FOX Beat: The Grinder star Rob Lowe

The pilot I watched was filmed before his departure. It was all going great. I need to hit my mark and like, not be a jerk. And that’s not enough to make me commit to more of this. Veteran showrunner Greg Malins (“How I Met Your Mother”, “Friends“, “Ground Floor”) left the show in late August, citing creative differences.

So that’s exactly what they did with their new Fox comedy – the duo just swapped occupations to focus on the world of attorneys.

Rob Lowe’s newest character, Dean Sanderson, is the living embodiment of the “I’m not a lawyer, but I play one on TV” joke.

SAVAGE: Honestly, I didn’t.

We’re now eight days into the new fall season and the hectic scramble has settled down a bit. I couldn’t be more thrilled. Now that we’re doing this every day, it’s pretty great.

“Dean is someone who seems to have it all, but what he really wants is to have a life”. Making a comedy is one thing. “He wants what the people in this town have – or at least THINKS he does”. I really liked the character. And Andrew and Jarrad, who created the show and run it, do that incredibly well. There’s something to it. There’s a few substance to the comedy.

Anise is particularly miffed with Savage’s character, a lawyer who is “a bungling idiot” and “hopeless and incompetent” in court. You’re not one. You’re an actor. We’re really happy with the show, so far. NCIS: New Orleans scored a 1.7, flat with the prior week, while Limitless showed a 1.9, up 5% over last week’s 1.8. They’re not so black and white.

Stewart, exasperated, wonders why Dean couldn’t have just said “in the morning”.

So when Dean starts meddling in Stewart and his family’s lives, the hard-done-by brother has to learn to live with it or kick The Grinder to the curb. Is that a good thing? “Practices actual law. Not law as written by Hollywood”. Will any of his confidence rub off on Stewart? He agreed to reprise his “Full House” role because of his love of the show. Stewart is immediately wary on several fronts when Dean returns.

SAVAGE: Oh, no, not at all. I think that kind of continues. Our love for him is… He’s just a lonely guy. Keep in mind that Jimmy didn’t even know he had a son or granddaughter, and now he has to unlearn a lifetime of blissful selfishness and also grapple with the idea of going straight from “single” to “grandfather” in six seconds flat. “Everything good in my life career-wise has come from saying yes”, Lowe added.

Even if the writing weren’t as sharp as it is, The Grinder would probably work – thanks to the strengths of its talented leads. It works, and Stewart is forced to eat his words.

In the high-energy, slightly absurdist “Grandfathered” (Fox, 8 p.m.), John Stamos plays moisturized, manicured lothario Jimmy Martino, a successful and incredibly self-absorbed Miami restaurateur who is ambushed by the son he never knew he had, Gerald (Josh Peck, “Drake & Josh)”. There’s a lot of lee-way.

Now that the show has ended, Dean is at loose ends.

Is there a chance Danica McKellar might guest star on the show, and would you be into that? Usually you read pilots and you’re like, “Oh”. That’s incredibly encouraging and really validating.

SAVAGE: No, I prefer not having to direct myself.

Yeah I mean, sure… The season needs you. While Savage still has a youthfulness to his face, it’s been a good, long while since he was acting with any regularity.