TV's New Sitcom 'Mike & Molly': Are Its Fat Jokes Funny or Offensive?

Sept. 28, 2010— -- Fat jokes may be taboo or strongly discouraged at home and at work, but they're the bread and butter, the meat and potatoes of "Mike & Molly," the new CBS sitcom that stars two overweight characters.

The eponymous characters -- Mike (Billy Gardell), a cop of massive girth and Molly (Melissa McCarthy), a plumpish school teacher -- meet at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting, and it's clear from the start that these sweet, insecure people would not push a plate of love aside.

What may push viewers away, though, is the litany of fat jokes and emotional gibes -- some made by the rotund characters themselves -- that pervade the show.

In last week's debut episode, a waiter calls Mike a "large man." Mike's cop partner says he wouldn't have enough chalk to outline Mike's outsize corpse. When he later embraces Mike, he says, "It's like hugging a futon." On a more serious note, Mike is asked how he can be a cop while being so fat.

Mike's no stranger to his condition. At one point he compares himself to the Himalayas.

Not all the insults are spoken, however.

Molly's skinny mom eats a huge slice of freshly baked chocolate cake in front of her daughter, who's been described as a "big-boned" girl, even as she slaves away on exercise equipment.

Some of the dialogue can be played for quick laughs, but the slings could come at the expense of viewers desperately trying to shed pounds.

"The show is offensive," said Bonnie Taub-Dix, a registered dietitian in New York and author of "Read It before You Eat It." "I couldn't believe how insensitive the jokes were, especially the cake scene. With 17 percent of children obese in this country, what relative wouldn't keep in mind the needs of her child, even an adult one, who's trying to lose weight? It was a perfect example of what not to do."

And it's not just the cake. Taub-Dix also takes issue with the solo frankfurter Mike eats in episode one. "That the show would put one item on the plate is radical," she said, but "why not show half-a-plate filled with vegetables?"