Welcome to Flatch is a Mockumentary Sitcom currently airing on Fox since March 2022.
A documentary crew is sent by Fox to explore the lives of small-town Americans living in Flatch, Ohio, a fictional town with a population of 1,531. It is based on the UK series, This Country. It follows Kelly and Lloyd "Shrub" Mallet, two cousins and best friends; Joseph "Father Joe" Binghoffer, the town's new pastor; Cheryl Peterson, the new editor of the town newspaper and ex-girlfriend of Father Joe, who broke up with her shortly after moving to Flatch; As well as Mickey St. Jean, Big Mandy, and Nadine Garcia-Parney.
In May 2022, Fox renewed the series for a second season. Due to the writers strike, Welcome to Flatch has been cancelled in late 2023.
Welcome to Flatch contains examples of:
- Accidental Misnaming: Nearly everyone calls Joe "Father Joe" because they mistakenly believe he's a Catholic priest due to the collar he wears. It bothers Joe but his attempts at correcting the townsfolk haven't worked, so far.
- Actor Allusion: Father Joe gets walleye from Cottage Grove, Minnesota which is where Seann William Scott is from.
- The Alleged Car: When June gives Kelly her old car, it turns out the inside has been completely stripped of everything, including seats, and it's essentially just a chassis on wheels. Luckily, she's able to sell it for scrap.
- Black and Nerdy: Mickey St. Jean is Flatch's resident nerd, who annoys Kelly and Shrub with pedantic nuggets about topics like cryptocurrency. Shrub tries to play nice, however, because Mickey has a PlayStation.
- Childhood Friend Romance: This may be developing between Kelly and Dylan, who were close friends as kids before drifting apart, despite him being married to his High School Sweetheart, though it doesn't appear to be a happy marriage.
- Christianity is Catholic: The people of Flatch seem to think so and address Joe as "Father Joe", despite the fact that he leads a Protestant congregation.
- Does Not Drive: Shrub can't drive; Kelly can, but lacks a car to do so.
- Economy Cast: Joe seems to carry the unofficial duties of any mayor or city government official.
- Exact Words: When Cheryl looks for Flatch's stolen town sign, the editor of her rival newspaper says "I'd say you need to look far and wide, in and outside to find it." It turns out that the sign is located at the intersection of Farr and Wyde Streets outside an Inn.
- Fish out of Water: Cheryl and Father Joe, who recently moved to Flatch from a bigger city.
- Married to the Job: Father Joe tries to invoke this as justification for his break up with Cheryl prior to the series.
- Mockumentary: Played straight. The characters are conscious that they're being filmed and often talk to the camera.
- Parental Neglect: Kelly's dad is almost sociopathically incapable of being a dependable source of support for his daughter which makes her crave his approval more.
- Plucky Girl: Cheryl isn't having an easy transition to small-town life. She is determined to participate in whatever and is determined to keep a smile on.
- Relationship Revolving Door: Much of the dramatic momentum of the first season with Cheryl and Joe was about shipping them. The second season was much more up-in-the-air and the writing tries to move the relationship drama in the opposite direction.
- Pop-Cultural Osmosis Failure: Beth was homeschooled by her conspiracy-theorist parents so she knows a lot about survival skills and, incongrously, The British Royal Family but not much about pop-cultural touchstones like Harry Potter.
- Sitcom Archnemesis: Kelly has an intense rivalry with Nadine. They were childhood friends but Nadine was a high flyer while Kelly fell behind, leading to anger and resentment. The fact that Nadine married Dylan, whom Kelly had a crush on, doesn't help matters.
- Small Town Rivalry: It's not entirely clear if Pockton feels this way about Flatch, but the residents of Flatch certainly can't stand Pockton.
