'Disjointed,' on Netflix with Kathy Bates, is a Half-Baked Sitcom

It's hard to figure out who is the intended audience for "Disjointed," the new 20-episode sitcom that hits Netflix on August 28. The show has an interesting setup: Kathy Bates plays longtime marijuana activist Ruth Whitefeather Feldman, who launches her new (and legal) pot dispensary in Los Angeles along with her son Travis (Aaron Moten) and a group of quirky employees. But the comedy dilutes itself with the usual trappings of a network sitcom - obvious puns and lowest common denominator humor - that bumps up against the opportunity to make edgy and interesting jokes about pot culture.

Created by TV veteran Chuck Lorre ("The Big Bang Theory," "Two and a Half Men," "Mom") and comedy writer David Javerbaum ("The Daily Show," "An Act of God") "Disjointed" is the latest Netflix sitcom filmed on a soundstage in front of a live studio audience, which can be a jarring experience. Like "The Ranch," which stars Ashton Kutcher, it's awkward to watch Bates drop F-bombs or make a crack about how high she is with the addition of a laugh track, which usually signals family friendly fare - like Netflix's rebooted Norman Lear sitcom "One Day at a Time."

"Disjointed" unfortunately lives up to its name, resulting in tonally confusing show that uses the same handful of pot jokes as a crutch and struggles to find its voice.

You quickly learn Ruth is a renowned pot advocate, who has championed the drug's holistic abilities to naturally heal people for decades. But the way in which "Disjointed" portrays its characters while high is odd and reductive, suggesting that pot makes you lazy, confused and dumb more than relaxed and focused. The clich�d jokes that litter the episode feel like they were written by folks who have never been high. Budtender Pete (Dougie Baldwin) often hallucinates and his coworkers Jenny (Elizabeth Ho) and Olivia (Elizabeth Alderfer) are ditzy and skittish. That behavior is played off for simple laughs and it feels dated; like characters from a cheesy 80s comedy.

At the center of "Disjointed" is a mother-and-son comedy. Ruth and Travis, a recent MBA grad, often clash, going back-and-forth about how to run Ruth's business. She's all about letting things flow naturally while her son wants to create viral marketing campaigns and endorse YouTube influencers. There's also a plot thread about the store's security officer, Carter (Tone Belle), an Iraq war veteran who is suffering from depression and severe PTSD. Though his trauma is supposed to be the show's emotional anchor, "Disjointed" again fails to keep its tone straight when handling this serious issue. The show depicts his PTSD with a psychedelic cartoons, turning Carter's pain into a trippy gag. But the comedy makes up for its error: Carter explains he doesn't smoke pot - it's not for him. But thanks to his boss and coworkers, they explain the medical benefits of marijuana and Ruth turns him to edibles - which happen to be in the shape of poop.

"Disjointed" tries to take some risks, peppering its 30-minute episodes with skits. "Strain O' the Day" is framed like a YouTube video and features a few of Ruth's employees discussing a whacky new strain of weed, which offers a few good chuckles. There are also confounding black-and-white commercials, filmed like an educational short from the 50s, that are completely unfunny and not weird enough to watch while you're actually high. But "Disjointed" is too broad to appeal to the stoner crowd, who are better off tuning into Adult Swim at 1 a.m. for some truly wild stuff.

With its broad jokes and traditional setup, "Disjointed" is a half-baked comedy that can't settle on what it is. It not only struggles between being family comedy and a workplace comedy but it also suffers when its characters tout their progressive pro-pot views while being depicted as total dopes who can't function when smoking. Even Bates, who is no doubt a fabulous actress, is odd casting and her talents are wasted. (She should also stop trying to do accents - her Southern California accent is inconsistent at best.)

"Disjointed" aspires to be a clever comedy but it's completely surface level; like "Cheers" without the dynamic relationships, "High Maintenance" minus the emotional heartbeat, or "Broad City" save for its smart parody of youth culture. Ultimately, "Disjointed" is dazed and confused.