Oscar, Emmy, and Tony-winning actressKathy Batesis raking in the praise after joining the newCBS reboot ofMatlock, in which she plays a scheming lawyer disguised as a sweet old lady. However, before she signed on to this project helmed bysuccessful showrunner Jennie Snyder Urman, her last leading TV gig was in the 2017 Netflix comedyDisjointed. A workplace comedy set in an LA-based medical marijuana dispensary, the multi-cam sitcom failed to entice viewers.
Disjointed
Kathy Bates plays the role of Ruth Whitefeather Feldman, a lifelong pro-cannabis activist turned hippie dispensary owner. She runs the shop alongside her son Travis (Aaron Moten), who has just received his MBA and wants to turn Ruth’s Alternative Caring into the Walmart of weed. The cast is rounded out by Elizabeth Alderfer and Elizabeth Ho as “budtenders,” Dougie Baldwin as the in-store grower, Tone Bell as the shop’s security guard suffering from post-war PTSD, and two YouTubers who attempt to bring the shop into the 21st century and go by the apt names Dank (Chris Redd) and Dabby (Betsy Sodaro).
Disjointedwas the brainchild of David Javerbaum, a talented writer who received 11 Emmys for his work onThe Daily Show with Jon Stewart,and Chuck Lorre, dubbed the “Sitcom King” for gracing the small screens with such hits asTwo and a Half Men,The Big Bang Theory, andMom, among several others. With such an astounding track record between them and a viable premise, you’d think thatDisjointedwould be a recipe for success. But that wasn’t the case.
Kathy Bates Was Excited to Star in ‘Disjointed’
Bates admitted that in addition to being drawn to the project because she herself is a medicinal marijuana user, she jumped at the chance to work with two juggernauts of the comedy genre. She toldThe New York Times, “David is so talented, and Chuck has an amazing track record, so I decided to roll the dice with them. I’m not stabbing or slicing anybody up. But there’s an intensity being in front of a live audience again that’s so much fun.” The “stabbing and slicing” is in reference toone of Bates' best performanceson the immensely popularAmerican Horror Story, a job that she left in order to star onDisjointed(and briefly returned to after its end).
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‘Disjointed’ Failed to Hook Viewers
Though Kathy Bates was thrilled to be working on a multi-camera sitcom that films in front of a live audience, that element of the show proved to be a large detraction to viewers. Many people found the audible laughter —a sitcom trope we’re glad has gone away— to be distracting and overwhelming. Its volume, the frequency with which it was included, and awkward pacing between jokes and laughs even made it unwatchable for some. For those who could bear it, many of the jokes themselves fell flat.
Even Authenticity Wasn’t Enough to Save ‘Disjointed’
While it seems the showrunners were interested in shifting the perspective of marijuana use into a more positive light (Disjointedlanded on Netflix because all the mainstream networks passed due to its “controversial” subject matter), they instead perpetuated stereotypes and relied on obvious punchlines which led to accusations of lazy writing.
The show did employ a real-life cannabis consultant,Dina Browner, who runs an actual dispensary in West Hollywood. She was nicknamed Dr. Dina by Snoop Dog and the inspiration behind the pilot episode of the 2005 showWeeds(which has had whispers of a revival). She also consulted on shows likeMomandSons of Anarchy. Obviously, she knows a thing or two about how marijuana is portrayed in the media. Her role onDisjointedwas to help with props and set design and guide the cast on how to properly pretend to smoke (Hint: Don’t hold a joint like a cigarette). However, even the authenticity she lent to the series wasn’t enough to elevate it to more than a bunch of stoners making jokes about being stoners.
David Javerbaum Catered ‘Disjointed’ to High Audiences
Showrunner David Javerbaum toldNPRhe’d be fine ifDisjointed’s audience was only made up of stoners who watch Netflix and even suggested that it can be more enjoyable if the viewer is high while watching it — not necessarily great arguments for its potential longevity. He even inadvertently predicted the issues the show would have kept viewers hooked: “Pot humor can be slow. It can be very slow, and it can be very arduous, and that’s not gonna work with the rhythm of a multi-cam[era sitcom]. It’s gotta be fast.” Evidently, appealing to only one subset of the population wasn’t enough to keep the show going.
There were also some fantastical elements toDisjointed, which may have been enticing to some (high) viewers but seemed out of place for most — namely when the pot plants begin speaking to in-store grower Pete, sparking a series-long imaginary (and… intimate?) relationship between the two. This aspect of his character would have felt more in line with the consumption of hallucinogens rather than marijuana.
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Post-Production Choices Were the Bright Spot of ‘Disjointed’
Should Carter Have Been the Main Character?
There was another post-production element included, which many viewers praised as being the best part of the show. In each episode, there is an animated scene about Carter, the security guard, depicting elements of his PTSD. Each segment was created by different animators and music composers, who were often praised for their work.
Diving into the subject matter of mental health and its relation to marijuana use was touching, and much of the audience felt that the show should have leaned more into that earnestness rather than relying on weak pot jokes. In fact, some said they would have preferred if Carter was the main character of the show, and some even suggested that Ruth had only grown into the lead because the showrunners needed a part that was big enough to match Kathy Bates' star power.
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The Show’s Failure Didn’t Turn Bates Away From TV
Ultimately,Disjointed’s strange pacing, largely underdeveloped characters, and poor writing led to the show’s demise, and it was nixed after one 20-episode season. ThoughNetflix is known for its mass cancelations, this one seemed warranted. It’s rating on Rotten Tomatoes stands at 19% — a clear symbol of critics' opinions. It also became only one of two Chuck Lorre projects to be canceled after one season, the other beingFrannie’s Turn(1992), the very first show he created.
Kathy Bates, as previously mentioned, returned to theAmerican Horror Showfranchise before landing the lead role in theMatlockreboot, which has garnered extremely positive reviews. While her sitcom life was short-lived, it looks like Bates has finally found a TV role that’s worthy of her greatness and one that is likely to go the distance.
