Craig Robinson
Ben Koldyke
Brandon T. Jackson
Spencer Grammer
Amandla Stenberg
Peri Gilpin
Meagan Good

Created by:
Owen Ellickson

Developed by:
Robb Cullen
Mark Cullen

2015-
Comedy
NBC
TV-PG

“Mr. Robinson” stars Craig Robinson as … Craig Robinson. He’s a musician who substitutes as a high school music teacher when he needs money. So, he has a day job. Of course, that premise should lead to lots of laughs, right? There’s a laugh track, after all. Why, why, why, why, why?

If you’ve seen “The Steve Harvey Show” and “School of Rock” then you’ve seen “Mr. Robinson” without even knowing it. But this show is certainly no “School of Rock,” which has an upcoming TV adaptation in the works for Nickelodeon. It’s not even worthy of “The Steve Harvey Show.” It’s no upgrade or update; it’s a throwback without charm. And its humor is cheap and tired. For instance, Craig’s younger brother (played by Brandon T. Jackson) says this about Craig’s former girlfriend (played by Meagan Good): “That booty and those eyes and that BOOTY!” Cue the laugh track!

This kind of show could work, if it had the tiniest bit of development. In Craig’s first scene in the classroom, he convinces his reluctant students to create a song. But it happens way too easily. There’s not enough buildup or conflict. There’s no magic, and there could be. No, this kind of thing belongs in a community theater.

“Mr. Robinson” has everything that we’ve come to expect from a half-hour network TV comedy set in a high school, but it’s not good … not even by ’90s standards. It features stock characters and masks old jokes in a watered-down version of today’s vernacular. (At times, it does include stronger language than you otherwise might expect, though. I guess that’s something new.)

I’ll put it this way: If the idea of a love song that references chocolate muffins as a metaphor for sex appeals to you, have at it.

Verdict: Bad

About: (Source: robinson)

As lead singer and keyboardist of the funk band Nasty Delicious, Craig (Craig Robinson, “The Office”) knows a thing or two about working the crowd, but his day job is where he really makes the grade.

Every struggling artist knows the drill: you have to pay the bills while you wait for that big break. So when Craig finds himself short on cash, he takes a job as a substitute high school music teacher. It’s an easy gig, right? Yet when he realizes the kids think his class is an easy A, Craig’s moved to inspire his students.

The school principal (Peri Gilpin, “Frasier”) believes that rules are made to be strictly upheld. She’s none too fond of Craig’s unorthodox teaching style, or his crush on the pretty English teacher (recurring guest star Meagan Good, “Think Like a Man”). It’s a constant struggle for Craig, having one foot in the music world with his band, Nasty Delicious, and having one foot in the teaching world. But if Craig wants to get the girl of his dreams and teach these kids the joys of music, he’ll have to buckle down, shape up and get the funk out.

The cast also includes Ben Koldyke, Amandla Stenberg, Brandon T. Jackson, Spencer Grammer and Tim Bagley.