming the pilot, TNT ordered 10 more episodes in January 2009.

Men of a Certain Age premiered on TNT on December 7, 2009, with the TV-MA-L rating for strong course language.  The second season premiered almost a year later, on December 6, 2010.  The second season was aired in two 6 episode batches before the show concluded with its final episode on July 6, 2011.  On July 15, 2011, TNT announced that it would not renew the series for a third season.  

When I watched the show, it was nice to see two actors I'd long known (Romano and Bakula) attempting something different.  Today, I view it with different eyes, seeing that it's nice to see a cast that's not been "prettied up" or "aged down" just to please the TikTok crowd.  These three actors "act their age" and show life isn't always going to be happy and exciting.  Their decisions and actions may not always be favorable, yet viewers can quickly become invested in watching their lives.  The show has heart and feels grounded in a reality that perhaps the actors themselves struggled with at one point in their lives.

Many viewers immediately wrote the show off after discovering that Ray Romano, from "that lame sitcom" (100% wrong, btw), was starring in a dramatic role.  Watch a handful of random episodes from this show, and you'll come away with a newfound respect for his acting ability.  Since Romano was a stand-up comic who starred in a sitcom for several years, especially one named after himself with a similar backstory, it's easy to lump him in with Seinfeld, a comic who was decent enough at playing himself.  However, Ray Romano won an Emmy for his acting in "Raymond," which was well deserved.  He grew as a performer over the course of his sitcom, where he not only delivered jokes but was excellent at physical comedy and performed well at the occasional serious moment. 

Speaking of Raymond, I'd like to take a minute to point out that Men of a Certain Age is definitely not a family-friendly affair like Romano's older sitcom.  Let the kids go to bed before popping this one on.

Season One was met with positive reviews.  Looking at aggregate review sites such as Rotten Tomatoes, it still holds an 89% approval rating over nearly 20 reviews.  The consensus reads:  "Witty, insightful, and poignant, Men of a Certain Age is a second-act triumph for stars Scott Bakula, Andre Braugher, and Ray Romano."  It held a Metacritic score of 78 out of 100, based on 24 reviews.  According to Metacritic, this indicates it has "generally favorable reviews."  

Season Two was met with positive reviews, holding a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 15 reviews.  The site summarizes the second season by saying, "Sharply written and deftly acted.  It continues to be an observational sitcom of rare insight and depth."  Season Two also holds a Metacritic score of 86 of 100, indicating "universal acclaim."

Despite the great reviews, the show was canceled, and the final episode did a decent job of wrapping up most of the loose ends in a satisfying way, although there are several more stories to tell featuring these characters.  

I've been blessed to know what I wanted to do from a very young age and with the desire and drive to accomplish it.  I'm extremely happy.  I have the family, the house, the job... I'm very fortunate.  Could something always be better?  Of course!  But, I know I've got it quite good.  At times, it seems like the total opposite of Men of a Certain Age.

I know several others, even those that seemingly have it all, who still feel like when they hit middle age and don't have it "all figured out" or the "million dollar career," they've somehow failed.  For people like them, perhaps Men of a Certain Age could show that life isn't over when you hit middle age and nobody has everything figured out.   

The Hollywood Reporter once said, "This TNT drama is arguably the least cliched and most accurate depiction of a man's midlife crises ever put on television."  You and I can argue all day about how family men are depicted on television in 2024.  They are often forced to play the "stupid Dad" or "dumb, lazy husband" that depicts the American father and husband as a one-dimensional, nonemotional, barely existent paycheck that the family takes for granted.  I suppose there are many men who fulfill that cliche, and that's wrong, too.  In Men of a Certain Age, the characters show that it's ok to not be perfect, it's ok to have emotion, and it's ok to be ok with getting older.

I still find the show to be quite good, and it is still hailed as one of the most honest shows about middle age.  The characters deal with many realistic frustrations, quirks, and humor that real-life "men of a certain age" often experience.  As a man about to hit 40, I still find the show as entertaining as I did at 25.  It's not mind-blowing or genre-changing in any way, but it's a solid television program that shows a realistic look at getting older and coming to peace with the aging process.