Man with a Plan (TV series) explained

Genre:	Sitcom
Composer:	John Kimbrough
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Num Seasons:	4
Num Episodes:	69
List Episodes:	List of Man with a Plan episodes
Camera:	Multi-camera
Runtime:	22 minutes
Network:	CBS

Man with a Plan is an American television sitcom created by Jackie and Jeff Filgo and starring Matt LeBlanc, who also served as an executive producer.^[1] The series ran on CBS from October 24, 2016 to June 11, 2020, airing for 69 episodes over 4 seasons.^{[2] [3]} The series was a staple on CBS' Monday night comedy lineup for its first three seasons, before being moved to Thursday nights for the fourth and final season.

LeBlanc stars as Adam Burns, a contractor raising three children (Grace Kaufman, Matthew McCann, Hala Finley) in suburban Pittsburgh with his wife Andi (Liza Snyder), who decides to go back to work as a medical lab technician in the pilot. Kevin Nealon and Matt Cook co-starred through all four seasons as Adam's brother and friend, respectively. Stacy Keach and Kali Rocha recurred as Adam's father and sister-in-law, respectively, and were upgraded to regular cast members in later seasons.

In May 2020, the series was canceled after four seasons.^[4]

Summary

When his wife Andi returns to work, old-school father Adam Burns takes on more of the responsibilities of parenting his three rambunctious children (Kate, Teddy and Emme). Adam must learn to balance this challenge with running a contracting business with his brother Don, while at the same time dealing with his overbearing father Joe. The series is set in suburban Pittsburgh.

Burns family tree

• *Character mentioned but does not appear in an episode.

Cast

Main

• Matt LeBlanc as Adam Burns:
  The patriarch of the Burns household. Along with his brother, Don, he owns Burns Brothers Construction. Adam is the construction expert for the business, with Don handling sales. In season 4, he states that he is 50 years old.
• Liza Snyder as Andi Burns:
  The matriarch of the Burns household. As the series started, Andi went back to work as a medical lab technician following several years as a stay-at-home mom. At the start of season 3, she has joined Burns Brothers Construction as a designer.
• Grace Kaufman as Kate Burns:
  The eldest Burns child. At the start of the series, Kate is 13 years old, celebrating her 14th birthday later in the first season. She is the sassy, rebellious child, who is often embarrassed by her parents. She gets her driver's license in the penultimate episode of the series (season 4), suggesting she is at least 16 years old by then. Adam and Andi always punished her and give her a hard time.
• Hala Finley as Emme Burns:
  The youngest child in the Burns family, who is five years old and beginning kindergarten at the start of the series. Emme is the younger, innocent daughter, who often knows her parents will never let her get away with a lot. She is six years old as of season 2.
• Matthew McCann as Teddy Burns:
  The middle child in the Burns family, who turns 12 years old during the first season. Teddy is a rather dimwitted child, whose intelligence is often ridiculed by the other characters, including his parents. Adam states that Teddy has his Uncle Don's intelligence.
• Jessica Chaffin as Marie Faldonado (season 1, episodes 1–13):
  One of Adam's fellow room parents, who is a promiscuous divorcee with children in both Emme and Kate's classes. After episode thirteen, Marie is never seen or mentioned again.
• Matt Cook as Lowell Franklin:
  The other room parent and the Burns' friend, who idolizes Adam as his mentor. Lowell is a stay-at-home dad who relies on statistics and experts to help parent his children. In "The Three Amigos", he begins working with Adam and Don as their tech specialist after helping them land a lucrative job with a video presentation he created. Lowell's wife leaves him in season 3.
• Diana-Maria Riva as Alicia Rodriguez (season 1):
  Emme's kindergarten teacher who is a thorn in Adam's side.
• Kevin Nealon as Don Burns:
  Adam's older brother, who co-owns Burns Brothers Construction alongside Adam. It is mentioned in "The Three Amigos" that Don handles sales for the business. He is very dim-witted like his nephew Teddy. He is married to Marcy, and together they have a son, Mikey, who is an ex-convict living in a studio apartment.
• Stacy Keach as Joe Burns (seasons 2–4; recurring season 1):
  Adam and Don's father, who moved his motor home into Adam and Andi's driveway. Adam frequently accuses Joe of favoring Don, but Joe insists it's only because Don has always needed more coddling than Adam.
• Kali Rocha as Marcy Burns (seasons 3–4; recurring seasons 1–2):
  Don's wife and Andi's best friend. She has a hostile relationship with her mother-in-law Beverly, who doesn't think Marcy is ever good enough for her son.
• TJ DeCarlo as Thomas Burns (seasons 1–4; recurring in 63 episode):
  The long lost brother of Adam Burns. He has a distant relationship with the Burns family and tries to rekindle lost time with them.

