The Goodwin Games had one heck of a fight getting on to television in the first place. But, sadly, the show struggled to make a decent first impression with critics and audiences alike on its first run.

The show was drafted into the end of the spring/summer schedule by Fox for a 7-episode run only, following the trials and tribulations of three siblings following the untimely death of their father Benjamin (played by Beau Bridges in videotape footage and voice-over capacity). The recently deceased has left his dysfunctional offspring with his $23 million fortune, only thing is the three must compete in a series of task designed by Benjamin in a winner-takes-all type scenario. The three taking part in this distinctly sitcom-like scenario are Henry (Scott Foley), a overbearing surgeon, former math geek-turned popular girl-turned post high school popular girl Chloe (Becki Newton) and ex-con Jimmy (T.J. Miller).

The general theme among reviews so far is that the show is, whilst having all the halmarks of a potentially good family sitcom, in the end it just isn't very good at all, with an underwhelming round of performances and a half-assed script. The Los Angeles Times does comment that the scenario is "well suited for a finite amount of screen time," but goes on to comment that even in this short run the show will fail to achieve much. Likewise, Variety have commented that the show is "mildly charming but exceptionally thin," and that Fox's lack of faith in the show is understandable. Elsewhere, on TV.com's 'Should I Watch...' column, the answer is a frankly a no, with the column mentioning; "not all the humor lands, and the zaniness of the entire situation (weird game tie-ins, kooky family stories, and T.J. Miller's absurd character) are going to be a matter of taste," adding, "All this adds up to a very mediocre sitcom."

At the end of TV.com's review though, the poll in favour of those willing to watch the show out-weighs those who do not; slightly at least, so maybe the show isn't completely doomed straight away. If you want to catch the show before it's too late, you can catch the remaining episodes on Mondays on Fox at 8.30pm.

Beau Bridges
Beau Bridges' return to TV probably wont be a long-lasting one