Just Roll with It is a new family comedy that has started up on the Disney Channel. For the most part, it looks like a pretty standard sitcom. However, it is important to note that Just Roll with It isn’t a standard sitcom but rather a standard sitcom that has been crossed over with an improv show. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Just Roll with It:
1. Centered on the Bennett-Blatt Family
The show is centered on the Bennett-Blatt family, which is a blended family. The two parents are Byron Blatt, a radio personality, and Rachel Bennett-Blatt, a military veteran turned radio producer for her husband. Meanwhile, their kids are Owen Blatt and Blair Bennett, who have very different personalities that can complicate their efforts to get along.
2. The Name Is Not Subtle
There are some sitcoms that make it difficult to tell what the namer’s exact chain of reasoning happened to be. However, Just Roll with It isn’t one of them because it is a very clear reference to the show’s curious mix of the standard sitcom setup with improv segments.
3. Sitcom-Improv Hybrid
Speaking of which, the injection of improv segments into a standard sitcom setup is the single most interesting characteristic about Just Roll with It. However, this is very much the kind of thing that will get different responses from different people, particularly since there are some reviewers out there that have reported that the transition between the two isn’t as smooth as it could be. Still, the gimmick is a novel one, meaning that interested individuals might want to catch a couple of episodes to see for themselves rather than rely too much on the opinions of other people with other preferences.
4. Filmed in Front of a Live Audience
Of course, this means that Just Roll with It is filmed in front of a live audience. This isn’t actually that unusual for either kids’ TV in general or even the Disney Channel in particular. However, it is nonetheless what makes Just Roll with It’s unique format possible.
5. The Live Audience Vote On the Scenario
For those who are curious, what happens on Just Roll with It is that the show starts up with scripted segments. Eventually, these scripted segments will lead to stops signaled by the sounding of a horn, which will cause the cast members to leave the stage while the audience members vote on the way that they would like to see the show proceed. Supposedly, the cast members leave the stage so that the audience members’ choice will surprise them, thus making for a more authentic improv experience than otherwise possible. However, there is no real way to tell how true this might be, assuming that interested individuals care about the authenticity of the improv segments.
6. Not a Great Respecter of the Fourth Wall
Naturally, this means that Just Roll with It isn’t a great respecter of the fourth wall, which would be the conceptual barrier that exists between a piece of fiction and the real world. In fact, it is amusing to note that the first episode actually features the cast members explaining the audience members how the improv segments work, which does a similar service for the people watching from home as well. Unfortunately, while this is necessary for how the show is supposed to run, this casual disregard for the fourth wall is something that some people have pointed out jars them out of the narrative.
7. Some People Think That the Improv Segments Aren’t As Good
There are reviewers that have said that in their opinion, the improve segments aren’t as good as the scripted segments. This is understandable because the improv segments see the cast members going in blind whereas the scripted segments see the cast members being backed by scripts that have had what were presumably hours and hours of work poured into them. Still, this might be a concern for people who are interested in the basic setup for Just Roll with It but might not be particularly enthused about improv in general.
8. Kids Might Like the Format Better
With that said, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, kids don’t have the same sense of humor as adults, meaning that the format of Just Roll with It could work out very well for the show’s intended audience. Unfortunately, there is no real way to tell which way prevailing sentiments will blow for the time being, though as more and more episodes are broadcast, that particular issue should go away very fast.
9. Will Be Interesting to See Whether Audience Participation Will Widen in the Future
It will be interesting to see whether Just Roll with It will even broaden the nature of its viewer participation. Generally speaking, when Disney films a show before a live audience, it does so well ahead of time. However, there is no reason why the people behind Just Roll with It can’t film it at the same time that it is being broadcast, thus enabling the people watching it at home to get in on the voting action. Something that could make for greater viewer engagement even if it would place an increased burden on the cast members of the show.
10. It’s a Question of Interruptions
Ultimately, it seems likely that whether people will want to watch Just Roll with It or not will depend a great deal on whether they can tolerate the regular interruptions or not. There are some people who have no problems with just accepting regular interruptions in their storytelling. However, there are plenty of other people who are less content with them. Neither position is right or wrong, but they will nonetheless have an effect on whether people will want to watch or not.
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