Recurring

• Swoosie Kurtz as Beverly Burns, Adam and Don's mother and Joe's wife who heavily scrutinizes her daughters-in-law. While she becomes somewhat friendly toward Andi, she never warms up to Marcy.
• Christine Woods as Lisa McCaffrey, Adam and Don's client on a mall construction project (seasons 1–2)
• Sherri Shepherd as Joy, the Burns' neighbor who is also the building inspector on Adam's job site (season 2)
• Tim Meadows as Rudy, the Burns' neighbor and Joy's husband (season 2)
• Ron Funches as Funchy, Joe's home care nurse and friend (season 3)
• Jessica St. Clair as Kelly, Andi's sister (season 3)

Episodes

See main article: List of Man with a Plan episodes. During the course of the series, 69 episodes of Man with a Plan aired, between October 24, 2016, and June 11, 2020.

Production

Development

On February 3, 2016, the production officially received a pilot order and James Burrows would direct the pilot.^[5] The pilot was written by Jackie and Jeff Filgo who was also set to executive produce with Michael Rotenberg and Troy Zien. Production companies involved with the pilot include Double Double Bonus Entertainment, CBS Television Studios, and 3 Arts Entertainment. On May 12, 2016, it was announced that CBS had given the production, now titled Man with a Plan, a series order.^[6] A day after that, it was announced that the series would premiere on October 24, 2016, by Monday at 8:30pm. On November 14, 2016, CBS picked up the series for a full season of 19 episodes.^[7] On January 6, 2017, CBS ordered three additional episodes, increasing the first season order to 22.^[8] On March 23, 2017, CBS renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on November 13, 2017.^{[9] [10]} On November 27, 2017, CBS ordered eight additional episodes for the second season, bringing the total to 21 episodes.^[11] On May 12, 2018, CBS renewed the series for a third season which premiered on February 4, 2019.^[12] On May 10, 2019, the series was renewed for a fourth and final season, which premiered on April 2, 2020.^{[13] [14]}

Casting

Casting for the main cast started in February 2016 with Matt LeBlanc and ended the next month with Matt Cook and Grace Kaufman.^[15] On May 13, 2016, it was reported that Jenna Fischer, who was originally cast to play the female lead opposite LeBlanc in the series, had exited and her role would be recast.^[16] In 2021, Fischer asserted on the Office Ladies podcast that her role had been recast because test audiences didn't "believe Pam would marry Joey", referring to Fischer and LeBlanc's respective roles on The Office and Friends.^[17]

On August 1, it was announced Liza Snyder would replace Fischer as the female lead.^[18] On August 2, 2016, it was reported that Kevin Nealon had joined the cast in a main role.^[19] On September 4, 2018, it was announced that Kali Rocha was promoted to series regular for season 3.^[20]

Filming

Man with a Plan was filmed at Radford Studio Center in Studio City, Los Angeles, but it's set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Cancellation

On May 6, 2020, CBS announced that Man with a Plan had been cancelled after four seasons. While ratings for the fourth season were satisfactory, the network was reportedly looking to lower costs following the merger of CBS and Viacom that had taken place that same season. The series was expensive to produce for the network, which was a major factor in its decision to cancel the series.^[4] The series concluded on June 11, 2020, following a 69-episode run.^[21]

Reception

Critical response

Man with a Plan received negative reviews from critics. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 21%, based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 3.29/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Man with a Plans flawed, unimaginative writing fails to properly showcase the charm of its unfortunately underperforming lead."^[22] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the series has a score 36 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
2017	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Actor In A New TV Series	Matt LeBlanc		^[23]
		Favorite New TV Comedy	Man with a Plan

