I watched The New Normal
This is what I thought.
It was cute and the jokes were funny, although I didn't catch all of them. When Bryan would make his jokes, I occasionally got ready to rewind to hear them again, and then I remembered I was watching on a TV, not a computer. Sigh.
There are definitely themes and archetypes that also appear in Glee (choosing your family, the importance of not being normal, the witty bigot, the boring gay couple), but the show itself is quite different from Glee. It's a sitcom first and foremost, not a satire or drama-with-humor. Unlike Glee, its plots don't run on boatloads of awkward. I really value and enjoy the awkward aspect of Glee - it takes place in a high school, after all - but it's nice that The New Normal appears not to run on awkwardness, because maybe my partner will be able to watch it without leaving the room every four minutes like he does when he's watching Glee because the awkwardness makes him so squirmy.
I adore Shania. The conversation she has with Bryan in episode 2 about wanting to be normal parallels a conversation I had with my dad at that age, except that my dad was bewildered and Bryan gave very good advice. I also like Goldie, although I don't feel that I have as good a handle on her character yet.
I guess I might as well cast my vote about whether Bryan is like Kurt and David is like Blaine, since that was the hot topic after the pilot came out (and before). My answer is that I really don't see much similarity. Okay, so none of them particularly like hanging out in gay bars (although maybe Brian used to?), but beyond that, I can't see Klaine=Bravid. Bryan is fashionable, but more superficial and high-strung than Kurt; David is shorter than Bryan and watches football, but otherwise bears very little resemblance to Blaine. What really cinched David≠Blaine for me is when David breaks down, just before Goldie's insemination, about always having to be the rock at home. Blaine is not "the rock" in the Klaine relationship, and I very much doubt that he sees himself as one. And then there were the clothes, and the ignorance about "gay stuff," and the not dancing, and ... Yeah, I don't see it.
Which is nice. I am all for more kinds of more gay people all over the airwaves.