"The Winner" lives up to its name

Let’s face it. Seth McFarlane is one of the most twisted minds in television these days. You only have to watch about 15 minutes of “Family Guy” to see that.

But he’s also one of the funniest minds in TV and “The Winner” does nothing to break that track record.

If you haven’t seen it, the show is the story of Glen Abbott (Rob Corddry). We’re told at the beginning of the premiere that he’s now the richest man in Buffalo. The show takes us back to the time in his life when Glen truly became an adult—1994, the year he turned 32.

Glen is living with his parents (Linda Hart and Lenny Clarke) where he does nothing but watch TV all day. When he’s not watching TV, he’s checking his pulse or taking some other action that feeds his hypochondria. But when Alison (Erinn Hayes), the only girl he ever kissed, returns to town and moves in next door, everything changes. Since Alison is a doctor and left her husband because among other reasons he was lazy, Glen decides to get a job and start making something of himself.

It doesn’t go well for Glen until he befriends Alison’s 14-year-old son, Josh (Keir Gilchrist). Since Glen has the social skills of a teenager, he and Josh hit it off. Glen helps Josh get a date and Josh helps Glen get a job at the video store. And when Josh realizes that Glen is interested in his mom, he helps out there too.

The idea of a 32-year-old man being such good friends with a 14-year-old might seem kind of strange, but Corddry is so cute, he makes it believable. And Gilchrist is a great child actor find.

The show is a little more traditional than any of McFarlane’s other shows, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less funny and it does still have its McFarlane moments. In the premiere, Josh and Glen freak out about whether their dates will want to make out with them. “Should we have bought condoms?” Josh asks.

As I said, in any other show it might be weird, but in this one it works. I just hope FOX considers giving it a chance next season.

“The Winner” airs Sundays at 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on FOX…