Home media

The first season was released in Region 1, via Amazon's Manufacture on Demand (MOD) service, on November 16, 2018. The second season was released on July 8, 2019. The third season was released on September 22, 2020.^[24] The fourth and final season was released on November 26, 2020.^[25]

Season	of episodes	DVD Release dates
		Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
1	22	November 16, 2018
2	21	July 8, 2019
3	13	September 22, 2020
4	13	November 26, 2020

See also

• Kevin Can Wait, another CBS sitcom often compared and partnered with Man with a Plan

Notes and References

1. Web site: 'Training Day', 'Bull', 'MacGyver', 'The Great Indoors', Matt LeBlanc Comedy & Jason Katims Drama Picked Up By CBS. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline Hollywood. May 13, 2016. June 22, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20190107011551/https://deadline.com/2016/05/training-day-bull-macgyver-the-great-indoors-matt-leblanc-jason-katims-cbs-series-1201755376/. January 7, 2019. live.
2. Web site: CBS Sets Fall 2016 Premiere Dates, Slates JonBenet Ramsey Limited Series. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline Hollywood. June 21, 2016. June 21, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160622125204/https://deadline.com/2016/06/cbs-fall-premiere-dates-2016-1201776569/. June 22, 2016. live.
3. Web site: June 11, 2020. Adam Scott Hosts ABC's Don't, Man With a Plan Ends, Bold Type Returns and More. June 14, 2020. TVLine.
4. Web site: Man With a Plan Cancelled at CBS. Ausiello. Michael. May 6, 2020. TVLine. May 6, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200506220546/https://tvline.com/2020/05/06/man-with-a-plan-cancelled-cbs-season-5-matt-leblanc/. May 6, 2020. live.
5. Web site: Matt LeBlanc to Star In CBS Comedy Pilot with Series Commitment. Prudom. Laura. TVLine. February 8, 2016. February 8, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160210091233/https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/matt-leblanc-cbs-comedy-im-not-your-friend-pilot-1201700541/. February 10, 2016. live.
6. Web site: 'Training Day', 'Bull', 'MacGyver', 'The Great Indoors', Matt LeBlanc Comedy & Jason Katims Drama Picked Up By CBS. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline. May 13, 2016. May 13, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20190107011551/https://deadline.com/2016/05/training-day-bull-macgyver-the-great-indoors-matt-leblanc-jason-katims-cbs-series-1201755376/. January 7, 2019. live.
7. Web site: CBS Orders More Episodes Of 'Man With A Plan', 'The Great Indoors' & 'Code Black'. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline Hollywood. November 14, 2016. November 14, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161114233634/http://deadline.com/2016/11/cbs-orders-more-episodes-man-with-a-plan-the-great-indoors-code-black-1201853944/. November 14, 2016. live.
8. Web site: Freshman Comedies 'Kevin Can Wait', 'The Great Indoors' & 'Man With A Plan' Get More Episodes At CBS. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline Hollywood. January 6, 2017. January 6, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170107094959/http://deadline.com/2017/01/kevin-can-wait-the-great-indoors-man-with-a-plan-more-episodes-cbs-1201880170/. January 7, 2017. live.
9. Web site: CBS Renews 5 Freshman & 11 Returning Series, Including 'MacGyver', 'Superior Donuts', 'Life In Pieces' & 'Hawaii Five-0'. Deadline Hollywood. Nellie. Andreeva. March 23, 2017. March 23, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170323163849/http://deadline.com/2017/03/cbs-early-renewals-macgyver-superior-donuts-life-in-pieces-hawaii-five-0-blue-bloods-1202049276/. March 23, 2017. live.
10. Web site: Me, Myself & I Essentially Cancelled at CBS; Man With a Plan Called Off Bench. TVLine. Michael. Ausiello. November 1, 2017. November 1, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171101191724/http://tvline.com/2017/11/01/me-myself-i-cancelled-cbs-season-1-bobby-moynihan/. November 1, 2017. live.
11. Web site: Man With a Plan, Superior Donuts Get Full-Season Orders at CBS. Gelman. Vlada. TVLine. November 27, 2017. November 27, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171208112505/https://tvline.com/2017/11/27/man-with-a-plan-superior-donuts-season-2-full-orders-cbs/. December 8, 2017. live.
12. Web site: 'Man With A Plan' Renewed For Season 3 By CBS, No Word Yet On 'Kevin Can Wait'. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline Hollywood. May 12, 2018. May 12, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180512193704/http://deadline.com/2018/05/man-with-a-plan-renewed-season-3-cbs-kevin-can-wait-superior-donuts-1202383579/. May 12, 2018. live.
13. Web site: 'Man With A Plan' Starring Matt LeBlanc Renewed For Season 4 By CBS. Deadline Hollywood. Nellie. Andreeva. Denise. Petski. May 10, 2019. May 10, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190510193728/https://deadline.com/2019/05/man-with-a-plan-renewed-season-4-cbs-matt-leblanc-1202607035/. May 10, 2019. live.
14. Web site: CBS Comedies 'Man With A Plan' & 'Broke' Get April Premiere Dates, Thursday Time Slots. Deadline Hollywood. Nellie. Andreeva. January 28, 2020. January 28, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200128190159/https://deadline.com/2020/01/man-with-a-plan-broke-cbs-comedies-april-premiere-dates-thursday-time-slots-1202843466/. January 28, 2020. live.
15. Web site: Matt Cook Joins CBS' LeBlanc Filgos Project. Petski. Denise. Deadline. March 4, 2016. March 4, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160306102403/http://deadline.com/2016/03/matt-cook-cbs-matt-leblanc-jeff-filgos-jackie-filgos-cbs-1201714943/. March 6, 2016. live.
16. Web site: Matt LeBlanc CBS Series 'Man With A Plan': Jenna Fischer Exits In Recasting. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline. May 13, 2016. May 13, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160514063144/http://deadline.com/2016/05/matt-leblanc-cbs-comedy-jenna-fischer-exits-recasting-man-with-a-plan-1201755657/. May 14, 2016. live.
17. Web site: 'The Office' Star Jenna Fischer Lost Role In Matt LeBlanc's 'Man With A Plan' Series Because Focus Group Said, "Pam Wouldn't Marry Joey". Bruce. Haring. Deadline. July 16, 2021. July 17, 2021.
18. Web site: Man with a Plan: Liza Snyder Joins Matt LeBlanc Sitcom – canceled TV shows – TV Series Finale. August 1, 2016. November 2, 2016.
19. Web site: 'Man With A Plan': Kevin Nealon Joins Matt LeBlanc CBS Sitcom. August 2, 2016. August 2, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160803181753/http://deadline.com/2016/08/man-with-a-plan-kevin-nealon-matt-leblanc-cbs-sitcom-series-regular-1201797323/. August 3, 2016. live.
20. Web site: 'Man With A Plan': Kali Rocha Upped To Series Regular For Season 3. September 4, 2018. Petski. Denise. Deadline Hollywood. September 10, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180911081559/https://deadline.com/2018/09/man-with-a-plan-kali-rocha-promoted-series-regular-season-3-matt-leblanc-1202456933/. September 11, 2018. live.
21. Web site: Schwartz. Ryan. Man With a Plan Finale Recap: How Did Cancelled Matt LeBlanc Comedy End?. TVLine. June 11, 2020.
22. Web site: Man With a Plan: Season 1. Fandango Media. Rotten Tomatoes. May 10, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20171203094355/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/man_with_a_plan/s01/. December 3, 2017. live.
23. Web site: People's Choice Awards Nominees 2017 — Full List . November 15, 2016 . Hipes . Patrick . . August 24, 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170503235832/http://deadline.com/2016/11/peoples-choice-awards-nominees-2016-full-list-captain-america-kevin-hart-1201854910/ . May 3, 2017 .
24. Web site: Man with a Plan: Season 3 . Amazon . September 22, 2020 .
25. Web site: Man with a Plan, Season 2 . Amazon . July 8, 2019 .